We Finally Found the Morning Glory Acid

Good morning! Welcome back to The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter delivering independent journalism about psychedelics straight to your inbox!

Today’s featured story is about a brilliant student scientist who just discovered where lysergic alkaloids are hidden in one of the world’s most mysterious, fabled flowers. If you keep scrolling, you’ll find pieces on the relationship between Buddhists and psychedelics, how “love drugs” can impact your sex life, and so much more.

Enjoy the brain food,
Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

Together With Nectara

Your ceremony offered insight. Daily life is where you make it real.

If you’ve sat with psychedelics, you already know—it can open something deep. But what comes after the insight? For many, the real transformation begins beyond the peak experience.

That’s why we’re partnering with Nectara to offer their Living Wisdom Integration Program: a 6-week, guided experience to help you ground your psychedelic journey into your daily life.

With dedicated ayahuasca and psilocybin cohorts, you’ll meet weekly with a small, supportive group and an experienced guide to reflect, process, and begin weaving a life that feels truly aligned.

It’s gentle, soulful work—made lighter with community at your back.

Use code DB10 for an exclusive 10% discount.

Student Scientist Discovers Mysterious LSD Fungus

A fungus was recently discovered inside morning glory flowers that produces ergot alkaloids, the same compounds that inspired the creation of LSD.

A West Virginia University undergraduate just solved a mystery that’s eluded scientists since LSD’s invention nearly a century ago. And it all happened by spotting a tiny patch of fuzz on a seed coating.

Corinne Hazel, an environmental microbiology major from Delaware, Ohio, discovered a new fungal species while working in the lab at West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The fungus, Periglandula clandestina, produces ergot alkaloids, the same class of compounds that inspired Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann to synthesize LSD in the 1930s.

Hazel, a Goldwater Scholar, made the discovery under the mentorship of Daniel Panaccione, Davis-Michael Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, while investigating how morning glory plants spread defensive compounds through their roots.

“We had a ton of plants lying around and they had these tiny little seed coats,” Hazel told WVU Today. “We noticed a little bit of fuzz in the seed coat. That was our fungus.”

She prepared a DNA sample and, using funds from a WVU Davis College Student Enhancement Grant, sent it off for genome sequencing. The sequence, now archived in a global gene bank, confirmed a new species and now bears Hazel’s name.

“Sequencing a genome is a significant thing,” Panaccione told WVU Today. “It’s amazing for a student.”

Hofmann long suspected that a fungus living inside morning glories was responsible for their psychedelic properties. Researchers found similar lysergic compounds in the plants but could never pinpoint the exact organism behind them—until now.

“Morning glories contain high concentrations of similar lysergic acid derivatives that give them their psychedelic activities,” Panaccione told WVU Today. “This inspired Hofmann and others to investigate morning glories for the presence of a hidden fungus related to the ergot fungus that might be the source of these chemicals. They found very similar chemicals, but they could never find the fungus itself.”

Periglandula clandestina churns out ergot alkaloids in large quantities, making it a promising subject for research. While these compounds can be toxic at high doses, they’re already used in treatments for migraines, Parkinson’s, and uterine hemorrhaging.

“Many things are toxic. But if you administer them in the right dosage or modify them, they can be useful pharmaceuticals,” Panaccione said. “By studying them, we may be able to figure out ways to bypass the side effects. These are big issues for medicine and agriculture.”

Hazel, now focused on how best to cultivate the fungus, called the moment surreal.

“I’m lucky to have stumbled into this opportunity,” she said. “People have been looking for this fungus for years, and one day, I look in the right place, and there it is. I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done at WVU.”

La Cueva de los Tayos and the Ongoing Quest to Protect a Sacred Underground World

This week’s Friday Feature delves into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where a vast underground cave system continues to spark intrigue decades after explorers first claimed it held gold, lost civilizations, and alien secrets.

Artist Eileen Hall Muñoz is carrying on her father’s legacy, not by chasing myths, but by reframing what treasure means in the face of a climate crisis. From Neil Armstrong’s expedition to Jon Hopkins’ Music for Psychedelic Therapy album, the story of Tayos is still being written.

This week’s Friday Feature will be free because we appreciate our readers!

❤️

DoubleBlind Digs

Here are today’s recommendations to help you live more psychedelically… 

• LISTEN: Justin Boreta, psychedelic music producer and former member of the Glitch Mob, just released a new album called Hear the Listener. It’s a celestial ocean of dancy beats designed to get you into your body. It also features the voice of Anne Shulgin! Listen to it here. 

• ATTEND: Join Chacruna on Wednesday, June 11, to explore how Indigenous leaders are reclaiming digital sovereignty and protecting sacred plant knowledge in an age of AI. This powerful Community Forum brings together visionary thinkers to imagine tech rooted in tradition, resilience, and relationality. Learn more here.

• JOB OPP: ​​PsychedelicsUK is looking for passionate community builders to lead transformational events across the UK. If you're into psychedelics, nature, and personal growth, this is your chance to co-create something truly meaningful, with flexible hours and real impact. Learn more here.

• RETREAT: Join MycoBim on 12th June for an evening of fungi, community, and vision as they share their journey from Barbados to the UK and unveil plans for their next Mushroom Wellness Retreat. Meet the team, hear from leading voices in mycology, and learn how to get involved in this growing, healing movement. Learn more here.

• Pain, anxiety, or depression? Try the 10-minute trick. Reveri is a Stanford-developed hypnosis app that works in 10 minutes—no side effects, just science. Use the code DOUBLEBLIND to try it free + get 25% off a plan. 

*We may make a small commission from purchases using this link. Proceeds from advertising help to fund our independent journalism.

Together With Nectara

Psychedelic integration doesn’t have to be a solo path.

The ceremony is one chapter—but living the medicine is another.

Nectara’s Living Wisdom is a 6-week integration program for Ayahuasca and psilocybin journeys, offering structure, support, and an intimate community of support.

With weekly group sessions, you’ll move from insight to embodiment—at your own pace, in good company.

Use code DB10 for an exclusive 10% discount.