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Researchers are holding out hope that magic mushrooms may one day make their way into mainstream medicine after a clinical trial showed they have the power to lift certain individuals out of deep depressions.
According to a new study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, 12 people suffering from severe depression volunteered to partake in the controversial trial.
Because the scientists in this particular study decided not to offer placebos for a control group, each volunteer was given magic mushrooms, which contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin.
Surprisingly enough, each participant who took the class 1 psychedelic drug felt noticeably less depressed three weeks later.
According to the researchers, three months after taking the magic mushrooms, at least five of the volunteers reported that their depression had subsided entirely.
While these types of psychedelic drugs may one day make their way into mainstream medicine, the study’s researchers say it’s important not to try to achieve the same results at home.
“Psychedelic drugs have potent psychological effects and are only given in our research when appropriate safeguards are in place, such as careful screening and professional therapeutic support,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris. “I wouldn’t want members of the public thinking they can treat their own depressions by picking their own magic mushrooms. That kind of approach could be risky.”
