Inside STAT: The rise of a psychedelics evangelist

(MIKE REDDY FOR STAT)

Once considered a relic of 1960s counterculture, psychedelics are making a comeback these days, with careful, peer-reviewed research suggesting their potential as treatments for depression and other mental health conditions. That means they could also be big business. Enter Christian Angermayer, a 40-year-old German financier who wants to turn psilocybin, derived from so-called magic mushrooms, into modern medicine. While not everyone is convinced, Angermayer tells STAT's Meghana Keshavan he speaks from experience. Psilocybin "was the single most meaningful thing I’ve ever done or experienced in my life,” he says. “Nothing has ever come close to it.” Read more.