Oliver Davis: Ireland may be in the midst of a psychedelic renaissance
Fly agaric and liberty cap mushrooms are said to have been used in Ireland since the Neolithic period. One scholar suggests Cú Chulainn and his followers may have used fly agaric to induce the ‘riastradh’ in battle. Picture: Caroline Delaney
Medical science today is rediscovering the potential of psychedelic drugs to offer effective treatments for some of the world’s most painful and costly mental health conditions, including PTSD, OCD, depression, anxiety, and addiction.
This global renaissance of serious scientific interest in psychedelics began cautiously in the 1990s and is now in full swing: Over the last five years, a steady stream of psychedelic medicines have been approved for use in Ireland, the UK, the US, and Australia, among other countries, and this trend looks set to continue.
