A recent study from Imperial College London suggests that magic mushrooms, LSD, and other psychedelic drugs could have a positive impact on sexual function and potentially serve as a remedy for struggling marriages.
The research, involving nearly 300 participants, revealed that the consumption of magic mushrooms (shrooms) or LSD was linked to an increase in libido and heightened enjoyment of sexual experiences.
This newfound connection between psychedelic use and enhanced sexual well-being was observed through data collected from individuals who completed surveys before and after engaging in psychedelic experiences.
Remarkably, the positive effects on sexual function were reported to persist for up to six months after the initial drug consumption.
The participants included recreational users and a small number of people taking psilocybin, the active chemical in magic mushrooms, as part of a trial to see if the drug can help depression.
Both recreational users and depressed individuals who took a psychedelic reported more interest in sex, more sexual arousal and greater sexual satisfaction.
‘Fundamental human drive’
The scientists say the drugs could be used in the future as part of couples counselling because a healthy sex life has been shown to improve marriage health and duration.
“We believe this is the first scientific study to explore the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning,” said Tommaso Barba, first author of the study and a PhD student at Imperial College London.
“Our findings suggest potential implications for conditions that negatively affect sexual health, including clinical depression and anxiety.
“This is particularly significant given that sexual dysfunction, often induced by antidepressants, frequently results in people stopping these medications and subsequently relapsing.
“On the surface, this type of research may seem ‘quirky’, but the psychological aspects of sexual function – including how we think about our own bodies, our attraction to our partners and our ability to connect to people intimately – are all important to psychological wellbeing in sexually active adults,” Mr Barba said.
“Sexuality is a fundamental human drive. For example, we know that sexual dysfunction is linked to lower wellbeing in healthy adults, can impact relationship satisfaction, and is even linked to subjective happiness and ‘meaning in life’.”
‘Positive impact on sexual functioning’
Published in Scientific Reports, the study discovered that the use of drugs did not result in individuals developing an obsession with sex. The significance of sex to patients remained unchanged, not becoming more important than before; however, there was an observed increase in their enjoyment of sexual experiences.
Mr Barba added: “It’s important to stress our work does not focus on what happens to sexual functioning while people are on psychedelics, and we are not talking about perceived ‘sexual performance’.
“But it does indicate there may be a lasting positive impact on sexual functioning after their psychedelic experience, which could potentially have impacts on psychological wellbeing.”
Dr David Erritzoe, clinical director of Imperial’s Centre for Psychedelic Research, said: “This study shines yet more light on the far-reaching effects of psychedelics on an array of psychological functioning.
These findings are pretty cool, however, we're still a long way from using psychedelics in mainstream medicine. There's a possibility for future applications, but we need more research to figure out how to make things like this it work in a clinical setting.