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A recent clinical study has cited the significance of dabbling into magic mushrooms as a therapy to counter depression. The distinctive research from the Imperial College London spearheaded by Professor David Nutt suggested that allotting controlled doses of psilocybin to test subjects who had a poorly curative history to traditional antidepressants had resulted in "enduring reductions in symptom severity," according to The Guardian.

Psilocybin is the compound found in magic mushrooms that promote a user in experiencing a "psychedelic trip."

"It is important that academic research groups try to develop possible new treatments for depression as the pharmaceutical industry is pulling out of this field‎. Our study has shown psilocybin is safe and fast acting so may, if administered carefully, have value for these patients," Professor Nutt expounded.

The test subjects which were composed of six men and six women had all undergone a treatment for depression which spanned in an average of 17.8 years. The research team provided no control group as they subjected the individuals to two oral doses of 10mg and 25 mg of the illegal drug psilocybin.

All the involved participants were given with the utmost safe setting along with psychological support as the "trip" immediately kicked in 30-60 minutes, which subsided 6 hours after ingesting.

Researchers found that the "trip" for each participant started about 30-60 minutes in, peaked at 2-3 hours after the dosing, and subsides after about 6 hours. Psilocybin was tolerated well by all the subjects, without major side effects, with some exhibiting only mild anxiety and confusion. 

Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, co-author of the study, however, warned, "Psychedelic drugs have potent psychological effects and are only given in our research when appropriate safeguards are in place, such as careful screening and professional therapeutic support. I wouldn't want members of the public thinking they can treat their own depressions by picking their own magic mushrooms. That kind of approach could be risky."

Earlier this year, Nutt and his research team also published another groundbreaking research where they scanned the brains of people using LSD.

Prior to the research, Nutt had a record of clashing with the Labour Government when he was chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and was stripped of this position in 2009 when he mentioned in public that tobacco and alcohol were more harmful than ecstasy, cannabis and LSD.