Mood & Mental Health

·

Review

Most Psilocybin Trial Participants Know What They Got

Most Psilocybin Trial Participants Know What They Got

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

A review found >93–96% of participants correctly guessed placebo vs psilocybin, and only 2 of 9 studies measured blinding.

A review found >93–96% of participants correctly guessed placebo vs psilocybin, and only 2 of 9 studies measured blinding.

The number

>93–96% correct guess rates

How solid is it?

Review

Review

Meta-analysis/systematic review

Meta-analysis/systematic review

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Compound

psilocybin

psilocybin

Sample size

9 studies

9 studies

Published in

medschool.cuanschutz.edu

medschool.cuanschutz.edu

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Placebo Problem Exposed

Placebo Problem Exposed

Psilocybin trials show >93–96% correct guess rates for placebo vs treatment, meaning most participants can tell what they received. Only 2 out of 9 studies formally measured blinding, and functional unblinding was noted across multiple designs regardless of placebo type. This inflates perceived benefits through expectancy bias, making it harder to isolate true drug effects.

Psilocybin trials show >93–96% correct guess rates for placebo vs treatment, meaning most participants can tell what they received. Only 2 out of 9 studies formally measured blinding, and functional unblinding was noted across multiple designs regardless of placebo type. This inflates perceived benefits through expectancy bias, making it harder to isolate true drug effects.

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