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. 2021 Jan 1;4(2):573-577.
doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00171. eCollection 2021 Apr 9.

Ethical Concerns about Psilocybin Intellectual Property

Konstantin Gerber  1 , Inti García Flores  2 , Angela Christina Ruiz  3 , Ismail Ali  4 , Natalie Lyla Ginsberg  4 , Eduardo E Schenberg  5
Affiliations

Ethical Concerns about Psilocybin Intellectual Property

Konstantin Gerber et al. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. .

Abstract

Since a 1957 exposé in Life Magazine, chemical compounds derived from Psilocybe mushrooms have been the focus of dozens of attempted and successful patents, most recently to treat depression. Regrettably, the Mazatec indigenous communities who stewarded these traditional medicines for millenia are not party to any of these patents, despite a number of international treaties asserting indigenous rights to their intangible cultural heritage.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Town of Huautla de Jiménez in Oaxaca and some key cultural elements in the Mazatec mushroom culture. (A) Huautla de Jiménez, Naxín Nanda Tejao. (People of deer, water and eagle). (B) Ndí xijto (little things that sprout, landslides). (C) Ndí xijto (little things that sprout, landslides). (D) Ndí xijto (little things that sprout, landslides). (E) Candles, cacao, and macaw feathers; some elements used in healing Mazatec rituals. (F), (G), and (H) Ndí xijto (little things that sprout, landslides). Photos by Inti Gracía Flores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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