Psychedelic Mushroom Dose Can Treat Stubborn Depression, Trial Suggests

The Washington Post reports: Psilocybin, the active hallucinogen found in psychedelic mushrooms — also known as "magic mushrooms" — can effectively alleviate a severe bout of depression when administered in a single dose and combined with talk therapy, a new clinical study found.

The study found that adults with depression who were given a single 25-miligram dose of the drug were more likely to experience improvements in their mental health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 million Americans suffer from depression each year, and the trial's findings could be an encouraging sign. The authors hope the study will pave the way for the FDA to approve the drug for use as a treatment for depression.

Most of the adults enjoyed the experience even though they had headaches, nausea and dizziness.

The Post got an interesting reponse from James Rucker, a consultant psychiatrist at King's College London who worked on the trial. He said there's something about the psychedelic experience that leads to a rapid resolution of depression symptoms, adding "We don't really know what that is at the moment, but it's very different to standard antidepressants...." "What people forget about psychedelics is that they were being used as medicines prior to 1971 when they essentially got caught up in the drugs war," Rucker added. "We're just picking up the baton of history."

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