Howdy mushroom people, welcome back to the Mycopreneur Newsletter. We’ve got a round up of current global fungi news, a few events to announce, and an invite to today’s online Mycopreneur Incubator — our low-key, cost-free networking and mentorship forum for mushroom entrepreneurs and enthusiasts.

The Mycopreneur streaming partnership with Volume.com and PRPS continues tonight at 8 pm et / 5 pm pt with an interview of Nutritious, labelhead at Liquid Culture records and founding team member of Double Blind Magazine. This special series of live-streamed Mycopreneur podcasts on Volume.com is happening as part of the run-up to the Phoenix Rising Psychedelic Speakeasy in Nashville on November 5th. The livestreams are free, and you can grab your ticket for tonight by clicking on the image below.

Mycopreneur is pulling up to Miami on October 31st to host the official pre-party for top international DJ Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz — 35th Anniversary Halloween Edition with Nutritious at ZeyZey

This one is going to be a banger — we already have the confirmed attendance of a number of key mushroom industry figures in the Miami scene with more on the way. If you’re in the 305 or nearby definitely come out for this and wear a mushroom costume.

We’re now accepting inquiries from aligned sponsors who want to have their brand and products represented at this event — sponsorships start at $500, please reach out directly to me if you’re interested.

You can grab your free tickets for the Mycopreneur Happy Hour below — starts at 6 pm with the Mark Farina and Nutritious show to follow ‘til late.

How Mushrooms Cracked My Heart Open—and What They Can Teach Us About Healing By John Biggs

I was interviewed for this book earlier in the year and it dropped this week — the author is a tech journalist who was an editor for platforms like Tech Crunch and Gizmodo and who currently has an awesome Substack and podcast called Keep Going. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet but will definitely be picking up a copy for my library.

Image courtesy of Full Canopy Genetics

Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a potentially significant new application for psilocybin: preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a painful form of nerve damage that can persist for years after cancer treatment.

In a study published in Nature, researchers gave mice two doses of psilocybin before exposing them to six rounds of chemotherapy over six months. While untreated mice developed heightened pain sensitivity, reduced sensation and damaged sensory nerve fibers, the psilocybin-treated mice showed none of these effects. Importantly, psilocybin did not appear to interfere with chemotherapy’s ability to shrink tumors.

Researchers believe the psychedelic may protect nerves by helping maintain the normal movement of mitochondria—the cellular structures responsible for producing energy—within sensory neurons.

More than one-third of chemotherapy patients develop peripheral neuropathy, with rates reaching 60% among some patients receiving platinum-based drugs. Human trials are reportedly scheduled to begin this month, potentially expanding psychedelic medicine beyond mental health into cancer care.

Great to see Florida Mycological Society Co-Founder and repeat Mycopreneur Incubator attendee Scott Ostuni getting some press this week —

Florida’s fungi are easy to overlook, but for mushroom enthusiast Scott Ostuni, their fleeting nature is part of the fascination. After 13 years studying fungi, Ostuni co-founded the Florida Mycological Society in 2024, which organizes monthly mushroom walks focused on exploration, education and conservation. He has collected thousands of specimens and helped identify 100–200 potentially new species, including Psilocybe niveotropicalis. Ostuni says citizen scientists can discover previously unknown fungi anywhere—even in their own backyards.

From our partners: Booming Acres is your one stop shop for all-in-one gourmet and exotic mushroom grow bags and mycology supplies — pair their industry-leading pre-sterilized grow bags with award-winning mushroom research genetics from our partners at Full Canopy Genetics, and you’re golden

Image courtesy of Full Canopy Genetics

New Mexico has opened applications for producers seeking to grow psilocybin mushrooms for the state’s new medical psilocybin program, marking a major step toward implementation. Created by Senate Bill 219, the program will allow controlled therapeutic use for conditions including treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, substance use disorders and end-of-life care.

Applicants face extensive requirements covering business registration, facility safety, zoning and testing. Applications have no deadline and will be reviewed in submission order. The state aims to begin treating patients by the end of 2026, a year ahead of the statutory deadline. Additional permits for testing facilities and clinicians are expected, followed by inspections before treatment begins.

In today's edition of 'Magic Mushrooms Are Everywhere', the first bulk psilocybin mushroom bust in Iraq was reported in the country's Kurdish region this week. 

Iraq has reported its first seizure of “magic mushrooms,” with authorities confiscating one kilogram of psilocybin-containing fungi in Sulaimani during a joint operation involving Iraqi and Kurdish security forces. A suspected dealer was arrested. The bust comes amid a broader Iraqi crackdown on narcotics, with authorities reporting more than two tons of drugs seized and thousands of trafficking and drug-use convictions in 2026.

Having personally been to this region of Iraq, I imagine quite a few people there are already familiar with mushrooms. Parts of the city of Erbil is reminiscent of Abu Dhabi or the nicer parts of Las Vegas, which I wasn’t at all expecting out of northern Iraq.

A Denver psilocybin co-op called Lyman Support Centers is challenging Colorado’s efforts to shut it down, arguing its support services and mushroom-sharing practices are protected under the state’s natural-medicine laws. State regulators contend the operation amounts to unlicensed facilitation and illegal commercial activity. The dispute could test the boundaries between personal use, harm reduction and commercialization.

Sydney woman Carolyn has become the first person in Australia buried in a mushroom-grown coffin. Made from mycelium and upcycled hemp fibers, the biodegradable casket takes about seven days to grow and can break down into soil within 45 days. The funeral reflects growing interest in sustainable alternatives to traditional burial and cremation.

Belarus’s autumn mushroom season has driven a surge in prices, with porcini selling for up to 100 BYN ($33) per kilogram in Minsk markets. Meanwhile, online sellers offer chanterelles from 3 BYN per liter and porcini for 40–45 BYN/kg. Some enterprising foragers are even offering custom mushroom-picking and forest excursions.

Scientists in Prayagraj, India, have developed an organic face pack made with mushroom powder, offering a potential natural alternative to conventional skincare products. The innovation has received a patent from the Indian government and is expected to become commercially available soon. The development highlights mushrooms’ expanding applications beyond food and supplements, into the beauty and cosmetics market.

Mushrooms for skin care are a big market in Asia already — our partners at Real Mushrooms have been one of the main companies at the vanguard of popularizing Tremella mushrooms in the U.S. — read more about how fungi can drastically improve your skin health here:

Today, Sep 10, 2026 03:00 PM America/Detroit

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87575277676?pwd=w5k1GGlfZ22I3SOtolZbZokYnxpUi8.1

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Thanks for reading the Mycopreneur Newsletter, and see you at the Incubator today

DW