Psilocybin mushrooms like cubensis do more than make a Dead show fantastic and otherworldly. For decades now, a slew of therapists, psychiatrists and botanists have known that their properties go well beyond a good or bad trip. Magic mushrooms have been found to be an effective treatment for depression, anxiety and even addiction and have now been endorsed by researchers at John Hopkins University, according to the New York Times.
The researchers call for the rescheduling of psilocybin so that it may be used in therapeutic sessions that are guided by a professional in the realm of psychedelics. The hurdles that lay before said sessions should take around 5 years to leap and will include thorough studies and trials to work out dosages, efficacy and safety.
It’s suggested that the mushroom component be moved from Schedule I, which is the category for no known medical uses and high potential for abuse, to Schedule IV, which is slated for substances with a low potential for abuse and includes Xanax, Klonopin and Valium. Could it be that psychedelic mushrooms may turn into the new mother’s little helper?
In the lengthy researcher’s review, highlights include, “Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for millennia for spiritual and medical purposes,” and “Animal and human studies indicate low abuse and no physical dependence potential,” and “Psilocybin may provide therapeutic benefits supporting its development as a new drug.”
Though in the communities trying to legalize psychedelics for therapeutic benefits, the perks of taking hallucinogenic mushrooms are and have been well known. The activist association MAPS has been working on MDMA, mushroom and other psychedelic treatments to be freed for decades, with progress to show. It’s safe to say that without their boldness, John Hopkins University wouldn’t be recommending magic mushrooms be loosened from their scheduling.
From microdosing in Silicon Valley to the “bad trip” tent at Burning Man, psychedelics have far reach and have been the catalysts to epiphones, breakthroughs and full blown realizations for many imbibers. Psilocybin is well documented on the site Erowid and Dr. Matthew Johnson of John Hopkins told the Times that the FDA had already approved numerous trials of psilocybin. If it is indeed accepted as a treatment for patients, he said, “I see this as a new era in medicine.”
