(Photo courtesy of Yana Iskayeva via Getty Images)
DENVER — Psilocybin, the key psychoactive component of magic mushrooms, may ease depression for at least five years after a single use, according to a new study.
The study, presented June 18 at the Psychedelic Science 2025 conference in Denver, focused on patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD), often called clinical depression. This serious mood disorder causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities. The most common treatments for MDD include talk therapy and medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, both of which can take a long time to produce results.
When early studies pointed to psilocybin’s potential as an antidepressant, a group of researchers conducted the first-of-its-kind randomized clinical trial to examine the psychedelic’s use in treating severe depression. The study involved 24 patients, half of whom received psilocybin at the start and the other half the same dose eight weeks later—the “waiting” group. Each participant also underwent 11 hours of psychotherapy.
You may like
-
College Student Discovers Psychedelic Fungus That Escaped LSD Inventor
-
'A Truly Miracle': Common Gut Microbe Shows Potential for Fatty Liver Disease Treatment
Sourse: www.livescience.com
