ReviewThe Journal of antibiotics2020
Psilocybin: from ancient magic to modern medicine.
Review in The Journal of antibiotics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
77 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Therapeutic effects of psilocybin in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring dose effects.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of psilocybin on psychological distress in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Catalyst for change: Psilocybin's antidepressant mechanisms-A systematic review.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Drug-drug interactions between psychiatric medications and MDMA or psilocybin: a systematic review.Psychopharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Psilocybin, From Ancestral Use to Therapeutic Potential: A Multidimensional Review of Its Pharmacological Basis and Current Perspectives.Human psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Complex Fatal Self-Harm Under Psilocybin Intoxication: Suicidal Manner of Death or Not?Academic forensic pathology · 2026Article
- The need for another tool: Australian healthcare professionals on the use of psilocybin for existential distress in people with cancer.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Naturally Derived Psilocybin for Therapeutic Use: A Six-Criterion Framework for Evidence, Safety, and Benefit-Risk Considerations in Policy and Clinical Development.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Psilocybin in Older Adults: Therapeutic Opportunities in Inflammation-Driven Disorders of Aging-From Depression to Neurodegeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Effects of psilocybin and chronic mild stress on microglial activation in rat spinal cord: an ex vivo analysis.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2026Article
- Psilocybin Production With Genetically Modified Aspergillus nidulans Under Pressurized Conditions.Biotechnology and bioengineering · 2026Article
- Network pharmacology and molecular simulation reveal the entourage effect mechanisms of psilocybin-producing mushrooms on the brain.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Advancing treatment paradigms: the role of psilocybin in managing major depressive disorder.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Review
- The magic of mushrooms: psilocybin influences behavior in the mangrove rivulus fish,Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- The CAnadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT): A Multi-Phase Program Overview.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Review
- Single-dose psilocybin rapidly and sustainably relieves allodynia and anxiodepressive-like behaviors in mouse models of chronic pain.Nature neuroscience · 2025Article
- Protective Properties of the White Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, in a Mouse Model of Colitis.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2025Article
- Biochemical Insights into Diverse Psilocybe Mushrooms and Their Metabolites as Sources of Neuroactive Agents: A Review.Current microbiology · 2025Review
- Effects of Psilocin and Psilocybin on Human 5-HTPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Development and validation of an analytical method for the determination of select 4-position ring-substituted tryptamines in plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Journal of analytical toxicology · 2025Article
17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is an indole-based secondary metabolite produced by numerous species of mushrooms. South American Aztec Indians referred to them as teonanacatl, meaning "god's flesh," and they were used in religious and healing rituals. Spanish missionaries in the 1500s attempted to destroy all records and evidence of the use of these mushrooms. Nevertheless, a 16th century Spanish Franciscan friar and historian mentioned teonanacatl in his extensive writings, intriguing 20th century ethnopharmacologists and leading to a decades-long search for the identity of teonanacatl. Their search ultimately led to a 1957 photo-essay in a popular magazine, describing for the Western world the use of these mushrooms. Specimens were ultimately obtained, and their active principle identified and chemically synthesized. In the past 10-15 years several FDA-approved clinical studies have indicated potential medical value for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in treating depression, anxiety, and certain addictions. At present, assuming that the early clinical studies can be validated by larger studies, psilocybin is poised to make a significant impact on treatments available to psychiatric medicine.
Indexed as
Identifiers
32398764What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.