An unorthodox combination may someday help relieve cancer patients’ depression and anxiety.

A treatment with one dose of psilocybin [sai-luh-sai-bin] — a psychedelic, natural chemical found in mushrooms — along with therapy, gave cancer patients relief from depression and anxiety for more than two years.

In the phase 2 clinical trial in Maryland, 28 patients with cancer and major depression had supervision and support from a therapist before, during and after one “trip” on a 25-milligram dose of psilocybin. The study was published in the journal Cancer.

That dose is enough to cause hallucinations and other effects, such as altered consciousness, visual distortion and deep introspective thoughts, for several hours.

Cancer is a life-threatening diagnosis. Estimates of how many cancer patients also then live with anxiety or depression, or both, range between 20 and 50%.

Of the patients in the study, 54% showed a significant reduction in their depression, as noted in clinical interviews two years later. And 50% saw a  sustained reduction in their depression and were in remission. Forty-three percent of the patients reported reduced anxiety after two years.

An ongoing randomized, double-blind trial is now evaluating how two 25-milligram doses of psilocybin work against depression and anxiety versus a placebo.

The mental strain of depression and anxiety can affect how well one follows medical treatment as well as quality of life. Other studies have found that being depressed results makes dying from cancer more likely.

So, while it may feel like a throwback to the 1960s, the method may be a modern way to help cancer patients.