2 New Studies Prove Magic Mushrooms Can Help Cancer Patients

Scientists have already proven that a ‘trip’ which comes from the active compounds in magic mushrooms, namely psilocybin, are responsible for creating a hyper-connected brain, but two recent clinical trials have also provided some good news for cancer patients. It turns out a little psychedelic mushroom high can greatly decrease anxiety and depression in those facing this life-threatening disease.

Magic mushrooms were so effective after just one ‘trip’, that a shocking eighty percent of patients displayed an immediate reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression. What’s even more astounding is that that decrease in symptoms was still active even after a six-month follow up interview by researchers.

This research not only calls into question, the expensive and side-effect causing pharmaceuticals which are so widely prescribed for anxiety and depression today, but also validates previous research which suggested that hallucinogens, like psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, DMT, and others, cause transcendental, though perhaps fleeting, changes in an individual’s outlook.

Interestingly, the participants in the trial, which took place at New York University and John Hopkins University, found that for a real life-changing experience, they needed to ‘go all in’ and take a high dose.

Octavian Mihai talked about his experience in the New York Times:

“Why are you letting yourself be terrorized by cancer coming back? This is dumb. It’s in your power to get rid of the fear,” he told himself. “That’s when I saw black smoke rising from my body. And it felt great,” “I’m not anxious about cancer anymore. I’m not anxious about dying.” The experience he said, “has made my life richer.”

Doctors asked participants to write down their experiences and visions in a notebook during their ‘trip.’ Participants were also asked to reflect on what they had experienced after the magic mushroom dosage had worn off, and to report their feelings and thoughts. For the majority of participants, the experience was exceptionally pleasing.

These scientific results come at a time when psychedelics are gaining acceptance among psychologists, neuropsychopharmacologists and medical practitioners.

With the approval of MDMA for final stages of clinical trials, and other clinical or exploratory trials with psilocybin for treating addiction and depression, psychedelics are just now “breaking through” into mainstream society.

Image credit: HumansAreFree