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Magic Mushrooms may be a Possible Cure for Depression

by Julia Samuel on May 23 2016 10:37 PM

Magic Mushrooms may be a Possible Cure for Depression
Depression can be combatted through the use of psilocybin mushrooms (fungi with hallucinogenic properties). A new study published in the Lancet had the ability to lift depression in the volunteers who participated in the study.
In the United States, approximately 6.7% of the population suffers from depression. Whether the mental affliction is a result of disastrous life circumstances, PTSD, or unknown causes, the weight of the burden can be crushing. While new findings suggest that depression can be combatted through a whole foods diet and balanced lifestyle, a recent study reveals that “magic” mushrooms may also be the answer. According to a first of its kind study published in The Lancet, psilocybin mushrooms – fungi with hallucinogenic properties – were able to lift the severe depression of all twelve human volunteer participants.

This is astounding, considering that the participants had been struggling through with the disease for an average of over seventeen years. The volunteers had also tried various pharmaceutical medications to find relief but hadn’t found any that offered long-lasting benefits.

Lead author Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris of the Imperial College London, where the study took place said,“This is the first time that psilocybin has been investigated as a potential treatment for major depression. Treatment-resistant depression is common, disabling and extremely difficult to treat. New treatments are urgently needed, and our study shows that psilocybin is a promising area of future research.”

After a single treatment dose of psilocybin, most participants reported feeling a considerable lift from the disease. Amazingly, five of the original twelve severely depressed patents were in complete remission from depression three months after the study took place. They were following no other treatment plan.

It took only two doses of psilocybin for all participants to experience a significant lift in resistant depression for three weeks.

However, considering that 100,000 Americans die each year from pharmaceutical drugs, this finding is an optimistic one for sufferers of depression. “Magic” mushrooms, which contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin, may soon become the standard go-to for reversing the number one cause of disability on the planet: depression.

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Source-Medindia


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