United States: The new research revolutionized and suggested that Psilocybin, an active ingredient in magic mushrooms, has the capability to treat depression.
The study noted that the new evidence provides a positive sign, which could play an important role in psychiatry, where companies and campaigners are also lobbying to introduce it into mainstream medicine.
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According to the study, which was published in the BMJ medical journal, high doses of Psilocybin showcased similar effects on depression treatment as the mainstream antidepressant drug escitalopram.
About mainstream drugs
They are collectively called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and it is one of the most prescribed medicines in the US.
On this basis of garnered evidence that supports the usage of psychedelics such as Psilocybin in the treatment of mental health problems, it is often seen as flawed and inconsistent, as experts suggest.
How was the study conducted?
The scientists analyzed the data from almost three thousand individuals, coming from twenty trials, who studied the drugs in order to garner a better understanding of their capability to treat depression symptoms.
Along with that, the other studies also included a hundred people who took part in fifteen psychedelics trials and around 2,000 from five escitalopram trials.
Some of the studies included direct comparisons between Psilocybin and Escitalopram to see how the drugs would produce an impact on depression symptoms and measure that on a widely-used scale compared to a placebo, as Forbes reported.
The researchers added that the effect was “similar to that of current antidepressant drugs,” the researchers said, concluding high dose psilocybin could “have the potential to treat depressive symptoms.”
Psychedelics medicines
Psychedelics are closer to become as a mainstream drug after persistent work done by researchers and pharma companies. However, several hurdles are also underway and need to be overcome.
Psychedelics are broadly grouped as drugs that can alter mood and perception and are seen as similar to LSD, Ketamine, or ecstasy.
Psychedelics are criminalized in several parts of the world and are put under strict classification under the illegal drugs category.
Therefore, it becomes difficult for scientists to extensively examine the treatment that the drugs based on them could produce on a larger extent of the population.