PSYCHEDELIC

Magic Mushrooms ‘Lift Severe Depression’

Eased symptoms in all 12 patients in clinical trial.

Researchers who used “magic” mushrooms to treat significant depression in a clinical trial have said the method could one day be used in mainstream medicine. The trial found that two doses of psilocybin, the active substance in ’shrooms, eased severe depression in all 12 of the study’s subjects for three weeks. In five of the volunteers, symptoms didn’t return for three months. Because of the legal restrictions surrounding the drug, the trial required large sums of money and years of research. The scientists caution that the small size of the trial only takes the research a small step further—more studies are needed. Despite the promising results, lead author Robin Earhart-Harris also gave a don’t-try-this-at-home caution, “I wouldn’t want members of the public thinking they can treat their own depressions by picking their own magic mushrooms. That kind of approach could be risky.” She noted, “Psychedelic drugs have potent psychological effects and are only given in our research when appropriate safeguards are in place, such as careful screening and professional therapeutic support.”