Active Ingredient in 'Shrooms' Shown to Help Treat Depression

the psychedelic ingredient in Psilocybe cubensis, or so-called magic mushrooms, may be a useful treatment for depression when paired with psychotherapy.

In the study, researchers assessed the effects of psilocybin on 24 people with depression, who were separated into two groups. The first group of 13 people received psilocybin at the beginning of the study, while another 11 people began the psilocybin treatment eight weeks later. The delay allowed them to serve as a comparison group, Jon Hamilton reports for NPR. The researchers found an almost immediate improvement in the first group of people after they completed their psilocybin treatment.

The study was small, lacked diversity in its participants and may have been affected by the volunteers' expectations of taking the psychedelic drug. However, the results do suggest that this may be a fruitful path forward in the search for new antidepressants.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/active-ingredient-shrooms-shown-help-treat-depression-180976365/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20201120-daily-responsive&spMailingID=43954184&spUserID=NTkyNzY2ODg1MzgyS0&spJobID=1881705167&spReportId=MTg4MTcwNTE2NwS2