Magic mushrooms show promise in treatment for depression, study says

[AtW]

"Trial suggests psilocybin combined with psychological therapy is as effective as antidepressant drug

Magic mushrooms have a long and rich history. Now scientists say they could play an important role in the future, with their active ingredient a promising treatment for depression.

The results from a small, phase two clinical trial have revealed that two doses of psilocybin appears to be as effective as the common antidepressant escitalopram in treating moderate to severe major depressive disorder, at least when combined with psychological therapy.

“I think it is fair to say that the results signal hope that we may be looking at a promising alternative treatment for depression,” said Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, head of the centre for psychedelic research at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study.

Carhart-Harris said psilocybin was thought to work in a fundamentally different way to escitalopram. While both act on the brain’s serotonin system, he said escitalopram seemed to work by helping people tolerate stress more easily.

“With a psychedelic it is more about a release of thought and feeling that, when guided with psychotherapy, produces positive outcomes,” he said, adding participants given psilocybin had often reported feeling they had got more fully to the root of why they were depressed.

However, Carhart-Harris cautioned against seeking out magic mushrooms – a class A drug in the UK – for DIY treatment."

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...al-trial-finds

No tulip Sherlock

[vetran]

Strange lots of historical use of 'natural remedies' but science totally ignores them.

[Andy2]

who will buy the pills from pharma companies if natural treatment works that's why the govt makes them illegal.

[northernladuk]

Strange lots of historical use of 'natural remedies' but science totally ignores them.

Because so many of them are an utter crock and don't work and I'd imagine science usually discounts them rather than ignores them. The downsides of taking these far outweigh the upsides so on the face of it hardly a good candidate for investigation until many hours of clinical trials in the hope it affects something or other.

[vetran]

Because so many of them are an utter crock and don't work and I'd imagine science usually discounts them rather than ignores them. The downsides of taking these far outweigh the upsides so on the face of it hardly a good candidate for investigation until many hours of clinical trials in the hope it affects something or other.

and proven. I am not suggesting that we all start chewing willow bark, eating royal jelly or st Johns wort but checking to see if herbal remedies have any benefit is low hanging fruit for researchers surely?

[Halo Jones]

and proven. I am not suggesting that we all start chewing willow bark, eating royal jelly or st Johns wort but checking to see if herbal remedies have any benefit is low hanging fruit for researchers surely?

i would guess that a lot of research is fishing for funding and the discovery of patents that can make money.

proving a natural remedy is not going to make money

[clearedforlanding]

Because so many of them are an utter crock and don't work and I'd imagine science usually discounts them rather than ignores them. The downsides of taking these far outweigh the upsides so on the face of it hardly a good candidate for investigation until many hours of clinical trials in the hope it affects something or other.

I agree, however exactly the same could be said about SSRIs &SNRIs. Meta analysis of clinical trials by the Cochrane Foundation are always an interesting read.

[minestrone]

These magic mushroom trials combined with the reporting that goes on after are laughable. The last one was reported everywhere as the drug's potential to reboot the brain...

Magic mushrooms 'reboot' brain in depressed people – study | Neuroscience | The Guardian

...because one punter said "yeah, it was like my brain was rebooted". It's tulip science.

[Lance]

who will buy the pills from pharma companies if natural treatment works that's why the govt makes them illegal.

if that were true why is LSD illegal? That is most definitely a pharmaceutical product.
Same for amphetamines, crystal meth, PCP, cocaine etc.