shahennews<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The active ingredient in magic mushrooms that gives them their psychedelic effect might be as good as, if not better than a leading drug used to treat depression, a new study suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers from Imperial College, London compared the therapeutic potential of psilocybin – found in themushrooms – with a six-week course of the antidepressant escitalopram in 59 people with moderate to severe depression<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Describing the results as “promising”, they found that, while depression scores were reduced in both groups, the reductions occurred more quickly in the psilocybin group and were greater in magnitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However they warned that the small scale of the study meant that more significant trials were needed to establish whether psilocybin was as effective as conventional antidepressants over a longer period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the study, 30 volunteers received an initial dose of psilocybin (25mg) at the start of the trial period, followed by a second dose (25mg) three weeks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were given six weeks of daily placebo capsules to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the escitalopram arm of the study, 29 people received 1mg psilocybin at the dosing sessions – a dose so low as to be classed as non-active and unlikely to have an effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the psilocybin dosing sessions, which lasted six hours, volunteers received an oral dose of the drug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the sessions they listened to a curated music playlist, which included emotionally evocative and atmospheric sounds as well as ambient and neoclassical sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The participants were guided through their experiences by a psychological support team, which included registered psychiatrists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor David Nutt, Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said: “The effect builds up over about 30 to 40 minutes, and then, for most people, the duration effect is about three to four hours, and then it wears off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“So the total is six hours, but it’s not six hours of tripping.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people treated with psilocybin showed improvements across a range of subjective measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This included their ability to feel pleasure, and express emotions, greater reductions in anxiety and suicidal ideation, and increased feelings of wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psilocybin group also reported fewer cases of dry mouth, anxiety, drowsiness and sexual dysfunction than the escitalopram group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common side-effect of the magic mushroom compound was headaches experienced one day after dosing sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The authors warned that patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate with psilocybin as the team provided a special clinical and therapeutic context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They stressed that taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin in the absence of these safeguards might not have a positive outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
shahennews The active ingredient in magic mushrooms that gives them their psychedelic effect might be as good as, if not better than a leading drug used to treat depression, a new study suggests. Researchers from Imperial College, London compared the therapeutic potential of psilocybin – found in themushrooms – with a six-week course of the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[298,483,484,60],"class_list":["post-8960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-beauty","tag-depression","tag-mushrooms","tag-psychedelic","tag-shahennews-2"],"yoast_head":"\n