Psilocybin Could Help Calm the Body’s Inflammatory Response
Not Your Average Trip: Psychedelics have long graduated from mere recreational use by people just looking for a trip. In many circles, they’re now thought of more as medicine than drugs, as more research points to their therapeutic benefits for depression, PTSD, substance-abuse disorders, and more. New research indicates the psychedelic psilocybin may have the potential to treat health conditions with inflammation and immune response at their core, including Parkinson’s disease.
The Study: In a non-randomized clinical trial, researchers enrolled 12 people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s and mood dysfunction, between the ages of 40 and 75 with no history of using psychedelics. Participants were given 10- and 25-mg doses of psilocybin two weeks apart, and their plasma was taken at four different points to measure five different inflammatory markers.
The Takeaway: Inflammation was significantly lower after taking psilocybin at each follow-up check compared to baseline: one day after receiving the 10-mg and 25-mg dose and 30 days after the 25-mg dose. Short-term follow-ups also showed mitochondrial stress also significantly improved after taking psilocybin.
Keep in Mind: This was a very small pilot study to establish the feasibility of giving Parkinson’s patients psilocybin, but it may serve as a “jumping-off point” for future research.
