Dr. Bronner’s Soap Donates $3 Million to Psychedelic Research and Advocacy

Popular natural soap brand Dr. Bronner’s has launched a campaign to promote psychedelic therapy.

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Dubbed the “Heal Soul” campaign, Dr. Bronner’s hopes to draw attention to public education and advocacy work helping make psychedelic-assisted therapy mainstream. The family-owned business, started by Dr. Emanuel Bronner in 1948, has already donated more than $3 million in 2020 as part of the campaign. Now, it’s extending the campaign to its iconic liquid soap bottle labels.

“Our world is grappling with epidemics of depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction that modern pharmaceutical approaches often fail to adequately address.  Psychedelic-assisted therapy is life-saving medicine that the world needs now, especially highly traumatized populations like veterans, first responders and marginalized communities generally,” Emanuel’s grandson, David Bronner, cosmic engagement officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s, said in a statement. “Our family is no stranger to severe depression and anxiety, and I’ve personally experienced the deep healing that these medicines can provide.”

Sandor Iron Rope, President of the Native American Church of South Dakota and board member of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative, says the support from Dr. Bronner’s helps to move their work forward. “Our work focuses on promoting health and wellness and revitalizing native cultures by preserving the traditions and protecting the sustainability of peyote for generations to come,” said  Iron Rope. “It’s imperative that as interest in psychedelic medicine grows outside indigenous cultures, that Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and cultural history be respected, not exploited, as psychedelic plant therapies become more mainstream.”

The campaign takes center stage on the iconic Dr. Bronner’s 32-ounce soap bottle. North America’s top-selling soap brand isn’t shy about its beliefs — they’ve been plastered on the soap bottle labels for decades, everything from animal rights to its commitment to Fair Trade ingredients.

For more than two decades Dr. Bronner’s has supported drug policy reform, decriminalization, and therapeutic uses of psychedelics. It became an advocate for the legalization of hemp, a key ingredient in its soaps; in 2012 David Bronner was arrested on the White House lawn in a demonstration involving hemp. The soap brand has also supported work in MDMA and psilocybin-assisted clinical trials, and the campaign to decriminalize psilocybin in Denver, Colorado. That law went into effect earlier this year.

The Heal Soul bottle labels will run through the end of 2020. The campaign also includes a series of blog posts and videos, including one of David and his story of how he came to support drug policy reform. Other videos spotlight leaders in the movement.

“Used in the right settings, in combination with good diet, fitness and other healthy lifestyle choices, psychedelic-assisted therapies and medicines offer dramatic healing for many people suffering from depression, end-of-life anxiety, PTSD and other mental health conditions,” said Michael Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s. “Our Heal Soul message and campaign is about mainstreaming this conversation in a rational and compassionate way, to help enable access to these life-saving therapies as soon as possible with the goal of evaporating the misguided stigma that these medicines face.”