Science

Magic mushroom compound might treat depression by reviving emotional responsiveness in the brain

“I believe that psychedelics hold a potential to cure deep psychological wounds, and I believe that by investigating their neuropsychopharmacological mechanism, we can learn to understand this potential,” explained study author Leor Roseman, a PhD student at Imperial College London. “It is important to emphasize that psilocybin-assisted therapy is a model in which the patient…

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The 25 biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2017

Number 24. Magic mushrooms can help with depression. Scientists put tripping patients into fMRI machines to observe what their brains did under the influence of psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic, “magic,” mushrooms. They found that patients with depression described feeling “reset” after a trip, and brain scans supported this conclusion. Patients who reported feeling…

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Some use LSD as brain boost, but dangers remain

Also in 2016, researchers at Imperial College London released what they say is the first modern brain imaging of people taking LSD. Researchers gave 20 people the drug and scanned their brains. They found that during the psychedelic state, volunteers processed information from many parts of their brain, not just the visual cortex as normally…

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…World’s first large-scale clinical trials in psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression

The trial will begin in the first quarter of 2018 and is planned to include clinical sites in Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the UK. COMPASS Pathways is a healthcare company, founded in 2015 to accelerate patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health. We are developing psilocybin therapy through…

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Kratom: An old plant sparks a new challenge

A new study from researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of British Columbia compiling 57 years of research into the drug and its effects on mental health found the substance “has harm reduction potential for substance users who want to quit opioids.” … The study also found that it can…

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Is Kratom the CBD of opioids?

*Peace Monument in Washington D.C. Could Kratom be the CBD of the opiate world? … Ironically, the greatest danger of Kratom these days is from fake products contaminated with substances approved by the FDA. In rats, there was no observed toxicity following single, huge oral doses up to 806 mg/kg of [mitragyine]. (CBD is also…

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National expert: no cases show deaths solely from coffee-like herb kratom, which should be handled no differently than other substances

“…kratom… has not been linked to any known deaths, and the plant has little potential for abuse and dependence – as low or lower than such widely used (and federally unscheduled substances) as “nutmeg, hops, St. John’s Wort, chamomile, guarana, and kola nut.” -Dr. Henningfield* Dr. Henningfield previously served as chief of the Clinical Pharmacology…

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