A compound found in magic mushrooms has been shown to provide “significant improvements” in reducing stress and anxiety in cancer patients.⁠ ⁠ The compound, called psilocybin, can reduce anxiety in patients up to five years after being taken, according to research from New York University‘s Grossman School of Medicine. The study found that when used alongside psychotherapy, there was an improvement in the “emotional and existential” distress experienced by patients.⁠ ⁠ “Participants overwhelmingly (71 to 100 percent) attributed positive life changes to the psilocybin-assisted therapy experience and rated it among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives,” the researchers said.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ The team was following up on a 2016 report into the effects of the substance on cancer patients, which found that it had “immediate, substantial, and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression”. Their new research concludes that nearly 5 years on, the...