October 16, 2017.
A team of British researchers has just demonstrated the beneficial power of a substance derived from hallucinogenic mushrooms on patients suffering from severe depression.
Psilocybin to help severe depression
Many scientists have already been interested in the effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms on certain psychological pathologies such as depression or anxiety. The latter only confirms an already promising result: the substance in some mushrooms can overcome depression, where the drugs currently used are powerless.
To reach this conclusion, a team from Imperial College London followed the cases of 20 patients, for whom medicine was without resources in the face of an advanced depressive state. These people were given two doses of psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, before and after being subjected to an MRI.
Hallucinogenic mushrooms to overcome the weaknesses of current treatments
In their conclusions, published in the journal Nature, the researchers claim that in all their patients, very positive effects were observed up to 5 weeks after absorption of psilocybin. MRI images have also shown decreased blood flow to certain areas of the body, such as the tonsils, associated with mood.
In parallel, the interviews conducted with the patients proved that the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms had been very beneficial in their daily life. Ultimately, and if the potential side effects are tolerable, this substance could result in an effective drug for all those whose depressive states appear resistant to current treatments.
Gaelle Latour
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