Magic mushrooms could help treat severe depression

Psilocybin, the psychedelic component of magic mushrooms, improved the symptoms of depression in a small-scale trial. The trial, which was conducted on 12 people and has been published in The Lancet, found that the compound even worked on so called "treatment-resistant" depression. The research could provide the basis for radical new treatment for depression. "It is important that academic research groups try to develop possible new treatments for depression as the pharmaceutical industry is pulling out of this field," said David Nutt, senior author of the research. "Our study has shown psilocybin is safe and fast acting so may...

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