Roman Libov is a food scientist specializing in plant-based foods and the incorporation of bioactive and psychoactive fungi into nutraceuticals. In this episode of The Drip, we learn about Roman’s journey from mental health to food science. We explore the challenges and innovations in incorporating psychoactive fungi into food products, the intersection of food science and psychedelics, and the promising future of fungi in the food industry and mental health therapeutics.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The rise of fungi in functional foods
• Stability challenges with psilocybin in beverages
• The future of psychedelic consumption
• Regulatory challenges in consumer testing
• … and how fungi can improve public health outcomes

Jump to:

(03:45) What is fungi's nutritional, medicinal, and sensory potential?

(06:59) How psilocybin affects brain serotonin receptors and the “Entourage Effect”.

(11:50) The importance of water activity for bioactive preservation.

(13:25) How psilocybin stability is affected by environmental factors.

(16:54) Why fungi are gaining popularity in health food.

(22:28) This episode’s song recommendation.

(23:26) This episode’s mantra.

00:00 Fungi's future role: food, health, psychedelics, innovation.

04:19 Fungi offer innovative, eco-friendly food solutions.

08:36 Psychoactive fungi consumed as gummies or chocolates.

10:27 Maintaining bioactive compounds' stability in food matrices.

13:24 Psilocybin stability affected by processing and elements.

16:54 Fungi increasingly popular in food and health.

21:55 Sponsored content about fungi ingredients and music.

23:52 Embrace authenticity and self-understanding; stay hydrated.

Featured Artist and Song:

Where You Are by John Summit

Links mentioned in this episode:

Roman Libov on LinkedIn

‘Virtual Reality as a Moderator of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy’ by Agnieszka D. Sekula, Luke Downey, Prashanth Puspanathan (2022)

‘Psychoactive Fungi Formulations in Nutritive and Palatable Food Matrices: Options for Clinical and Non-clinical Use’ by Roman Libov (2023)

‘Psychedelics and virtual reality: parallels and applications’ by Jacob S. Aday, Christopher C. Davoli, Emily K. Bloesch (2020)

My Time by Sultan + Shepard, music was chosen by Roman Libov

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Zachary Cartwright, PhD