43-601: A magic mushroom is a psilocybin mushroom, a fungus that contain the hallucinogens psilocybin. Magic mushroom may also refer to: Magic mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms , commonly known as magic mushrooms, shrooms , or broadly as hallucinogenic mushrooms , are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin , which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. The most potent species are members of genus Psilocybe , such as P. azurescens , P. semilanceata , and P. cyanescens , but psilocybin has also been isolated from approximately
86-553: A 2005 review. Many of them are found in Mexico (53 species), with the remainder distributed throughout Canada and the US (22), Europe (16), Asia (15), Africa (4), and Australia and associated islands (19). Generally, psilocybin-containing species are dark-spored, gilled mushrooms that grow in meadows and woods in the subtropics and tropics, usually in soils rich in humus and plant debris. Psilocybin mushrooms occur on all continents, but
129-857: A dozen other genera, including Panaeolus (including Copelandia ), Inocybe , Pluteus , Gymnopilus , and Pholiotina . Amongst other cultural applications, psilocybin mushrooms are used as recreational drugs . They may be depicted in Stone Age rock art in Africa and Europe, but are more certainly represented in pre-Columbian sculptures and glyphs seen throughout the Americas. Psilocybin mushrooms have been and continue to be used in Mexican and Central American cultures in religious, divinatory , or spiritual contexts. Rock art from c. 9000–7000 BCE from Tassili , Algeria ,
172-663: A given species, subspecies or variety . The species Psilocybe azurescens contains the most psilocybin (up to 1.78%). The species within the most commonly foraged and ingested genus of psilocybin mushrooms, the psilocybe , contains two primary hallucinogenic toxins; psilocybin and psilocin . The median lethal dose , also known as "LD50", of psilocybin is 280 mg/kg. From a toxicological profile, it would be incredibly difficult to overdose on psilocybin mushrooms, given their primary toxin compounds. To consume such massive amounts of psilocybin, one must ingest more than 1.2 kg of dried Psilocybe cubensis given 1-2% of
215-674: A lengthy illustrated article by R. Gordon in Life Magazine, May 13, 1957, on the Mexican mushroom veladas (sessions) with Maria Sabina brought significant attention to the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Wasson's account of this experience was published in This Week on May 19, 1957, six days after her husband's famous piece was published in Life magazine. In this article, Valentina suggested that Psilocybe mushrooms might be used as
258-474: A psychotherapeutic agent, placing her alongside psychiatrists like Humphrey Osmund in Saskatchewan who advocated for their use in therapy. She expressed the opinion that if the active agent could be isolated and a sufficient supply assured, it might become a vital tool in the study of psychic processes. She also stated that as the drug would become better known, medical uses would be found for it, perhaps in
301-536: A range of other l-tryptophan-derived β-carbolines were discovered in Psilocybe species. The effects of psilocybin mushrooms come from psilocybin and psilocin. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down by the liver in a process called dephosphorylation . The resulting compound is called psilocin, responsible for the psychedelic effects. Psilocybin and psilocin create short-term increases in tolerance of users, thus making it difficult to misuse them because
344-565: A sense of melting into the environment, and trails behind moving objects . Sounds may seem to have increased clarity—music, for example, can take on a profound sense of cadence and depth. Some users experience synesthesia , wherein they perceive, for example, a visualization of color upon hearing a particular sound. As with other psychedelics such as LSD , the experience, or 'trip,' is strongly dependent upon set and setting . Hilarity, lack of concentration, and muscular relaxation (including dilated pupils ) are all normal effects, sometimes in
387-404: A user ingests a large dose. The dosage of mushrooms containing psilocybin depends on the psilocybin and psilocin content, which can vary significantly between and within the same species but is typically around 0.5–2.0% of the dried weight of the mushroom. Usual doses of the common species Psilocybe cubensis range around 1.0 to 2.5 g, while about 2.5 to 5.0 g dried mushroom material
430-496: Is believed to depict psychedelic mushrooms and the transformation of the user under their influence. Prehistoric rock art near Villar del Humo in Spain suggests that Psilocybe hispanica was used in religious rituals 6,000 years ago. The hallucinogenic species of the Psilocybe genus have a history of use among the native peoples of Mesoamerica for religious communion, divination, and healing, from pre-Columbian times to
473-528: Is considered a strong dose. Above 5 g is often considered a heavy dose, with 5.0 grams of dried mushroom often being referred to as a "heroic dose". However, microdosing has become a popular technique for many users, which involves taking <1.0g for an experience that is not as intense or powerful, but recreationally enjoyable and even alleviating for symptoms of depression . The concentration of active psilocybin mushroom compounds varies from species to species but also from mushroom to mushroom within
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#1732791376228516-644: Is psilocybin, which is converted into psilocin to produce psychoactive effects. Besides psilocin, norpsilocin , baeocystin , norbaeocystin , and aeruginascin may also be present, which can modify the effects of magic mushrooms. Panaeolus subbalteatus , one species of magic mushroom, had the highest amount of psilocybin compared to the rest of the fruiting body. Certain mushrooms are found to produce beta-carbolines which inhibit monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down tryptamine alkaloids. They occur in different genera , such as Psilocybe , Cyclocybe , and Hygrophorus . Harmine, harmane, norharmane and
559-604: The Catskill Mountains in 1927, Valentina foraged for edible mushrooms in the woods, but her husband refused to eat them. They found that their diverging attitudes towards the plant had roots in the folkloric traditions of Europe, and theorized a deep historical divide between “mycophiles” like the Slavs and “mycophobes" like the Anglo-Saxon peoples . This led them to suspect some deep-seated and ancient taboo against
602-755: The Controlled Substances Act , research in the United States was limited until the early 21st century when psilocybin mushrooms were tested for their potential to treat drug dependence , anxiety and mood disorders . In 2018–19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for studies of psilocybin in depressive disorders. The legality of the cultivation, possession, and sale of psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin and psilocin varies from country to country. After Oregon Measure 109, in 2020, Oregon became
645-578: The Convention on Psychotropic Substances . The Commentary on the Convention on Psychotropic Substances notes, however, that the plants containing them are not subject to international control: The cultivation of plants from which psychotropic substances are obtained is not controlled by the Vienna Convention... Neither the crown (fruit, mescal button) of the Peyote cactus nor the roots of
688-662: The psychedelic experience to the nascent hippie counterculture . The popularization of entheogens by the Wassons, Leary, Terence McKenna , Robert Anton Wilson , and many others led to an explosion in the use of psilocybin mushrooms throughout the world. By the early 1970s, many psilocybin mushroom species were described from temperate North America, Europe, and Asia and were widely collected. Books describing methods of cultivating large quantities of Psilocybe cubensis were also published. The availability of psilocybin mushrooms from wild and cultivated sources has made them one of
731-422: The 1960s, testing its effects on recidivism . This experiment reviewed the subjects six months later, and found that the recidivism rate had decreased beyond their expectation, below 40%. This, and another experiment administering psilocybin to graduate divinity students, showed controversy. Shortly after Leary and Alpert were dismissed from their jobs by Harvard in 1963, they turned their attention toward promoting
774-681: The Spanish conquest, Catholic missionaries campaigned against the cultural tradition of the Aztecs, dismissing the Aztecs as idolaters, and the use of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, together with other pre-Christian traditions, was quickly suppressed. The Spanish believed the mushroom allowed the Aztecs and others to communicate with demons. Despite this history, the use of teonanácatl has persisted in some remote areas. The first mention of hallucinogenic mushrooms in European medicinal literature
817-624: The Summer Linguistics Institute, and Robert Weitlaner, a Mexican anthropologist who had visited the Mazatec. During several lengthy sojourns in Huautla and environs, the Wassons studied the use of the mushrooms in detail and compared it with descriptions of Aztec mushroom use as described in the records of the Spanish inquisition. They understood this as a potential survival of an otherwise incredibly old tradition involving
860-424: The United States is legal in all states except Georgia, Idaho and California. This is because only fruiting mushrooms and mycelium contain psilocybin, a federally banned substance. A technical caveat to consider, however, is that the distributed spores must not be intended to be used for cultivation, but allowed for microscopy purposes. Internationally, mescaline , DMT , and psilocin , are Schedule I drugs under
903-529: The United States. Born in Moscow in 1901, Valentina Pavlovna Guercken's family immigrated to the United States during the Russian Revolution . She earned a medical degree at London University in 1927, one year after she married her husband R. Gordon Wasson , a banker. She worked as a pediatrician , publishing research on sinusitis and rheumatic fever in children. While on her honeymoon in
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#1732791376228946-515: The active compounds in these mushrooms. Inspired by the Wassons' Life article, Timothy Leary traveled to Mexico to experience psilocybin mushrooms himself. When he returned to Harvard in 1960, he and Richard Alpert started the Harvard Psilocybin Project , promoting psychological and religious studies of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs . Alpert and Leary sought to conduct research with psilocybin on prisoners in
989-423: The department only requiring moderate treatment. However, fatal events related to emotional distress and trip-induced psychosis can occur as a result of over-consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. In 2003, a 27-year-old man was found dead in an irrigation canal due to hypothermia. In his bedroom was found two cultivation pots of psilocybin mushrooms, but no report of toxicology was made. Due partly to restrictions of
1032-496: The dried mushroom contains psilocybin. Posing a more realistic threat than a lethal overdose, significantly elevated levels of psilocin can overstimulate the 5-HT2A receptors in the brain, causing acute serotonin syndrome . A 2015 study observed that a dose of 200 mg/kg psilocin induced symptoms of acute serotonin poisoning in mice. Neurotoxicity -induced fatal events are uncommon with psilocybin mushroom overdose, as most patients admitted to critical care are released from
1075-468: The effects of psychedelic mushrooms are subjective and can vary considerably among individual users. The mind-altering effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last from three to eight hours, depending on dosage, preparation method, and personal metabolism. The first 3–4 hours after ingestion are typically referred to as the 'peak'—in which the user experiences more vivid visuals and distortions in reality. The effects can seem to last much longer for
1118-679: The first US state to decriminalize psilocybin and legalize it for therapeutic use. However, selling psilocybin without being licensed may still attract fines or imprisonment. In 2022 Colorado legalized consumption, growing, and sharing for personal use, though sales are prohibited while regulations are being drafted. Other jurisdictions in the United States where psilocybin mushrooms are decriminalized include Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan; Oakland and Santa Cruz, California; Easthampton, Somerville, Northampton, and Cambridge, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, DC. Furthermore, buying spores of mushroom species containing psilocybin online in
1161-464: The first known European Americans to actively participate in an indigenous mushroom ceremony. The Wassons did much to publicize their experience, even publishing an article on their experiences in Life on May 13, 1957. In 1956, Roger Heim identified the psychoactive mushroom the Wassons brought back from Mexico as Psilocybe , and in 1958, Albert Hofmann first identified psilocybin and psilocin as
1204-596: The hospital she worked at or Gordon's colleagues at Chase bank unaware of their interest in mushrooms. In 1952 the poet Robert Graves sent the Wassons an article that mentioned the discovery by Richard Evans Schultes in 1938 of the modern-day survival of the ancient use of intoxicating mushrooms among the Indians in Mexico. Immediately Gordon Wasson telephoned Schultes at Harvard; the confirmation and encouragement he received focused his attention on Mexico. Valentina and Gordon Wasson organized yearly research expeditions to
1247-475: The majority of species are found in subtropical humid forests . P. cubensis is the most common Psilocybe in tropical areas. P. semilanceata , considered the world's most widely distributed psilocybin mushroom, is found in temperate parts of Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, although it is absent from Mexico. Magic mushroom composition varies from genus to genus and species to species. Its principal component
1290-461: The more often they are taken within a short period, the weaker the resultant effects are. Psilocybin mushrooms have not been known to cause physical or psychological dependence (addiction). The psychedelic effects appear around 20 minutes after ingestion and can last up to 6 hours. Physical effects may occur, including nausea, vomiting, euphoria, muscle weakness or relaxation, drowsiness, and lack of coordination. As with many psychedelic substances,
1333-406: The most widely used psychedelic drugs. At present, psilocybin mushroom use has been reported among some groups spanning from central Mexico to Oaxaca , including groups of Nahua , Mixtecs , Mixe , Mazatecs , Zapotecs , and others. An important figure of mushroom usage in Mexico was María Sabina , who used native mushrooms, such as Psilocybe mexicana in her practice. In a 2000 review on
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1376-461: The plant Mimosa hostilis nor Psilocybe mushrooms themselves are included in Schedule 1, but only their respective principals, mescaline , DMT , and psilocin . Valentina Pavlovna Wasson Valentina Pavlovna (Guercken) Wasson (1901–1958) was a Russian-American pediatrician, ethnomycologist and author. She was involved in the introduction of psychoactive mushrooms to a wide audience in
1419-612: The present day. Mushroom stones and motifs have been found in Guatemala . A statuette dating from c. 200 CE depicting a mushroom strongly resembling Psilocybe mexicana was found in the west Mexican state of Colima in a shaft and chamber tomb . A Psilocybe species known to the Aztecs as teōnanācatl (literally "divine mushroom": the agglutinative form of teōtl (god, sacred) and nanācatl (mushroom) in Nahuatl language )
1462-464: The profane use of an ancient religious sacrament. Described themselves as "ethnomycologists", the couple researched religious and cultural uses of fungi by sending letters to missionaries, linguists, and anthropologists around the world, trying to identify areas where mushrooms possessed significant religious and medical uses. With busy professional lives, the couple pursued the research as a passionate side project, with many of Valentina's colleagues at
1505-457: The remote mountain villages of the monolingual Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca , Mexico, and in 1955 were among the first outsiders in modern times to participate in the midnight rites of the cult of the sacred mushroom. Beginning in 1953, the Wassons travelled to the Mazatec village Huautla de Jiménez in Mexico to research the traditional use of mushrooms there. They received especially valuable information from American missionary Eunice V. Pike of
1548-618: The same trip. A negative environment could contribute to a bad trip , whereas a comfortable and familiar environment would set the stage for a pleasant experience. Psychedelics make experiences more intense, so if a person enters a trip in an anxious state of mind, they will likely experience heightened anxiety on their trip. Many users find it preferable to ingest the mushrooms with friends or people familiar with 'tripping.' The psychological consequences of psilocybin use include hallucinations and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. Panic reactions and psychosis also may occur, particularly if
1591-458: The treatment of alcoholism , narcotic addiction, mental disorders, and terminal diseases associated with severe pain. Several years later a team of researchers working in Baltimore independently tested the validity of her unusual vision. Aldous Huxley followed her suggestion that the transition to death could be eased by a dose of LSD. Huxley's health had begun to deteriorate in 1960 after he
1634-446: The use of sacred mushrooms, the Indians kept their beliefs a secret from strangers. It took great tact and skill, therefore, to gain the confidence of the indigenous population and to receive insight into this secret domain. They announced their discovery in 1957 in their jointly written book Mushrooms Russia and History. The Wassons' first book, had begun as a cookbook by Wasson and the Wassons' Russian cook, Florence James. Concurrently,
1677-736: The user because of psilocybin's ability to alter time perception. Sensory effects include visual and auditory hallucinations followed by emotional changes and altered perception of time and space. Noticeable changes to the auditory, visual, and tactile senses may become apparent around 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion, although effects may take up to two hours to take place. These shifts in perception visually include enhancement and contrasting of colors, strange light phenomena (such as auras or "halos" around light sources), increased visual acuity, surfaces that seem to ripple, shimmer, or breathe; complex open and closed eye visuals of form constants or images, objects that warp, morph, or change solid colors;
1720-412: The worldwide distribution of psilocybin mushrooms, Gastón Guzmán and colleagues considered these distributed among the following genera : Psilocybe (116 species), Gymnopilus (14), Panaeolus (13), Copelandia (12), Pluteus (6) Inocybe (6), Pholiotina (4) and Galerina (1). Guzmán increased his estimate of the number of psilocybin-containing Psilocybe to 144 species in
1763-420: Was diagnosed with tongue cancer and then with cancer of the jawbone. On November 22, 1963, lying on his deathbed and unable to speak, he wrote a note to his wife Laura asking for "Try LSD 100 mmg intramuscular", meaning that he wanted an intramuscular injection of 100 micrograms of LSD. She administered the drug as requested, and he died a few hours later. Valentina Wasson died of cancer on December 31, 1958, at
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1806-536: Was in the London Medical and Physical Journal in 1799: A man served Psilocybe semilanceata mushrooms he had picked for breakfast in London's Green Park to his family. The apothecary who treated them later described how the youngest child "was attacked with fits of immoderate laughter, nor could the threats of his father or mother refrain him." In 1955, Valentina Pavlovna Wasson and R. Gordon Wasson became
1849-457: Was reportedly served at the coronation of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II in 1502. Aztecs and Mazatecs referred to psilocybin mushrooms as genius mushrooms, divinatory mushrooms, and wondrous mushrooms when translated into English. Bernardino de Sahagún reported the ritualistic use of teonanácatl by the Aztecs when he traveled to Central America after the expedition of Hernán Cortés . After
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