News Editor
For
centuries, psilocybin mushrooms have been sought after for their psychedelic
properties and the experiences produced after consumption. Now, psychopharmacologists
are uncovering the chemical’s ability to treat a variety of drug addictions and
mental illnesses.
In
an article published in the Journal of
Psychopharmacology, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University
stated that from a group of 15 test subjects, 12 subjects managed to quit
smoking for six months after each being subjected to three psychedelic mushroom
trips administered over a 10 week period. The group consisted of ten men and
five women who averaged 51 years old and each smoked, on average, a pack of
cigarettes a day. Test subjects were encouraged to listen to music or to wear
eye shades in order to maintain focus on their thoughts. Co-author of the Johns
Hopkins study Matthew W. Johnson explained how the treatment works, saying, “Quitting
smoking isn’t a simple biological reaction to psilocybin, as with other
medications that directly affect nicotine receptors. When administered after
careful preparation and in a therapeutic context, psilocybin can lead to deep
reflection about one’s life and spark motivation to change.”
Though
this treatment method is still in its infancy, it has already been shown to be
45% more successful in treating nicotine addiction than the drug varenicline, the
most successful treatment in current use which has a 35% success rate.
The
treatment possibilities possessed by psychedelic substances don’t end here. According
to a publication by Time, the
well-known psychedelic amphetamine MDMA, often referred to as Ecstasy or Molly,
has been shown to have an 80% success rate in treating Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder in returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Psilocybin and LSD are
both known for being some of the only known treatments for cluster headaches,
successfully preventing headaches from taking place as well as lengthening the
time between headache cycles. Ibogaine, a psychoactive chemical extracted from plants
of the Apocynaceae family found in Africa has been used to successfully kick
heroin, methamphetamine, and methadone addictions.
Although
this field of research is only budding, there is still much potential for
change in not only the way these illnesses are treated, but in the way they are
perceived as well.
