Dried Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, like other non-toxic hallucinogenic varieties, may be among our… [+]
Hallucinogenic or ‘magic’ mushrooms may be prone to leading users through the doors of perception, but not those of the ER, according to researchers.
Results from the 2017 Global Drug Survey suggest that so-called magic mushrooms, which contain the naturally occurring and hallucinogenic alkaloid psilocybin, are the safest recreational drugs being consumed based on user feedback and outcomes [PDF]. According to the survey, just .2% of the approximately 10,000 people who reported taking magic mushrooms in 2016 also reported needing emergency medical treatment afterward.
Meanwhile, the survey found that rates of emergency medical treatment related to use of MDMA, LSD, and alcohol were close to five times higher, USA Today reported.
The annual Global Drug Survey is performed by an independent research group of the same name based in London, and which is self-tasked with spreading drug education and awareness around the world, regardless of legal status. For its most recent report, the group received input from 119,846 people in over 50 countries, and ultimately included results from 115,523 of them in its findings.
See also: Daily Dose Of Cannabis May Protect And Heal The Brain From Effects Of Aging
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring alkaloid found in ‘magic mushrooms,’ has been shown to offer… [+]
In the past several years, clinical studies have suggested that psilocybin may hold significant therapeutic value for treating persons with PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental-health disorders and challenges–often with just one dose, and when other treatment options have failed.
Preliminary studies in humans and animals have suggested that the hallucinogenic drugs lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ayahuasca, which contains the brain-borne psychoactive chemical DMT, may also offer improved outcomes in these treatment areas. In 2016, a group of researchers also performed a systematic review of clinical trials involving psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca published between 1990 and 2015 to assess such therapeutic properties, which found that all three “may be useful pharmacological tools for the treatment of drug dependence, and anxiety and mood disorders, especially in treatment-resistant patients, [and] to understand psychiatric disorders and to develop new therapeutic agents.”
See also: Chris Christie Is The Last GOPer Who Should Lead Our Opioid Fight
Like other mind-altering drugs, however, magic mushrooms do present some risks, according to researchers. Adam Winstock, founder of the Global Drug Survey and a consultant addiction psychiatrist, told The Guardian that potentially adverse effects of taking magic mushrooms will typically involve panic or confusion caused by the drug. “Combined use with alcohol and use within risky or unfamiliar settings increase the risks of harm most commonly accidental injury, panic and short-lived confusion, disorientation, and fears of losing one’s mind,” Winstock said.
Of course, preventing accidental injury or potentially dangerous states of panic is one reason that doing your research and following the buddy system are important aspects of preparing for any trip; another is that such steps will invite greater efficacy, and more fun.
[h/t USA Today]