THE HISTORY OF PSILOCYBIN

Psilocybin has been considered as a treatment for several disorders.  Richard Alpert and Timothy Leary worked on the project of Harvard Psilocybin in the early 1960s.  They carried out several experiments regarding the utilization of Psilocybin in treating personality disorders and in psychological counseling.

In 2001, a study approved by the FDA and supported by MAPS began to learn the effects of Psilocybin on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  On the basis of anecdotal evidence presented to them by a group of cluster headache sufferers, MAPS has proposed a study of Psilocybin’s potential application to treat cluster headaches.

Psilocybin, which is also known as Psilocybine, is a psychedelic alkaloid belonging to the tryptamine family.   Psilocybin is present in a lot of fungi species.  These include the species Psilocybe such as Psilocybe semilanceata and Psilocybe cubensis.  Reportedly, they are also isolated from about a dozen other genera.  Mushrooms, which contain Psilocybin, are generally called ‘shrooms’ or magic mushrooms.  Though they last for a shorter time, the consequences of Psilocybin are similar to LSD.  The duration and intensity however, vary with dosage, set, setting and individual physiology.