Current Psilocybin production for research and treatment is dominated by chemical synthesis, starting with the compound 4-hydroxy indole. This precursor chemical is very expensive, with a $250/gram wholesale cost as of December 2021. The highest average efficiency gained through chemical synthesis is 16%, with each gram of the starting material resulting in 160 mg of pure psilocybin, at a production cost of approximately $1550 per gram - strictly from the cost of the raw materials used.
Utilizing Ayla’s technology, Psilocybin can be produced at an efficiency of 75%, using only low-cost glucose as the starting material. Comparing it directly to today’s synthetic chemical method shows a dramatically reduced production cost, making Ayla’s method very attractive as the only feedstock required is glucose, which can be derived from the cell wall material of all plants, cellulose.
In fact, there is no need for any actual primary plant material. Any cellulose-containing secondary plant-derived material can be used as the feedstock. Inputs such as agricultural waste or waste computer paper, or cardboard, sawdust, straw, tobacco scraps, discarded cotton clothing, corn stalks, used pallets; in short, just about anything that was once a living plant can work as a starting material. Starting with this “waste” material, Ayla’s process uses naturally generated fungal enzymes to convert this once-living plant into a high-dollar pharmaceutical raw material worth over $7000 per gram!