NeuroScene: Psilocybin as a Therapeutic Agent

Psilocybin, the active compound in a variety of hallucinogenic mushrooms, is a naturally occurring substance with a history of human use that goes back thousands of years. It was rediscovered by the western world in the 1950’s through the independent research of R. Gordon Wasson, and it quickly became the subject of many clinical research studies.

But a strong backlash in the late 1960’s against the recreational use of hallucinogens essentially shut down all psilocybin research. And it wasn’t until the 1990’s that a small group of intrepid scientists began to revisit psilocybin and take a serious look at how the primary mystical experience of the drug might have potential therapeutic uses in humans.

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Roland Griffiths, Professor of Behavioral Biology at the John Hopkins University. Dr. Griffiths is one of the leading researchers exploring the therapeutic applications of psilocybin and how this compound might be beneficial in a number of areas, including terminal illness anxiety and drug dependence.

Be sure to join us in this fascinating program where we discuss both the facts and the fallacies surrounding psilocybin as well as the promising new areas of research involving this very unique – and very enigmatic – compound.

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Episode Link - Psilocybin as a Therapeutic Agent

Podcast Feed - NeuroScene

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