Psychedelic mushrooms include many different species of mushrooms, but what they have in common is that they contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin. This is why they are often referred to as psilocybin mushrooms.
The use of psychedelic mushrooms is ancient, with evidence of its use shown by remarkable prehistoric cave paintings. Psychedelic mushrooms have also played an important role in cultures all over the world, particularly in the Americas.
But, like the other types of psychedelic chemicals – phenethylamines (e.g. mescaline) and ergolines (e.g. LSD) – psilocybin and psilocin achieve psychedelic effects by stimulating the 5HT2A brain receptors, a type of serotonin receptor.
Psychedelic mushrooms have a rich cultural history spanning millennia. The earliest evidence of humans using psychedelics involves psilocybin mushrooms. In a cave in the Tassili-N-Ajjer region of the Sahara Desert in Algeria, we find a mural painting of a bee-headed man with mushrooms sprouting out of his body[*]. These mushrooms have been identified as Psilocybe maireri, which are native to the region. The mural painting is 7,000 to 9,000 years old.
Another piece of evidence of early mushroom use is the Selva Pascuala cave mural near Villar del Humo in Spain[*]. This cave painting depicts mushrooms that researchers believe belong to the species Psilocybe hispanica, a mushroom that can be found in that region. This mural painting is 6,000 years old.
We also find evidence of mushroom use in pre-Columbian societies. For example, ‘mushroom stones’ have been discovered in Mexico and Guatemala, dating to 1,000-1,500 BC[*]. Experts consider these signs of ‘mushroom cults’ in Mesoamerica.
We know that the ancient Maya consumed what they referred to as k’aizalaj Okox (identified as Psilocybe cubensis)[*]. The later Aztec people called the psychedelic mushrooms they consumed teonanácatl, a word in the Aztec Nahuatl language meaning “divine mushroom” or “mushroom of the gods”. These mushrooms included Psilocybe mexicana and other species belonging to the Psilocybe genus[*].
The first written account of psychedelic mushroom use comes from the Florentine Codex (1560), a research study of Aztec culture, carried out by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish missionary priest.[*] He noted that the Aztecs would eat mushrooms with honey and drink chocolate throughout the night. The friar described that those under the influence would dance and cry.
Western interest in psychedelic mushrooms was kickstarted by R. Gordon Wasson, a banker who took part in an indigenous mushroom ceremony in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1955[*]. Wasson described his experiences in an article for Life magazine, published in 1957. Then, in 1958, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann (who first synthesized LSD), isolated and identified the compounds psilocybin and psilocin from Psilocybe mexicana[*].
Psychedelic mushrooms were used by Westerners in the 1960s, but LSD was the psychedelic drug of choice at the time. LSD was also more commonly used in psychedelic research in the 50s and 60s compared to psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin. In more recent years, however, a lot of the most groundbreaking psychedelic research has involved psilocybin.
Psychedelic mushrooms can be used in many different contexts. Let’s explore some of the most common uses of psilocybin mushrooms.
As we have seen already, psychedelic mushrooms have been used in a ceremonial context. The Mayans and Aztecs viewed these mushrooms as sacraments.
Such mushroom use continues until this present day in Mexico in the form of Mazatec shamanism. Mazatec shamans, such as Maria Sabina who guided Wasson’s mushroom journey, ritually use psychedelic mushrooms for healing purposes. The Mazatec people live in the Sierra Mazateca, a mountainous region in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Psychedelic mushroom retreats are another way in which people have mushroom experiences. These are group retreats that usually take place in which psychedelic mushrooms are legal or tolerated by the law. Usually, a high dose of psychedelic mushrooms is taken, with people tripping together and with guides there to offer support.
Many people decide to take psychedelic mushrooms on their own, for personal, therapeutic, or spiritual purposes. Someone might wish to have a sober trip sitter with them as a form of support and for grounding if needed.
People also enjoy using psychedelic mushrooms in a recreational context, taking them with friends at home or out in nature. The use of psychedelic mushrooms is also common at music festivals.
One way of taking psychedelic mushrooms that have risen in popularity recently is in the form of microdosing. This involves taking one-tenth of the standard dose of mushrooms, which would be around 0.1-0.5g, although this may vary depending on the species in question. This is also known as a sub-perceptual dose, as psychedelic effects do not occur[*]. At this sort of dosage, people may report slight but noticeable changes in focus, mood, creativity, and cognition.
Psychedelic mushrooms can cause a range of physical, emotional, perceptual, cognitive, and spiritual effects. Let’s take a look at these sorts of effects in turn.
Psychedelic mushrooms are neither short-lasting or long-lasting: they are somewhere in the middle. A psychedelic mushroom trip will last between 4-6 hours, which is much longer than a DMT experience (10-20 minutes) but much shorter than an ibogaine experience (up to 24 hours).
Since psilocybin and psilocin are tryptamine psychedelics, people report that psychedelic mushrooms produce visuals and visions typical of the tryptamines. For instance, the visual effects of psychedelic mushrooms tend to be closer to DMT and ayahuasca (which contains DMT) compared to LSD (an ergoline psychedelic) and mescaline (a phenethylamine psychedelic).
Psychedelic mushroom retreats often take place in countries where the mushrooms are legal, in countries like the Netherlands, Jamaica, and Mexico. Psychedelic mushrooms are also legal for possession, sale, transportation, and cultivation in Brazil[*].
In some countries, the possession of psilocybin mushrooms is decriminalized, including in Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and in Denver, Colorado, and Oakland, California in the US[*].
For the large majority of countries, however, psychedelic mushrooms – despite growing naturally – are illegal to possess. In the UK and US, for example, psilocybin mushrooms are highly illegal. In the UK, they are a Class A drug, meaning it is of the most harmful and addictive kind. Likewise, in the US, psychedelic mushrooms are a Schedule I drug, which means they have a high potential for abuse and no recognized medical value.
Research has shown that psilocybin may be safe and effective at treating a range of mental health conditions, such as depression. The lethal dose of psilocybin is so high that, as far as the records show, no one has been able to consume the weight of psychedelic mushrooms necessary to reach such a dose.
In the normal range of doses, psilocybin has no toxicity. It also carries a low abuse risk and does not result in physical dependence[*]. In fact, psilocybin mushrooms often help people give up their addictions, such as smoking or drug addictions.
Research on psilocybin is continuing. So far, the results of psychedelic research have shown that psychedelic mushrooms have the potential to treat a wide range of conditions, with rapid and long-lasting effects.
Article written by Sam Woolfe.