Speaker: Caine Barlow, Entheogenesis Australis, Entheome Foundation
About: There has been a lot of discussion created around the role psilocybin plays in various ecosystems. But also mythologies around different psilcybin-containing mushrooms having different effects – is there any truth to this mythmaking. As cultivators seek to gain financially from narratives many of these myths are propagated in order to highlight their products. This talk discusses the genetics behind these claims, and highlights how psilocybin chemistry works at a fungal perspective.
Bio: Caine Barlow is a Fungi Educator and Mycologist based in Melbourne, Australia. He has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tasmania, and a Master of Science from the University of Melbourne. Caine also has qualifications in horticulture and permaculture. He works closely with the Australian organisation Entheogenesis Australis, and is a co-founder of US-based organisation The Entheome Foundation.
Caine started foraging mushrooms in the early 1990’s, and has been cultivating gourmet fungi since the mid 2000’s. He has taught mushroom cultivation through private workshops, through mycological societies, Entheogenesis Australis events, Fungi Academy, and numerous mushroom themed events. He has co-written and delivered workshops with Mycommunity Applied Mycology, and co-wrote and delivered content for DoubleBlind’s 102 Mushroom cultivation course. Caine is a mentor for Milkwood for their online Mushroom Cultivation course.
He has written for Entheogenesis Australis, DoubleBlind, ThirdWave, MicroDose, and Healing Maps. Caine is the author of the Wakeful Mushroom Cultivation Journal, published in 2024 by Wakeful Travel. He is an admin and moderator on many Facebook groups. In addition to fungi, he has had a long-term interest in ethnobotany, ethnobotanical literature, and growing medicinal plants.
