Why scientists want to create psychedelics that give better trips

When Matthew Johnson, a psychedelic drug researcher at John Hopkins Medicine, studies the effects of psilocybin on patients suffering from depression or addiction, he is careful to exclude anyone with heart disease. That’s because the drug—the active ingredient in magic mushrooms—has the potential to harm the heart. Other side effects have also emerged in the university’s clinical trials, including nausea.

Small studies like Johnson’s have confirmed the power of psychedelics to treat certain types of mental illness but have also raised concerns about side effects. That has spurred biotech and pharmaceutical companies, drawn to the tremendous potential, to try to design new psychedelic compounds without the downsides—including, perhaps, the long-and-winding trip for which they are famous. Most companies are still in the early stages of identifying molecules and testing them in laboratory animals.

“While big, definitive studies still need to be done, it’s looking increasingly clear that psychedelic medicines can be of enormous benefit to individuals with depression, addiction, and other common disorders,” says Christopher Pittenger, director of the Yale Program for Psychedelic Science.