A case study from Brazil offers a tantalizing possibility for treating dementia with magic mushrooms. A woman in her 80s suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease had been incontinent for five years, did not initiate conversation, and only spoke in monosyllables. Her medical guardian gave permission for a dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms. She was given five grams of mushrooms containing psilocybin, which is a massive dose, much more than in other such experiments.
After sleeping for 19 hours, the patient woke and began talking to herself. Over the next few days, she began speaking to others in complete sentences, controlled her bladder, and was even able to dress herself! The effects were lasting, too. She was given a second three-gram dose a month later, and showed even more improvement. The data from this one patient is a little sparse, as they didn't do any brain scans before and after treatment, but it may lead to more such experimentation. Read more about the magic mushroom treatment at Science Alert.
-via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Cannabis Pictures)
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