Sarah Brown
Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom that contains the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into the psychedelic psilocin upon ingestion. Psilocybin mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time, and emotions. Psilocybin mushrooms are found all over the world, with the majority of species being found in subtropical humid forests. They are often found in Mexico, Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common name | Magic mushrooms |
| Active ingredients | Psilocybin, psilocin |
| Origin | Mexico |
| Legality | Federally banned in the US; illegal in Canada; spores can be bought in most US states |
| Effects | Hallucinations, heightened emotions and senses, distorted sense of reality, perceptual changes, altered state of consciousness, "bad trips" |
| Use | Eaten fresh, cooked, brewed into tea, injected intravenously |
| Treatment potential | Drug dependence, anxiety, mood disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, problematic substance use |
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Prehistoric use
The use of magic mushrooms for medicinal and recreational purposes dates back thousands of years. Rock art from Tassili, Algeria, dating to around 9000–7000 BCE, is believed to depict psychedelic mushrooms and the transformation of the user under their influence. Rock paintings in Spain created around 6,000 years ago suggest that the mushroom Psilocybe hispanica was used during certain religious rituals near Villar del Humo. Similarly, a mural discovered in Northern Australia, dated to 10,000 BCE, depicts mushrooms and psychedelic art.
In addition, stone paintings suggest that Saharan aboriginal tribes of North Africa may have been using mushrooms from around 9000 BC. The domestication of the opium poppy plant in Europe, which began around the mid-sixth millennium BC, further supports the prehistoric use of psychoactive substances.
In the Americas, psilocybin mushrooms have been used since pre-Columbian times by the native peoples of Mesoamerica for religious communion, divination, and healing. A statuette dating from around 200 CE, depicting a mushroom strongly resembling Psilocybe mexicana, was found in a tomb in the Mexican state of Colima. The Psilocybe species, known to the Aztecs as teōnanācatl ("divine mushroom"), was reportedly served at the coronation of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II in 1502. Spanish missionaries in the 1500s attempted to destroy all records and evidence of the use of these mushrooms. However, a 16th-century Spanish Franciscan friar and historian, Bernardino de Sahagún, mentioned teonanacatl in his extensive writings, documenting the beliefs, culture, and history of the Aztecs following Spain's colonisation of Mexico.
The ancient Greeks and Romans also held seasonal rites involving the ingestion of a psychoactive drink called kykeon, which contained LSD-like hallucinogens. The Peyote cactus has been used medicinally by some cultures for generations, and the Amanita muscaria mushroom is still used today by the indigenous Ojibwa community in the Great Lakes region between Canada and the United States.
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Legal status
Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as "magic mushrooms", are illegal in most parts of the world. They are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which requires its members to prohibit psilocybin and restrict its use to medical and scientific research under controlled conditions. However, the mushrooms themselves were not included in the convention due to pressure from the Mexican government.
While the UN convention has been enacted into national law in many countries, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Japan, there has been ambiguity and selective enforcement regarding the legal status of psilocybin mushrooms. In the US, for example, federal law classifies psilocybin as a Schedule I controlled substance, but some states like New Mexico and Colorado have decriminalized its use and possession, and others like California, Georgia, and Idaho have specifically prohibited the sale and possession of psilocybin mushroom spores.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement towards decriminalization and legalization of psilocybin mushrooms in some jurisdictions. For instance, in 2020, Oregon became the first US state to decriminalize and legalize psilocybin for supervised non-medical use. The District of Columbia also passed a similar initiative, and cities like Somerville and Cambridge in Massachusetts have voted to decriminalize the possession of entheogenic plants, including psilocybin mushrooms. In 2023, the Canadian province of Alberta announced it would regulate and allow the use of psilocybin for medicinal purposes, and Australia approved its use in prescription medications for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.
Despite these changes, the possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms remain illegal in most places, and advocacy groups continue to push for further decriminalization and legalization. Proponents of decriminalization cite research suggesting that psilocybin is non-addictive, has a low risk of adverse effects, and has potential beneficial uses in treating mental health disorders. They also argue that decriminalization would free up law enforcement resources and allow for a focus on higher-priority issues.
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Therapeutic uses
Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms, are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They are psychedelic drugs, which can alter a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions. They can cause hallucinations, where a person may see or hear things that are not real or are distorted.
Magic mushrooms have been used for thousands of years. There is evidence that indigenous people in Central America used them for healing and spiritual rituals as far back as 3000 B.C. They may also be depicted in Stone Age rock art in Africa and Europe, but they are more certainly represented in pre-Columbian sculptures and glyphs seen throughout the Americas.
There is increasing interest in the therapeutic uses of magic mushrooms and psilocybin, one of the active ingredients in magic mushrooms. Clinical trials with psilocybin have shown promising results, but there are currently no approved therapeutic products containing psilocybin. However, ongoing research is looking at the potential of psilocybin to treat various mental health disorders, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Substance use disorders: Psilocybin has been studied for its potential to treat drug dependence and to help people quit smoking.
- Mood disorders
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is conducting and supporting research into psilocybin's effects on the brain and body, as well as its potential therapeutic benefits. NIDA is also supporting clinical investigations into psilocybin as a treatment for substance use disorders and other mental illnesses.
It is important to note that the use of any drug, including magic mushrooms, carries risks. Magic mushrooms can have negative effects, such as "bad trips" and delayed headaches. There is also the risk of misidentifying mushrooms and consuming poisonous mushrooms. Additionally, magic mushrooms can have unpredictable and dangerous effects when taken with other drugs, including over-the-counter or prescribed medications.
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Effects and risks
Psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions. Psychedelics can cause a person to hallucinate, seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted. The key ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin. When psilocybin is ingested, it is converted in the body to psilocin, which is the chemical with psychoactive properties.
The effects of magic mushrooms usually begin within 30 minutes when eaten, or within 5–10 minutes when taken as a soup or tea, and can last between 3 to 6 hours. The duration of the effects also depends on the quantity of the drug consumed. The effects include perceptual changes, such as visual and auditory hallucinations, and sensory distortions. The use of magic mushrooms rarely results in life-threatening symptoms. However, if a large amount or a strong batch of mushrooms is consumed, the person may experience a "'bad trip'", which can include feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and short-term psychosis. A bad trip can also be influenced by the environment in which the drug is consumed, as well as the individual's state of mind and previous encounters with psychedelic drugs.
The biggest risk associated with psilocybin mushroom use is that they look very similar to some types of poisonous mushrooms, which can cause severe illness or even death. Other risks include delayed headaches, which usually don't last longer than a day, and flashbacks, which can occur weeks, months, or even years after the drug was last taken. These flashbacks are usually visual distortions that involve changes in emotions or perception and can be triggered by stress, tiredness, or exercise.
While research suggests that psilocybin is not addictive, regular use may cause people to become tolerant to its effects, and cross-tolerance occurs with other drugs such as LSD and mescaline. It is important to note that the effects of taking magic mushrooms with other drugs, including over-the-counter or prescribed medications, can be unpredictable and dangerous. People on psychiatric medications should not take magic mushrooms as it could lead to a relapse or worsening of their condition.
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Popularity and culture
Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom that contains the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into the psychedelic psilocin when ingested. They are used as recreational drugs and may have been depicted in Stone Age rock art in Africa and Europe. They are more certainly represented in pre-Columbian sculptures and glyphs seen throughout the Americas.
The popularization of entheogens by figures such as Valentina Pavlovna Wasson, R. Gordon Wasson, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, and Robert Anton Wilson, among others, led to an explosion in the use of psilocybin mushrooms worldwide. By the early 1970s, many psilocybin mushroom species were identified in temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia, and they were widely collected. The availability of psilocybin mushrooms from wild and cultivated sources has made them one of the most widely used psychedelic drugs.
In the United States, the Controlled Substances Act restricted research on psilocybin mushrooms until the early 21st century when their potential to treat drug dependence, anxiety, and mood disorders was explored. Today, psilocybin mushrooms are the most popular choice of psychedelic in the U.S., with an estimated 8 million adults having used them in the past year. Microdosing, or consuming a fraction of the usual dose, is a growing trend, with some users opting to take psilocybin on just one or two occasions.
The use of psilocybin mushrooms has been reported among various indigenous groups in Mexico, including the Nahua, Mixtecs, Mixe, Mazatecs, and Zapotecs. An important figure in mushroom usage in Mexico was María Sabina, who used native mushrooms such as Psilocybe mexicana in her practice.
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Frequently asked questions
Psilocybin mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, are naturally occurring and have been used for thousands of years. 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.
The key ingredients in magic mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin, which are hallucinogens that produce effects similar to LSD.
Yes, there are over 200 species of magic mushrooms, and they can be found in many different varieties, including golden tops, blue meanies, and liberty caps.
