Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric, a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Although generally considered pois LONDON - A recent study suggests that psilocybin— an ingredient found in magic mushrooms— may help alleviate depression.
A team of researchers from Imperial College in London published their findings in Nature Medicine. To test their theory, scientists administered psilocybin to two groups of people.
One group involved people with treatment-resistant depression— where previous drugs didn’t alleviate symptoms. The second group was given psilocybin along with a placebo or escitalopram— another drug to treat depression and anxiety. RELATED: US teachers being trained in mental health to help students in turmoilFunctional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, showed that psilocybin’s antidepressant response was rapid and sustained.