Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...e_id=1770&ct=5
Daily Mail
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
13:11pm 11th July 2006
Scientists are to investigate a hallucinogenic chemical in "magic mushrooms" as a possible new treatment for depression, anxiety and drug dependence.
The move follows an unusual study which showed that the compound, psilocybin, can prompt long lasting positive changes in mood and behaviour.
Researchers also found that people who took the chemical experienced genuine mystical experiences, as defined by psychologists.
A third of the 36 study participants described their psilocybin experience as the "most spiritually significant" of their lives.
Some likened it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.
Magic mushrooms, or "shrooms", come in several varieties, all of which contain psilocybin. Until last year a loophole in the law meant they were not illegal in their natural state in the UK.
Under the Drugs Act 2005 they are now classified as a Class A drug, like heroin or cocaine.
Possession may be punishable by several years in jail, while supplying the mushrooms could result in a life sentence.
Professor Roland Griffiths, from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, led the study, the first rigorous investigation of the effects of "tripping" on a drug for decades.
The volunteers were all healthy, well-educated, mostly middle-aged and with no family history of psychotic illness.
Each attended two separate eight hour drug sessions at two month intervals. On one occasion they received psilocybin, on the other the drug Ritalin which was used as a placebo.
Medical professionals were on hand to act as "monitors" and observe what happened. Neither the participants nor the monitors knew when the test drug was being taken.
The trials took place in a room fitted out as a comfortable lounge, with soft music and indirect lighting.
Heart rate and blood pressure were measured, and questionnaires used to assess volunteers' experiences.
During the study, more than 60 per cent of those taking part described the effects of psilocybin in ways that met the recognised criteria of a "full mystical experience".
Two months later, 79 per cent reported moderately or greatly increased well being or levels of life-satisfaction.
Most said their mood, attitudes and behaviour had changed for the better. This was confirmed by interviews with family members, friends and work colleagues.
The findings were published today in the journal Psychopharmacology.
Prof Griffiths said: "Under very defined conditions, with careful preparation, you can safely and fairly reliably occasion what's called a primary mystical experience that may lead to positive changes in a person. It's an early step in what we hope will be a large body of scientific work that will ultimately help people."
The scientists said scrupulous care was taken to minimise adverse side effects and warned of the dangers of taking psilocybin unsupervised.
Paranoia
Even under the controlled conditions of the study, a third of participants reported significant fear, and some experienced temporary feelings of paranoia.
"Under unmonitored conditions, it's not hard to imagine those emotions escalating to panic and dangerous behaviour," said Prof Griffiths.
His team now intends to look into the therapeutic potential of the magic mushroom chemical.
Trials are planned involving patients suffering from cancer-related depression or anxiety. Other studies will test a role for psilocybin in the treatment of drug dependence.
Prof Griffiths said human research into the potential positive effects of hallucinogen drugs had been "frozen in time" for 40 years due to the excesses of the 1960s.
A number of promising leads were left "dangling" as a result.
"Our study is among the first to re-open this field," said Prof Griffiths.
Another expert commentating on the work in the same journal said he did not think the research would spark off a wave of experimentation with magic mushrooms.
Dr Herbert Kleber, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University in New York wrote: "The positive findings of the study cannot help but raise concern in some that it will lead to increased experimenting with these substances by youth in the kind of uncontrolled and unmonitored fashion that produced casualties over the past three decades.
"Any study reporting a positive or useful effect of a drug of abuse raises these same concerns. In this internet age, however, where youth are deluged with glowing personal reports in chat rooms and web sites as well as detailed information about the various agents and how to use them, it is less likely that a scientific study would move the needle much."
Magic mushrooms produce "trips" lasting between four and eight hours.
Users see hallucinogenic visions, lose track of time, and may experience laughing fits. Colours and lights are intensified.
Among the known adverse effects are vomiting, anxiety and paranoia. "Shrooms" are especially risky for anyone with mental problems.
The fungi have a long history in human culture, and have been taken for their drug effects for several thousand years.
Magic mushrooms are linked to ancient religious ceremonies, such as those practised by the Aztecs, who called them "Teonanacati", or "God's flesh".
In European folklore, tales of flying witches and fairy rings, and depictions of elves sitting on toadstools, have all been ascribed to magic mushroom "trips".
The first documented magic mushroom experience in Britain occurred in London's Green Park in 1799. A man who had been picking mushrooms for breakfast accidentally sent his whole family on a trip.
The doctor who treated them described in the Medical and Physical Journal how the youngest child was "attacked with fits of immoderate laughter".
It has been suggested that magic mushrooms influenced Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland. A hookah-smoking caterpillar urges Alice to eat pieces of mushroom which has the effect of making her grow and shrink.
Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770
©2006 Associated New Media
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
I find it interesting that after 40 years they are repeating Pahnke's Good Friday experiment and after equally many years t hey are discovering that psilocybin can be used to treat dependency and mental conditions.
Anyone recall the Concordia State Prison experiments of Leary and Metzner?
Both used psilocybin.
What does this say about the people who for the last 40 years have intentionally criminalised and destroyed people's lives?
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Quote:
Originally Posted by 420mory
I find it interesting that after 40 years they are repeating Pahnke's Good Friday experiment and after equally many years t hey are discovering that psilocybin can be used to treat dependency and mental conditions.
Anyone recall the Concordia State Prison experiments of Leary and Metzner?
Both used psilocybin.
What does this say about the people who for the last 40 years have intentionally criminalised and destroyed people's lives?
I remember reading about the prisoners who participated in the experiments. One guy, a longtime junkie who had never done psychedelics, seemed incredibly calm the whole time to the people performing the test -which was unusual even under the best of circumstances when you first take large doses of psychedelics. This was because, as best as I can remember, his mindset was, ??Hey, I??m in jail, totally stoned out of my head, and it??s completely legal.? That was funny.
The psychedelic movement, in the opinion of some people such as Albert Hofmann, was sidetracked by , Leary, et al, and began to appear dangerous and irresponsible. I don't know if this is accurate, but it's at least partially true. Things went really fast in the 60's - from small underground drug and freedom movements, to a full-blown culture shock. The Vietnam war, social changes, and various other upheavals, probably hurt the chances of drug acceptance.
Well, we're back to square one with the plants and chemicals - but it's better than zero. Back in the day I thought that by the 21st Century, AT LEAST marijuana would be legalized. :(
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Interesting.
But this is the wrong way to go about addressing depression.
so are ssri drugs and amphetemine based drugs.
These things will correct general depression, bipolar, schitzophrenia and others. Schitzophrenia is linked to oxidation. That is why they have successfully treated it with high doses of the biological reducing agent, ascorbic acid in Austrailia combined with other key nutrients. Here in the states the only thing acceptable is a pharm product.
These things work.
Vitamin D, D3
Fish oil EPA, (eicosapetaenic acid), not DHA, that can actually worsen it.
B- complex
Folate/folic acid
Lechithin
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
A protein source with:
L-tryptophan (5 htp)
tyrosine
In the winter time especially vitamin D when sunlight is shortened, people stay indoors or covered up with clothing and no conversions occur from the sun and skin to produce vitamin D. A problem in the northern latitudes. AKA the (cancer belt/seasonal affliction). Has to do with the most negleted vitamin. Vitamin D.
All of these substances are non patentable substances. Since they are non patentable, therefore not profitable, they are rarely discussed and pharm drugs are commonly used.
Pharm drugs mask these deficiencies of nutrients and can further create more side effects and block and or deplete critical nutrients which create new problems and require more drugs. More and more unneccessary drugs.
For example refer to the charts I posted on this forum concerning aspirin and birth control pills.
Since pharm companies can not patent these nutrient substances they can only design drugs which mimic the effects of these nutrients.
There is no substitution for what nature intended for your body.
There is no substitution for these things and the long list of positive health effects from these things will do more than prevent depression.
Folate alone will reduce homocystiene levels in the brain which leads to alzheimers. Folate and D3 prevent cancer. Ascorbic acid converts the amino acids tyrosine and L-tryptophan into seratonin. Ascorbic acid stimulates norephinephrine.
There is no better first line medicine without side effects than what is listed
including proper diet and exclusion of dietary junk that also depletes nutrients and or is known to cause cancer.
There are no paranoia associated with these things and there are no suicides associated with these things or nasty side effects.
The ssri drug prozac is attributed to 1000s of suicides alone. Ritalin, (Speed for kids). Unneccessary.
You cannot mask a deficiency with anything other than what is molecularly required by the human body, not with shrooms, not with ssri drugs and not with amphetemine based drugs.
You need these nutrients as well as other nutients to prevent cancer and many other diseases. That is a matter of fact.
Have a good one
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Funny you post htis article. Ironicly I just read a similar article on cnn.com, health section. I'd say the source is quite credibile so theres got to be some fact contained inside.
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Quote:
Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat
I remember reading about the prisoners who participated in the experiments. One guy, a longtime junkie who had never done psychedelics, seemed incredibly calm the whole time to the people performing the test -which was unusual even under the best of circumstances when you first take large doses of psychedelics. This was because, as best as I can remember, his mindset was, ??Hey, I??m in jail, totally stoned out of my head, and it??s completely legal.? That was funny.
The psychedelic movement, in the opinion of some people such as Albert Hofmann, was sidetracked by , Leary, et al, and began to appear dangerous and irresponsible. I don't know if this is accurate, but it's at least partially true. Things went really fast in the 60's - from small underground drug and freedom movements, to a full-blown culture shock. The Vietnam war, social changes, and various other upheavals, probably hurt the chances of drug acceptance.
Well, we're back to square one with the plants and chemicals - but it's better than zero. Back in the day I thought that by the 21st Century, AT LEAST marijuana would be legalized. :(
I recall hearing Dr. Hoffman speaking about Leary.
His bottom line was that the introducton of LSD and psilocybes to the society and general use could have been handled better and with better results. However he didn't claim Leary was either wrong or scien tifically uninformed, just that he got overexcited and tried to get too much done too soon.
I'm not a Leary apologist but it does admittedly bother me a bit when the only thing surviving of his work seems to be the part where he went a bit over the edge with his enthusiams. It's sad when one recalls that he was a well respected member of Harvard Uni. Sic transit... I guess.
The reasons shrooms and LSD were viewed as dangerous have more to do with the political environment and the effect of the substances had in terms of being able to view the propaganda at the time with some detachment. They quite literally seemed to free people's minds fromm the war hysteria and civil rights debate an d allowed people to make up their own minds about what's what. That didn't sit well with the authorities, in my opinion.
Magic mushrooms could help depression, say scientists
Interesting, I would never have thoought that shrooms could help someone with psychological problems. I would have thought just the opposite although the article did state that "Even under the controlled conditions of the study, a third of participants reported significant fear, and some experienced temporary feelings of paranoia."
In my own personal experience I would have fallen into the 1/3rd. I used to do lots of shrooms but made the mistake of eating a rather large dose ( bit over a 1/4oz) during a particularly stressful time in my life. I had a really, really, really bad trip which I still find disturbing nearly 10 years later.
Now that I think about it, I guess they could help. That one trip had a profound, long term effect on me. But if a bad trip can do that to a person why can't a good trip? The key would be for the psychological community to find a way to control the trip to garuantee a good experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 420mory
The reasons shrooms and LSD were viewed as dangerous have more to do with the political environment and the effect of the substances had in terms of being able to view the propaganda at the time with some detachment. They quite literally seemed to free people's minds fromm the war hysteria and civil rights debate an d allowed people to make up their own minds about what's what. That didn't sit well with the authorities, in my opinion.
Definitely a good point! Psychedelics were associated with the whole hippie counter-culture back in the late '60's. The hippes were such a challenge to the whole typical "Leave it To Beaver" mind set of the time that it's no wonder the gov't would look for a scapegoat and make it illegal. "See, logical people wouldn't grow their hair, wear love beads, and prtest the war and government. Its the evil drugs that made them that way"
Ever read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test? It's a really entertianing true story about Ken Keysey (Author of One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest & the West Coast's version of a Leary like acid guru) and the development of the whole West Coast hippie culture. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in psychedelics.
