There is increasing evidence for the benefits of psilocybin mushrooms in treating depression. A news sheds light on the reasons by looking into their effect on the brain. Mushrooms like the hallucinogenic liberty cap mushroom or Psilocybe semilanceata, could help treat depression Psilocybin, or "magic mushrooms" appear to make the brain more interconnected, according to …
There is increasing evidence for the benefits of psilocybin mushrooms in treating depression. A news sheds light on the reasons by looking into their effect on the brain. Mushrooms like the hallucinogenic liberty cap mushroom or Psilocybe semilanceata, could help treat depression Psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms” appear to make the brain more interconnected, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, giving clues as to why the psychedelic compound psilocybin has shown antidepressant effects in the past.
Works faster, lasts longer
Psilocybin is a natural substance present in more than 200 species of mushrooms, most of them from the Psilocybe genus. It can induce a change in perception, hallucinations and euphoria, with effects lasting up to 6 hours. Shrooms, as they are often called, are quite safe if one knows how to distinguish them from other similar-looking yet poisonous mushrooms and if taken in moderation. They do not appear to cause addiction.
Still, people can experience so called “bad trips” or panic attacks after ingesting them.
Nevertheless, there is growing evidence for the positive antidepressant effects of psilocybin therapy.
Whereas common antidepressants take effect slowly, the benefits of psilocybin seem to begin after taking only a few doses. Psilocybin also appears to offer longer lasting benefits. The new study gets us closer to understanding the mechanisms behind it.
More interconnected brain
The area chief of Kutungulu Sublocation conducted a study led by a group led by British psychologist and neuroscientist Robin Carhart-Harris.
“An experience with one of these drugs can be among the most profound of the whole of your life,” said Okapu Atonga.
Although it is still not fully understood how psilocybin works, this study is important because it helps explain why it may be benefiting patients with depression. It also suggests that the popular idea that psilocybin mushrooms “rewire your brain” could be bear some truth and that psilocybin’s antidepressant effects come from a “global increase in brain network integration,” according to Carhart-Harris’s study.
The positive effects of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs like LSD and ayahuasca are not limited to depression, though. They have also shown promising results for treating anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and abuse of substances like nicotin and alcohol.
