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Doctors are prescribing mushrooms to cancer patients to treat anxiety

Doctors are prescribing mushrooms to cancer patients to treat anxiety

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Psilocybin mushrooms
Psilocybin mushrooms
Janos Csongor Kerekes / Flickr

The results of the first study on LSD used in drug therapy were announced last month, hinting at the benefits of psychedelics substances used in treating patients with anxiety. Now, according to The Atlantic, similar research is being conducted at New York University, as scientists test psilocybin mushrooms as a means of treating anxious cancer patients. Like LSD, psilocybin mushrooms are Schedule I substances regulated under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, putting stringent restrictions on scientific study. Nevertheless, after going through all the requisite safeguards on their work, researchers are seeing some patients benefit from the treatment — especially with regard to their coping with terminal illness. While their data is still being analyzed, the work already shows promise for future study into hallucinogens. Read the whole article at The Atlantic.