Abstract
Psychedelics extracted from plants have been used in religious, spiritual, and mystic practices for millennia. In 1957, Dr. Hofmann identified and synthesized the prodrug psilocybin, a substance present in more than 200 species of psychedelic mushrooms. Although there were limitations related to the scientific design of many studies, clinical observations performed during the 1950s and 1960s showed a potential therapeutic effect of psilocybin for patients affected by depressive symptoms, anxiety, and conversion disorder. Psilocybin was classed as a schedule I substance in 1970, but the fascination with psychedelics has remained almost unchanged over time, promoting a new scientific interest starting in the 1990s. Recent studies have provided further evidence supporting the suggestive hypothesis of the therapeutic use of psilocybin for treating various psychiatric disorders, including pathological anxiety, mood depressive disorder, and addiction.
Highlights
Psychedelics extracted from plants have been used in religious, spiritual, and mystic practices for millennia [1]
There were limitations related to the scientific design of many studies, clinical observations performed during the pre-prohibition era showed a potential therapeutic effect of psilocybin for patients affected by depressive symptoms, anxiety, and conversion disorder [8–12]
Psilocybin was classed as a schedule I substance in 1970, but the fascination with psychedelics remained almost unchanged over time, promoting a new scientific interest starting from the 1990s [17,18]
Summary
Psychedelics extracted from plants have been used in religious, spiritual, and mystic practices for millennia [1]. An active alkaloid contained in peyote, was isolated by Arthur Heffter in 1897 and synthesized by Ernest Spath in 1919. It was made available as a research chemical by the Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company [5]. In 1938, at the Sandoz laboratories in Switzerland, Albert Hofmann synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide, best known as LSD This substance was synthesized during a systematic study investigation of ergot alkaloids in which LSD was the 25th compound produced. The interest in medical research for studying the potential therapeutic activity of psychedelics was reduced, and these substances became considered unethical for medical use [17]. We summarize the clinical, pharmacological, and toxicological information currently available about psilocybin, focusing our attention on evaluating the therapeutic effects in humans
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