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News Articles: psilocybin

A study finds that psilocybin can desynchronize networks in the brain, potentially enhancing its plasticity.

A scientist took a psychedelic drug — and watched his own brain 'fall apart'

Scientists scanned the brains of people who took psilocybin, including a member of the research team. The scans showed how the drug disrupts key networks, potentially enhancing brain plasticity.

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  • Jon Hamilton
Psilocybin mushroom grown in Littleton, Colo. Use of the psychoactive drug is growing in popularity in the U.S.

Microdosing and tripping on mushrooms is on the rise in U.S.

Two new studies estimate psychedelic use in the U.S. and both find magic mushrooms gaining in popularity, including some folks who just want to get a little bit high, aka microdosing.

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  • Will Stone
Psilocybin mushrooms jarred and ready for distribution at Uptown Fungus lab in Springfield, Ore. Oregon has decriminalized the use of the psychedelic drug.

As 'magic mushrooms' got more attention, drug busts of the psychedelic drug went up

Busts of psilocybin mushrooms went way up from 2017 to 2022, a new study finds, even as the psychedelic drug's potential benefits have been explored by scientists.

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  • Rhitu Chatterjee
Dried Psilocybe mushrooms on a glass plate.

As psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so does interest from a new group: chaplains

Chaplains provide spiritual counsel at some of life's most raw moments. With psychedelic legalization spreading, some chaplains think this role should include facilitating psychedelic trips.

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  • Deena Prichep
A Washington, D.C., resident has an operation growing psilocybin mushrooms. Brain researchers are increasingly studying psychedelic compounds like psilocybin and LSD as potential treatments for anxiety, depression and other disorders.

Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say

Psychedelic drugs were a hot topic at this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting. Researchers hope the drugs can help people with disorders like depression and PTSD.

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  • Jon Hamilton
LSD blotter tabs sit on top of a US quarter coin. A drug based off of psychedelic LSD appears to relieve depression and anxiety in mice, but without the hallucinogenic side effects.

These LSD-based drugs seem to help mice with anxiety and depression — without the trip

Scientists have made a drug based on LSD that seems to fight depression without producing a psychedelic experience.

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  • Jon Hamilton
Root extracts from the African shrub iboga have long been used in traditional healing rituals and more recently as an experimental treatment for depression and to reduce drug cravings in addiction. Scientists now are working on a version of the extract that doesn't cause heart attacks or hallucinations as side effects.

Progress Toward A Safer Psychedelic Drug To Treat Depression And Addiction

A synthetic version of the psychedelic drug ibogaine appears to relieve depression and addiction without producing hallucinations or other dangerous side effects — at least in rodents.

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  • Jon Hamilton
The hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin produced in some mushrooms helped people with major depression in a study that also included supportive psychotherapy.

Rigorous Study Backs A Psychedelic Treatment For Major Depression

Psilocybin, the hallucinogenic substance found in "magic" mushrooms, appears to relieve the symptoms of major depression.

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  • Jon Hamilton
A renewed interest in the therapeutic value of psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin to alleviate treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions has swept through clinical research circles.

When It Comes To Complex PTSD, Depression, Research Turns to Psychedelics For Treatment

People struggling with treatment-resistant PTSD may soon have a new course of care: MDMA. When used alongside psychotherapy, the synthetic substance in...

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