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Michael Pollan: Not So Fast on Psychedelic Mushrooms

Studies have demonstrated that, properly administered, a psilocybin journey can have enduring, positive effects on the well-being and relative openness of “healthy normals,” as researchers put it. This is all very exciting, especially coming at a time when rates of depression, suicide and addiction are rising. But the history of psychedelics has been marked by periods of both irrational exuberance and equally irrational stigmatization, so a few cautionary notes are in order. As much as the supporters of legal psilocybin hope to follow the political playbook that has rapidly changed the status of cannabis in recent years, they need to bear in mind that psilocybin is a very different drug, and…

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After years of prescription medications failed her, a woman turns to the underground to try and overcome her depression, anxiety, and opioid addiction with illegal psychedelic medicine, like magic mushrooms and iboga.

Previously Featured

A Dose of a Hallucinogen From a ‘Magic Mushroom,’ and Then Lasting Peace

Although cancer patients will not have access to therapeutically administered psilocybin anytime soon, the findings add vigor to applications to expand research in a multicenter trial with hundreds of participants.

A millionaire couple is threatening to create a magic mushroom monopoly

Compass Pathways has set itself up to be the first legal provider of psilocybin, having recently launched a massive clinical study across Europe and North America to test the drug as a treatment for depression. Last month, Compass’s psilocybin received “breakthrough therapy designation” from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meaning the study will be hastened through the drug-development process. That puts Compass well ahead of other institutions working in this field—and a recently filed patent application could help the company stay ahead.

Can Magic Mushrooms Cure Addiction?

Kathleen Conneally successfully quit smoking, after a decades-long habit, with the help of psilocybin. Conneally was a participant in a study at Johns Hopkins University looking at whether nicotine addiction could be treated by psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms.

Can Mushrooms Treat Depression?

Psychoactive mushrooms had been in a kind of scientific ghetto ever since they were criminalized in 1968. But now the drug derived from the mushroom, psilocybin, is finally being re-examined for its medical applications.

Inside the Push to Legalize Magic Mushrooms for Depression and PTSD

Indeed, magic mushrooms are having a therapeutic moment. In North America, at least four organizations, each with unique strategies, are working to expand access to psilocybin for anyone with mental health issues, dying or not.

Live Every Day Like You’re on Mushrooms

Hallucinogens may help people break free of destructive thoughts and addiction. Can a “mystical experience” be had legally?

Magic Mushroom Drug Lifts Depression in Human Trial

Psilocybin shows higher remission rate than SSRI drugs in U.K. study.

Psilocybin: A Journey Beyond the Fear of Death?

In one of the largest and most rigorous clinical investigations of psychedelic drugs to date, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and New York University have found that a single dose of psilocybin—the psychoactive compound in “magic” mushrooms—substantially diminished depression and anxiety in patients with advanced cancer.

Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Closer to Medicinal Use (It’s Not Just Your Imagination)

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have recommended that psilocybin, the active compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms, be reclassified for medical use, potentially paving the way for the psychedelic drug to one day treat depression and anxiety and help people stop smoking.

The Life-Changing Magic of Mushrooms

A single dose of magic mushrooms can make people with severe anxiety and depression better for months, according to a landmark pair of new studies.

The real promise of LSD, MDMA and mushrooms for medical science

Psychedelic science is making a comeback. Scientific publications, therapeutic breakthroughs and cultural endorsements suggest that the historical reputation of psychedelics — such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline (from the peyote cactus) and psilocybin (mushrooms) — as dangerous or inherently risky have unfairly overshadowed a more optimistic interpretation.

Resources

Compass Pathways

Our collective understanding of mental health is increasing all the time, with advances in neuroscience, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and digital platforms.

TheraPsil

We are a group of seven health professionals who seek to make psilocybin, a psychedelic medicine, legally available to Canadians in need of compassionate treatment for severe psychological distress.