Psilocybin Helps to Treat Depression

If you suffer from depression and haven’t had any relief from your symptoms, there may be hope on the horizon. Scientific Reports has just published a study that found the ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms called psilocybin helps depression. The trial found that psilocybin treated the patient’s symptoms when traditional anti-depressants did not work.

Researchers at the Imperial College London found that psilocybin was able to reset patient’s brain activity, and that the effects lasted as long as 5 weeks after treatment. Small doses of the drug were given to 19 patients in the trial whom had not experienced any relief from anti-depressants. The patients received a 10 mg dose the first week and a 25 mg dose the next week. A report picked up by the Miami Herald said that scientists took MRI scans of the patients and monitored brain activity for the period of the trial and saw how their brain activity changed.

The study showed that all 19 patients experienced significant relief from their symptoms one week after they received the second dose of psilocybin, and 47 percent were still feeling decreased symptoms and a relaxed mood five weeks later. The head of psychedelic research at the Imperial College London Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris says that the study found that psilocybin produced an evident change in brain activity in depressed people, adding that it was similar to when one’s computer isn’t working correctly and you turn it off and on again to reboot.

Scientists at the Imperial College London say that the findings are exciting and could be a new treatment option in the future for patients saddled with depression. However, more studies are needed to see if the results will remain as optimistic once more patients are treated in more studies.

credit:themaven.net