A hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms has relieved severe depression in previously untreatable patients according to scientists at Imperial College London.
A team of scientists induced intense psychedelic trips in 12 volunteers using high dose of psilocybin, a week later all were depression free and three months later five still showed no symptoms of the illness.
Publishing in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, the researchers say the results are “ promising, but not completely compelling.” Psilocybin is believed to relieve depression by targeting chemical receptors in the brain and disrupting the sense of self, which is overactive in depressed people. But scientists did not rule out that possibility that the trip could have caused an “awakening” of the kind achieved by spiritual teaching, which also helped lift depression.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, the lead author of the study, urged people not to try magic mushroom themselves as a cure for depression, saying the trial was carried out under strictly controlled conditions.
