According to a recent study, psilocybin, the key ingredient in magic mushrooms, may transform the way cancer patients are treated for anxiety and depression with just one dose. With results that lasted for more than two years, the experiment demonstrated that one dose, when paired with therapy, dramatically decreased emotional discomfort.
 
The results are published online by Wiley in the American cancer Society's peer-reviewed journal, Cancer.
 
A news release claims that depression is common among cancer patients.  In this phase 2 study, a therapist provided psychological support to 28 patients with major depressive disorder and cancer before, during, and after a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin.

Two years later, clinical interviews revealed that 14 patients (50%) had both persistent depression reduction and remission, while 15 patients (53.6%) showed a considerable decrease in depression.  At two years, psilocybin also decreased anxiety in 12 (42.9%) of the patients.
 
Up to two doses of 25 mg psilocybin are presently being tested against a placebo in a randomised, double-blind experiment to treat anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Building on the single-dose study, this research aims to put the majority of patients in remission from anxiety and depression.  

"One dose of psilocybin with psychological support to treat depression has a long-term positive impact on relieving depression for as much as 2 years for a substantial portion of patients with cancer, and we're exploring whether repeating the treatment resolves depression for more than half of the patients," said manish Agrawal, MD, the lead author of the study  "If randomised testing shows similar results, this could lead to greater use of psilocybin to treat depression in patients with cancer."
 
With the goal that psychedelics and psychological support could establish a new standard of therapy for cancer patients with these problems, researchers are now broadening their research to encompass several doses and larger sample sizes.
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Magic Mushrooms

G GOWTHAM

25/06/2025 11:49 AM