Psilocybin

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by some fungi. After ingestion, the body converts it into psilocin, which alters perception and cognition.

Psilocin: Psilocin is the psychoactive metabolite formed when the body dephosphorylates psilocybin. This is the molecule that produces most of psilocybin’s acute psychoactive effects.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy: A treatment approach combining psilocybin administration with psychological support before, during, and after sessions. It is the principal therapeutic model studied for psilocybin.
Psilocybe: A genus of fungi that includes species containing psilocybin and related compounds. Several species in this genus are natural sources of psilocybin.
LSD: A potent synthetic psychedelic that acts primarily through serotonin receptors. It produces overlapping effects but is a distinct compound with different duration and pharmacology.
Controlled Substances Act: A 1970 United States federal law that classifies and regulates drugs and other controlled substances. Its Schedule I classification has constrained psilocybin research in the United States.
Serotonin 2A receptor: A serotonin receptor subtype that helps regulate perception, cognition, and mood. Psilocin’s activation of this receptor is central to its psychedelic effects.
Treatment-resistant depression: Major depressive disorder that has not adequately improved after multiple treatments. Clinical trials have investigated psilocybin for depression that persists despite standard care.
Psilocybe mexicana: A small mushroom species native to Mexico that contains psilocybin and psilocin. It was among the fungi used in early scientific investigations of psychoactive mushrooms.
Mescaline: A naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid found in certain cacti, including peyote. It is another plant-derived classic psychedelic, with a different chemical structure and duration.
Psychedelic research: Scientific investigation of substances that alter perception, cognition, and mood. Psilocybin’s study forms a major strand of modern research into psychedelic drugs.

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