They aren't designed to improve mood, only dull pain. Didn't know about your mom though, very sorry, but I hope she was able to beat it. 'Shrooms are as likely to make you slobber on yourself as Vicodin though, more so, I'd say. They gave me the latter after I had my appendectomy and all it did was constipate me, but 'shrooms, well, I think I've told my story about those a few times.

Anti-depressants, well, I have a whole separate set of issues with those; I remember when a psychologist tried to prescribe some for me one time and I told him, "Um, didn't we just spend the last 40 minutes discussing why I shouldn't smoke pot even though it makes me feel better?" Most medications, natural and otherwise, can have side effects and, IMHO, weight gain is rather far down on the list of those associated with legal anti-depressants (well after, say, addiction and suicidal tendencies. ) It's certainly less severe than being attacked by things that aren't there. Or in my case, watching TV programs that won't air for three more months.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that anything without a high risk of physical addiction should be legal, but don't think the frequent and usually contrived attempts to invent reputable medicinal benefits for recreational drugs serve any purpose. That's just as biased as researchers assuming no such benefits exist, but encourages the widely held belief that any claims of medicinal benefits are just from a bunch of hippies who want to get high without being hassled by the Man. People are suspicious enough already of ANYTHING associated with drugs without giving them more cause. "Drugs are bad, 'mk?" *lights another cigarette and sips more Dr. Pepper*