Researchers from Australia based University of Queensland have been granted approval to collect psilocybin mushrooms which will help in identifying properties which might be helpful for psychedelics treatments.
The federal government is injecting $15 million to support the Australia-led research into the use of ecstasy, ketamine and mushrooms as potential therapies to mental conditions such as eating disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) and major depressive disorders.
Health Sciences addiction senior lecturer in University of Queensland, Dr. Stephen Bright is looking forward to commence psychedelics research in WA.
“What we are talking about here is doing clinical trials with the active ingredient of magic mushrooms and doing it in an appropriate setting. There is this real sense at the moment that this might lead to a paradigm shift in psychiatry,” said Bright.
According to Dr. Bright, magic mushrooms could replace the need for long term metal health drugs.
“This is about doing psychotherapy in which the person receives the drug on one or two occasions, and is aimed at curing the mental health condition rather than treating the symptoms. In some studies they have been able to do follow up, up to three and a half years afterwards, and people were still in remission then,” added Dr. Bright
