A chemical found in magic mushrooms can reduce depression.
Magic mushrooms can cure depression
A groundbreaking new study has revealed that a single dose of a synthetic form of psilocybin can dramatically reduce symptoms when combined with psychological support.
Around a third of patients given a 25mg dose were in remission three weeks later, even though they had failed to respond to traditional treatments.
In the global trial, 233 patients were allocated to one of three different doses of a manufactured psilocybin called COMP360.
Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that patients who received the highest dose had a significant reduction in the severity of symptoms within a day of treatment. A clinical effect remained 12 weeks after the hallucinogenic trip.
Professor Guy Goodwin, chief medical officer of the drug manufacturers COMPASS Pathways, said: "We saw positive results in a particularly different to treat group of patients, and the highest dose had the greatest impact on people's depression.
"This suggests that COMP360 psilocybin has a true pharmacological effect, a finding that is critical for it to be recognised as a new treatment in the future."