The US Food and Drug Administration has granted a group of researchers approval to proceed with the use of the controversial drug psilocybin, a psychedelic compound naturally produced in about 200 species of mushrooms, to treat patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression. This comes as welcome news for researchers that study psychedelic drugs, as current drug laws inhibit the study into the potential medical effects that the forbidden fungus may have to offer.
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Most of us are familiar with how the legend of Santa Claus evolved, having descended from the traditions of Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century saint famous for his charity work and gift-giving, along with all of the details that have been added onto the story of Santa over the centuries, including his red suit, flying reindeer, Arctic abode, etc. However, Sierra College anthropologist John Rush suggests that many of these details might have an origin that has flown under the radar until recently: the shamanic use of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
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Amongst the numerous side ailments that can afflict cancer patients during treatment, psychological effects such as depression and anxiety are but two of the most common, affecting up to 40 percent of patients. But a new joint study between New York University and Johns Hopkins University shows that these effects can be treated — and very effectively at that — by using the naturally-occurring psychedelic compound psilocybin.
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