Doses of psilocybin, found in psychedelic magic mushrooms, could help with PTSD and depression, according to a study by researchers from King’s College London.
AP
Throughout human history, psychedelic plants — such as psilocybe mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca — have been used in “sacred spiritual and healing ceremonies” by native groups in Central and South America for centuries.
A natural component in so-called “magic” mushrooms — psilocybin — produces psychoactive effects and could help with conditions such as PTSD and depression, a new study has found.
Researchers found that small doses “were generally well tolerated” with no harmful short or long-term effects in healthy people, according to the study published Jan. 4 by researchers at King’s College in London.
This is “the largest randomised controlled trial of psilocybin to date,” according to the study, which found the mushroom component can create “a non-ordinary state of consciousness characterised by changes in emotional state and perception, including experiences of self, space and time.”
The work “is an important first demonstration that the simultaneous administration of psilocybin can be explored further,” said Dr. James Rucker, the study’s lead author.
Healthy participants of 89 people were selected and 30 were given 25 mg of the mushroom’s psychoactive ingredient while another 30 were given 10 mg, according to the research. For comparison, the other 29 were given a placebo.
They were closely monitored for six to eight hours in separate rooms with a therapist to support each person, then participants were monitored for 12 weeks after the dosage.
Former Psilocybin Studies
In the early to mid-1960s, psilocybin was studied in psychiatric research and for psychotherapy after Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman “first isolated and later synthesised” it in 1957 and 1958, the study notes.
However, this research stopped after psilocybin was classified as a Schedule 1 drug “due to international legal controls,” authors said. Then, research later resumed in the mid-1990s.
Researchers pointed to more recent studies that have reported the efficacy of psilocybin for depression, “terminal-cancer-related anxiety,” obsessive-compulsive disorder and dependence on alcohol and nicotine.
The study of psilocybin has partially focused on its potential as an…
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