7 Party Drugs That Might Have Medical Benefits

Medical Benefits: Treats depression, relieves headaches, helps with OCD, and helps the brain recall memories.

There may also be some medical benefits to shrooms as well. Not only have studies shown that mushrooms can help treat depression by dampening areas in the brain just like antidepressants do, but they have also been shown to relieve headaches and help with obsessive compulsive disorders.    

A study by the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2012 proved that psilocybin mushrooms can also enhance the brain's ability to recall memories and could possibly be used alongside psychotherapy. "We're not saying go out there and eat magic mushrooms," said David Nutt of Imperial College London about the studies. "But... this drug has such a fundamental impact on the brain that it's got to be meaningful."

Medical Benefits: Treats PTSD and may help fight cancer.

Also known as MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), ecstasy (sometimes called Molly), is a stimulant drug with hallucinogenic properties. It is said to provoke feelings of emotional warmth and high energy, though it may have some medical uses that make it more important. 

One study showed that ecstasy is very useful in treating PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which could be helpful since PTSD is so hard to cure. In fact, the DEA has already permitted using MDMA in certain forms for patients with high anxiety disorders.

Meanwhile, another study in 2011 at the University of Birmingham found that ecstasy has anti-cancer properties, specifically when fighting leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. The manufactured ecstasy was 100 times more potent at destroying cancer cells than the original form of MDMA.  

Medical Benefits: Can treat minor skin cuts, be used as an anesthetic, alleviates altitude sickness, and fights bowel inflammation.

Leaves from the coca plant have been used as a stimulant for thousands of years, and the drug derived from it, cocaine, has been linked to many health benefits over time.

Early on in medicine, cocaine was used as a topical anesthetic for surgical procedures due to it's ability to numb. It can be used to treat minor skin lacerations (since the drug works in narrowing blood vessels) and can lessen bleeding.   

Some doctors believe it can help as an antibiotic and also alleviate altitude sickness dude to trace minerals, flavonoids, B vitamins, and antioxidants found in the leaf.

Finally, Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, has studied the gastrointestinal effects of the drug and believes it can help with bowel inflammation and diseases.

Medical Benefits: Helps with anxiety disorders and alcoholism.

Short for lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD was manufactured in a lab and known as the hallucinogenic party drug of the 1960s (though it was made illegal in 1966).

Though it can sometimes lead to "bad trips," research shows it helps deal with anxiety disorders. The first LSD study in 40 years was done in 2014 and showed that LSD paired with psychotherapy alleviated end-of-life anxiety in patients suffering from terminal illnesses. 

In another story from 2012 in Norway, published data suggested that LSD also prevents alcoholics from relapsing during treatment.

Medical Benefits: Fights depression and can be used as anesthesia.

Special K is an animal tranquilizer called ketamine that is hugely popular in the dance party circle. The drug is known as a psychoactive party drug, and it is used to enhance a "party" experience. However, it's becoming clear that Special K has some big potential in medicine as well.  

For instance, The New York Times has written about the possibility of the drug being used for treating depression, bipolar disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Apparently, ketamine combats depression in way less time than anti-depressants (hours, as opposed to weeks). 

Also, Special K can be used as anesthesia, especially in places that don't have access to more expensive drugs. Special K apparently provides anesthetic qualities without impairing airway control or depressing respiration. The World Health Organization even has it on its list of essential medicines!

Medical Benefits: Treats narcolepsy, ADD, and obesity.

Methamphetamine (AKA Crystal Meth) is an addictive stimulant drug that comes in a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder. Smoking or injecting the drug delivers it very quickly to the brain, where it produces an immediate, intense euphoria, which is where the "tweak" term comes from. Crystal meth can do horrible things to a person's mind and body. 

But at low doses, crystal meth has been shown to boost alertness and block hunger and fatigue. It has been used (again, in very low doses) in the treatment of narcolepsy, ADD, and obesity. Desoxyn is a prescription form of meth that is sometimes used as a temporary treatment for obesity.

According to some articles, in North Korea, crystal meth is used as a poor man's substitute for treating many illnesses, including acne. Since they don't have access to other drugs, some locals consider it to be their cure-all drug of choice.