Is Ketamine Really Unnatural? Rethinking Ketamine’s Place in Psychedelic Therapy

One of the most common criticisms of ketamine therapy is that it is unnatural. Because ketamine was first synthesized in a laboratory, it is often described as man-made or fundamentally different from other psychedelic or nature-based medicines.

But recent scientific research suggests this distinction may not be as clear as it seems.

A peer-reviewed study published in Parasites and Vectors revealed that a naturally occurring soil fungus is capable of producing the ketamine molecule on its own. This finding challenges the assumption that ketamine exists only as a laboratory invention and opens a broader conversation about what “natural” really means in medicine.

What Does It Mean for a Medicine to Be Considered Natural?

Many modern medications are synthesized today but were originally discovered in nature. Aspirin was derived from willow bark. Penicillin came from fungi. Morphine originated from the poppy plant.

Ketamine follows a similar pattern. While the ketamine used in medical settings is synthesized for safety and consistency, the molecule itself may not be exclusive to human chemistry.

This distinction matters, especially in conversations around psychedelic-assisted therapy, where the idea of natural versus synthetic often carries emotional weight.

Where was this natural Ketamine found? A Surprising Discovery in Soil Science

In 2020, researchers studying soil-dwelling fungi isolated compounds produced by Pochonia chlamydosporia, a fungus known for interacting with parasitic organisms. Using advanced chemical analysis, the researchers identified ketamine as one of the natural metabolites produced by the fungus.

Importantly, the ketamine found in the fungal extract was chemically identical to commercially available ketamine. This confirmed that ketamine is not only synthesizable by humans but can also be produced by a living organism in nature.

Rather than being an artificial outlier, ketamine appears to exist within biological systems already.

Why Would Nature Produce Ketamine at All?

In nature, compounds rarely exist without purpose. Plants and fungi often produce bioactive molecules to protect themselves, regulate interactions with other organisms, or gain a survival advantage.

In this study, ketamine demonstrated the ability to paralyze and eliminate parasitic worms in both laboratory and animal models. From an evolutionary perspective, ketamine may function as a naturally occurring neuroactive defense compound.

This mirrors the origins of many other substances now used in medicine, including several well-known psychedelic and psychoactive compounds.

Where Does Ketamine Fit Among Psychedelic and Neuroactive Medicines?

Ketamine is not derived from plants or mushrooms in the traditional sense. However, this research suggests it belongs to a broader category of naturally occurring neuroactive molecules produced by living organisms.

Rather than asking whether ketamine is natural or synthetic, a more useful question may be whether it interacts with the brain in ways similar to other nature-derived psychedelic medicines.

Ketamine affects glutamate signaling, increases neuroplasticity, and temporarily loosens rigid neural patterns. These effects are consistent with mechanisms seen in other substances used for therapeutic exploration and psychological change.

Why Use Medical Ketamine If Natural Versions Exist?

Even when a compound exists in nature, medical use requires precision, safety, and consistency.

The ketamine used in therapeutic settings is synthesized to ensure accurate dosing, purity, and predictability. Natural production of a compound does not guarantee consistent strength, stability, or safety, especially when used for mental health treatment.

This is not unique to ketamine. Many medicines originally discovered in plants or fungi are manufactured in controlled environments so they can be studied, regulated, and used responsibly.

Using ketamine in a medical setting allows providers to monitor effects, tailor treatment to the individual, and support integration afterward. The goal is not to replace nature, but to work with it in a way that prioritizes patient safety and long-term healing.

Does Discovering Ketamine Is Naturally Occurring Change How Ketamine Is Used?

This discovery does not suggest that ketamine should be used casually or without guidance. It does not blur the importance of clinical structure, integration, or professional support.

What it does change is the narrative that ketamine is fundamentally disconnected from nature.

Instead, ketamine may be understood as a molecule that bridges natural biology and modern medicine, offering a unique example of how science often rediscovers what nature has been doing all along. This perspective helps reframe ketamine not as an outlier among psychedelic therapies, but as part of a broader tradition of nature-derived compounds used to support healing and psychological change

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