For thousands of years, humans have used psychedelics for religious and therapeutic purposes. And yet, mainstream medicine has been skeptical of—if not downright hostile to—this class of drugs.

Psychedelic healing may sound like a fad from the Woodstock era, but it's a field of study that's gaining traction in the medical community as an effective treatment option for a growing number of mental health conditions.

Researchers have identified which brain proteins might be most influential in controlling neural activity associated with epilepsy and anxiety, paving the way for better prevention and treatments someday.