America News Agency

The psychedelic substance psilocybin, in combination with psychotherapy, has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression in several small clinical trials in the US, UK and Switzerland.

In a study at Johns Hopkins in the US, more than half of the 24 participants were still free of depression one year after taking two doses of psilocybin in combination with therapy.

Now European researchers together with Uppsala University will expand the study and test psychedelic mushrooms in combination with therapy as a form of treatment for people at the end of life.

In total, 100 patients will be recruited in four countries and the treatment will be tested on people with MS, Parkinson's, ALS or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

"Often patients with serious illnesses also suffer from depression, anxiety and worry and need a lot of resources from the health system," says Inna Feldman, Associate Professor of Health Economics at Uppsala University:

"With this treatment, we hope to offer people with advanced disease a better life at the end of their lives.

Psilocybin is known to occur naturally in so-called 'magic mushrooms'.