Despite popular belief, psychedelic drugs like LSD or acid, magic mushrooms and ecstasy don’t affect the human body similarly to illicit recreational drugs like cocaine or heroin. In fact, some psychedelics are even used as a form of treatment or medicine for people suffering from various types of illnesses like depression and anxiety, unlike cocaine or alcohol, which can have adverse effects on the human body and brain.

Check out a list of myths about psychedelic drugs below:

Read: Norwegian Scientists Say Acid Helps Treat Alcohol Abuse

You may lose your mind on psychedelics: There is no connection between psychedelic drugs and mental illness. A study, conducted by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, analyzed data of more than 135,000 Americans between 2001 and 2004, nearly 19,300 of whom had used psychedelic drugs and found there was no correlation between use of psychedelic drugs and mental illness. The study actually found there was a decrease of mental health problems related to psychedelic drug use.

LSD causes acid flashbacks years later: Although some people can experience hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after LSD has left the body, the phenomenon is actually really rare. There is still very little research on the disorder to date, but some theories say the occasional audiovisual and sensory distortions only occur when a person has dabbled in acid and other drugs, or in people with neurological and psychological disorders. Psychiatrist Henry David Abraham told Popular Science only about one in every 20 people who tries LSD suffers from acid-induced flashbacks.

Psychedelics have no medicinal value: Psychedelics, particularly natural drugs like mushrooms and ayahuasca, which is derived from boiled Banisteriopsis caapi (yage) and Psychotria Viridis (chacruna) vines, were used in ancient spiritual rituals, and to cure ailments and heal people long before modern day medicines filled pharmacy shelves. However, drugs like LSD and mushrooms, which contain the toxin psilocybin, are also used today not only to help people kick smoking or alcohol addiction, but have also been used to treat people suffering from cluster headaches and chronic migraines.

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