A new review by researchers at Johns Hopkins University sheds light on the long-term effects of psilocybin Magic Mushrooms  in the treatment of major depression.

In a new study, 58% of participants with major depressive disorder were in remission after one year of two sessions with psilocybin magic mushrooms.

"Psilocybin magic mushrooms not only produces significant and immediate effects, but also has a long duration, suggesting that it may be an exceptionally useful new treatment for depression," said Dr. Roland Griffiths, a professor of Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Psilocybin magic mushrooms is known as the active compound in magic mushrooms. And in addition, it is one of the compounds that lead the advance of psychedelic drugs for medical use.

There are currently dozens of biotech companies developing psychedelic drugs for mental health indications. Compass Pathways (NASDAQ: CMPS) is leading commercial research with psilocybin magic mushrooms. In fact, it hopes to move into phase 3 trials with the drug during 2022.

The Sustained Long-Term Results of Psilocybin Magic Mushrooms Against Depression

Johns Hopkins University has led academic research on psilocybin mushrooms for the past decade. In previous studies, researchers found that psilocybin therapy treatment relieved symptoms of depression in adults for a month.

"Compared to standard antidepressants, which must be taken over long periods of time, psilocybin magic mushrooms has the potential to lastingly relieve symptoms of depression with one or two treatments," Griffiths continued.

The university followed up and reviewed study participants who had taken psilocybin Magic Mushrooms between 2017 and 2019. They concluded that the antidepressant effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy can last at least a year in most patients.

The study was published Wednesday in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. In it, 24 participants attended follow-up visits over the 12 months following their participation in a previous psilocybin study, in which they took two different doses of the hallucinogen.

"Our findings add to the evidence that, under carefully controlled conditions, this is a promising therapeutic approach that can lead to significant and lasting improvements in depression," said Dr. Natalie Gukasyan, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

88% of the participants had previously been treated with standard antidepressant medications. In addition, most had been suffering from symptoms of depression for at least two years.

"The researchers reported that psilocybin treatment in both groups produced large decreases in depression and that the severity of depression remained low one, three, six, and 12 months after treatment," a House of Shrooms.

Participants had stable rates of treatment response and symptom remission over the follow-up period, with 75% response and 58% remission at 12 months.