Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
55 papers
This randomized, double‑blind, cross‑over trial gave 51 patients with life‑threatening cancer two sessions of psilocybin (one very low dose and one high dose) spaced five weeks apart. The high dose (22–30 mg/70 kg) produced large drops in clinician‑ and self‑rated depression and anxiety, and increased quality of life, meaning, and…
Some research suggests that whole-plant cannabis compounds (like THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids) can interact so the plant’s effects differ from CBD alone. Healthline explains three CBD types — full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate — and notes legal, safety, and labeling limits. The article says there is evidence for…
Compass Pathways reported early results from its first Phase 3 trial of synthetic psilocybin (COMP360) for treatment‑resistant depression. In 258 patients, the 25 mg dose showed a statistically significant improvement versus placebo on the MADRS depression scale at week 6 (a 3.6‑point difference, p < 0.001). The Data and Safety…
Psychedelic "bad trips" can be intense and sometimes last past the session. Surveys and studies report that a minority of users have serious short- or long-term problems, while other people later say the experience was meaningful or helpful. Risk and duration vary by dose, setting, and support, and studies give…
Researchers gave different psychedelic drugs to mice and found the drugs could reopen a window of brain plasticity used for learning social rewards. This reopened window went along with changes in a social hormone system in a key reward area of the brain and with changes in genes that control…
This review looks at studies about classic psychedelics (like LSD, psilocybin, and DMT/ayahuasca) and their effects on neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to change. Animal studies show these drugs can raise genes tied to plasticity and cause dendrite and synapse growth. Human results are mixed, especially when studies use blood…
This paper describes psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, which means giving drugs like ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD or ibogaine together with guided therapy. The authors say this approach has shown promising safety and benefits so far, even for people who did not get better with usual treatments. They also argue that these therapies…
This review explains how the mushroom drugs psilocybin and psilocin are broken down in the body. Psilocybin is mainly a pro-drug that enzymes convert into the active compound psilocin. Psilocin is then further changed, and the main substance found in urine is psilocin-O-glucuronide, which matters for clinical and forensic testing.…
This review looked at many studies about classic psychedelics (like psilocybin and LSD), MDMA, ketamine, and plant medicines (like ayahuasca). The authors explain how these drugs can change the brain’s wiring, calm inflammatory processes, and shift key brain chemicals. Those actions may help explain why small clinical trials and animal…
Microdosing means taking a very small, sub‑hallucinogenic amount of a psychedelic drug. Research so far is limited and mixed: some large observational studies report small-to-medium mood gains, but at least one randomized trial found no objective benefit. There is no standard definition of microdosing, potency and legality vary, and long‑term…
Researchers collected and read 15 studies where patients described their own experiences with psychedelic treatments for mental disorders. These studies looked at about 180 patient accounts across different drugs and different illnesses. Even though the drugs and treatment settings were very different, many patients described similar helpful processes, such as…
A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic that acutely causes distortions of space-time perception and ego dissolution, produces rapid and persistent therapeutic effects in human clinical trials1-4. In animal models, psilocybin induces neuroplasticity in cortex and hippocampus5-8. It remains unclear how human brain network changes relate to subjective and lasting…
