If your concept of psychedelic drugs is solely rooted in flower-power and tie-dye shirts, the time has come to expand your horizons. Beyond their reputation as recreational hallucinogens, these mind-bendy substances are holding more promise every day for treating a wide range of mental illnesses, and as you might expect, we're beyond stoked.

At the forefront of this drug revolution is Itai Danovitch, a UCLA grad and currently a heavyweight in the world of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Danovitch is militant about the potential therapeutic roles for these enchanted substances, and no, he's not suggesting you raid your stash from that festival back in '09. These are controlled, measured doses administered by medical professional deadbeats (laughs) under clinical supervision. Self-medication is not on the menu – that's a one-way ticket to intensifying your symptoms rather than alleviating them.

Psychedelics have a substantial and storied past. You can find natural hallucinogens lounging on fungi, hiding in cacti, nestling on trees, within seeds, and under leaves. Meanwhile, its man-made doppelgangers are brewed in clandestine labs with designer chemicals that mimic their natural counterparts. From facilitating spiritual journeys in ancient times to experimental therapeutic uses by Aldous Huxley under clinical supervision, psychedelics have been moonlighting as therapeutic tools long before the U.S. Congress gave them the boot with the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.

A wave of change is, however, reshaping opinions on psychedelics, bringing them back from their moonlit adventures into therapeutic sunlight. Bearing the standard are more well-known members of the psychedelic family including psilocybin (or magic mushrooms to you and I), LSD, DMT, MDMA, PCP, ketamine, and mescaline (peyote). Each one is currently being rigorously examined for their potential, sparking a resurgence in psychedelic studies.

Meanwhile, let's not forget to shed a light on the 'how' element. While every trip has its unique detours, researchers claim that these mind-altering journeys cause the brain to become more 'pliable,' enabling it to establish new patterns of behavior. The influence of each psychedelic drug varies with its different class. The holy trinity of psychedelic classes - entactogens like MDMA that work by flooding the brain with serotonin, classic hallucinogens like psilocybin and LSD that activate serotonin receptors, and dissociatives like ketamine, which target the brain's glutamate.

The exploration of psychedelics as mental health treatments reads more like an epic thriller than a dry science paper. There's everything from promising results of psilocybin for treating depression and LSD-assisted psychotherapy reducing anxiety in terminally ill patients to the use of MDMA for treating PTSD and emerging interest in Ketamine for long-term relief from depression. But, always remember, alongside taking any of these substances is therapy, which is a critical companion to any therapeutic use of psychedelics.

As tempting as it is to view psychedelics as a wonder drug in the fight against mental health disorders, the reality isn't quite as triumphant. Yes, these drugs are showing momentous promise, but let's not forget that the research is still in its infancy. The path to mainstream therapy is still shrouded with unanswered questions and is lined with the need for more rigorous scientific examinations. But the way we see it, Psychedelic Medicine is not a destination, it's a trip, and we're pretty excited about the journey.