Psilocybin mushrooms, better known as “magic mushrooms,” have reportedly helped one advanced Alzheimer’s patient regain her ability to speak.
A recent Frontiers in Neuroscience case report indicates that an elderly Japanese American woman who had been suffering from the disease for nearly a decade had been experiencing severe cognitive decline. She was described as having advanced dementia with symptoms such as limited communication, incontinence and reduced mobility that required the help of caregivers to complete standard daily activities.
The woman was given two separate doses of the mushrooms. The first dose was 5 grams, and resulted in profuse sweating and a long “sleep-like state.” About 19 hours after the first dose was administered, researchers claim she “spontaneously initiated autobiographical conversation lasting several hours.”
“Over the following days and weeks, the woman experienced restored urinary continence, was able to walk independently and dress herself, and engaged in spontaneous conversation. She was also able to retrieve contextual memories, showed the ability to express emotions and maintained eye contact — smiling with others,” Fox News reported.
The second dose, a 3-gram administration, reportedly yielded even better results. The authors note that she exhibited greater capacity for speech, facial expressions and humor along with sustained continence and an increased ability to walk. Aside from the sweating and hyperthermia, she did not have any severe side effects from psilocybin.
While there is not a longer-term study done about the effects of “magic mushrooms” on patients with cognitive decline, the anecdotal results appear promising. It should be noted, however, that the study did not have a control group, no cognitive assessments or sleep studies.
“The patient’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis was not confirmed with modern biomarkers, and other neurodegenerative conditions could not be completely ruled out, the study stated,” Fox News wrote.
“Much more research is needed in larger, more representative study populations before any conclusions can be drawn about psilocybin’s safety and effectiveness in people living with Alzheimer’s or any other disease that causes dementia,” said Courtney Kloske, Ph.D., director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, who was not involved in the study, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“This helps healthcare providers understand how these products may interact with approved Alzheimer’s medications and other therapies to determine whether they could lead to unwanted side effects,” she noted.
Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst at Fox News, is also urging caution in putting too much faith in a study of only one person.
“Also, there is a built-in danger of giving a hallucinogen to someone with this degree of mental impairment, because the behavioral effects are largely unpredictable and can be harmful,” he noted. “Having said that, I am not surprised to see that psilocybin could temporarily overcome or alter the gummed-up [brain] circuitry (with plaques) of advanced Alzheimer’s disease – so it might have some value in a carefully controlled setting.”
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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