A powerful psychedelic compound best associated with the Sonoran desert toad (Incilius alvarius) has been recreated in a lab and transformed into a fast-acting nasal spray. A recent clinical trial outlined this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests this spray could help people with treatment resistant depression, without the often less pleasant element of psychedelics. In the study, a single squeeze of the spray eased patients’ depressive symptoms with benefits lasting throughout the eight week trial.
Crucially, those long-term benefits (which have also been observed in other psychedelic research) didn’t require enduring an all-day mystical trip. Most patients were cleared for release less than two hours after taking the spray. Thankfully, the approach also eliminates the need to fondle a toxic amphibian. That’s potentially a plus both for patients and overharvested toad populations. The finds come amid a resurgence in new research and investment involving psychedelics, supported in part by evolving political attitudes towards the compounds on federal and state levels.
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