The research pertaining to psilocybin mushrooms was slow or completely dormant for decades, ever since the legal bans on the usage and manipulation of the mushrooms and their spores have become widespread all over the world. However, psilocybin spores and mushrooms have recently started to generate scientific interest again and the research and study programs launched by many leading universities and scientific research institutions already have interesting and important results – here are some.
A Potential Aid to Treat Addictions
While psilocybin is a compound that does have hallucinogenic effects when administered in large doses, it is a compound that is not addictive and one that has proven efficient in helping people suffering from addictions kick their habit. Research has mainly focused on smoking cessation so far, with several studies conducted with the participation of long-term smokers who tried to quit smoking several times, but failed to stay smoke free. The participants reported not only successful quitting, but they also said that psilocybin played an important role in making the process easy and almost completely free from physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. These promising results have led scientists to the conclusion that psilocybin might be useful in the treatment of other addictions as well, so that is likely to be one of the directions for research in the future.
An Aid in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
Leading universities, such as Johns Hopkins, have been long researching the positive effects of psilocybin on patients suffering from depression and anxiety. Their research programs involved the administration of micro-doses so small that they could not induce any hallucination to people suffering from severe depression and anxiety, including people suffering from terminal-stage cancer. The results were surprising and spectacular, with most participants reporting almost instantly noticeable positive changes, such as a much more relaxed, optimistic and generally positive attitude, improved sleep and heightened levels of energy and focus. Micro-dosed psilocybin also had positive effects on cardiovascular endurance.
Psilocybin has been also researched to find out whether it is efficient in treatment-resistant depression and the results have been very promising in that field as well.
A company selling psilocybin mushroom spores affirms that psilocybin research is in the forefront of interest for other, privately owned institutions as well, with large studies and research programs being either initiated or already in advanced stages.
Research into the Effects of Psilocybin on Mental, Emotional and Cognitive Functions
The psychoactive compound has also been found to improve certain cognitive and mental functions, such as divergent thinking, creative problem resolution and other forms of “out of the box” thinking. The compound has also proven to have positive effects on emotions and attitudes, the research participants reporting positive feelings related to forgiveness, empathy and connection. Many participants have reported spiritual experiences and said that the mystic experiences they went through when exposed to psilocybin were among the most important experiences in their life.
The Bottom Line
While the research projects that focused on the effects of psilocybin have very promising results, there are still many directions to explore and lots of studies and research to conduct in the future.
