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There are over 180 species of "magic mushrooms" that grow worldwide. They are found on every continent in various fungal groups.
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When handled or damaged, many psilocybin mushrooms will bruise blue. This color change happens when psilocin, the active drug, is exposed to air and oxidizes.
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After you consume them, your body converts the psilocybin into psilocin, which is the compound that causes psychedelic effects.
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The “Stoned Ape Theory” suggests early humans evolved consciousness by consuming psychedelic mushrooms.
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In Siberia, reindeer seek out psychedelic mushrooms, and shamans would drink the reindeers’ urine to trip more safely.
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The red-and-white Amanita muscaria mushroom may have inspired the Santa Claus myth, including flying reindeer.
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Psilocin is chemically similar to the neurotransmitter serotonin and activates serotonin receptors in the brain. This activation can alter perception, mood, and the sense of time.
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Psilocybin quiets the brain's "default mode network," which is linked to the ego, while increasing communication between brain regions that don't typically interact.
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Magic mushrooms contain a variety of tryptamine compounds, not just psilocybin and psilocin.
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The potency of magic mushrooms can vary greatly depending on the species. Psilocybe azurescens, for example, is one of the strongest, containing up to 1.8% psilocybin by dry weight, while milder species might have less than 0.2%.
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The genus name Psilocybe comes from Greek words meaning "bare head," which refers to the mushrooms' smooth caps.
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The popular species Psilocybe cubensis was first scientifically documented in Cuba, and its name translates to "bald head from Cuba".
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Mexico is a hotspot for psilocybin mushroom diversity, with more species than any other country. They can be found in habitats ranging from cow pastures to forests and meadows across the globe.
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The "liberty cap" (Psilocybe semilanceata) is one of the most widespread magic mushrooms and is named for its resemblance to a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom.
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The first recorded psilocybin mushroom trip in the West occurred in 1799 when a London family accidentally cooked and ate liberty caps for breakfast.
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Not all psychedelic mushrooms are closely related; scientists have found nine different genera of mushrooms that produce psilocybin.
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Identifying features often include blue bruising, a small brownish cap, and a purple-brown spore print, but caution is essential as several toxic look-alikes exist.
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The Aztecs referred to psilocybin mushrooms as teonanácatl, which means "flesh of the gods," and used them in sacred rituals.
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Some historians argue that prehistoric cave art in Algeria and Spain, dating back thousands of years, depicts human use of psychedelic mushrooms.
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Indigenous Central American cultures, like the Mazatec, have long used mushrooms in healing ceremonies, calling them "holy children".
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Spanish colonizers outlawed mushroom rituals in the 16th century, forcing these traditions to be practiced in secret for centuries.
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In 1955, ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson became the first known Westerner to participate in a Mazatec mushroom ceremony, guided by the shaman María Sabina.
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Wasson's 1957 article in Life magazine, "Seeking the Magic Mushroom," introduced psilocybin to the wider public.
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The term "psychedelic" was coined in 1957 and means "mind-manifesting".
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Psilocybin can reliably induce mystical experiences. In a Johns Hopkins study, about two-thirds of participants ranked their experience as one of the five most spiritually meaningful events of their lives.
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A single psilocybin session can lead to lasting personality changes, including a measurable increase in the trait of openness.
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Brain imaging studies show that psilocybin decreases activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), the brain's "ego" hub, which can lead to a feeling of "ego dissolution".
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Psilocybin is physiologically non-toxic and non-addictive. The estimated lethal dose is so high that a fatal overdose is considered practically impossible.
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Some people use sub-hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin to treat cluster headaches, sometimes called "suicide headaches".
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Clinical trials have found that psilocybin therapy can lead to rapid and lasting reductions in depression and anxiety, even in treatment-resistant cases.
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In one study on smoking cessation, 80% of participants quit smoking after a psilocybin-assisted therapy program.
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Due to its therapeutic potential, the U.S. FDA designated psilocybin a "Breakthrough Therapy" for depression in 2018. In 2023, Australia approved it for prescription by psychiatrists.
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In 2020, Oregon became the first U.S. state to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use, and Colorado followed in 2022. Several U.S. cities have also decriminalized it.
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Mushroom spores are often legal to possess because they do not contain psilocybin, but it is typically illegal to germinate them.
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The chemist who discovered LSD, Albert Hofmann, was also the first to isolate and synthesize psilocybin in 1958.
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The iconic red-and-white Amanita muscaria mushroom is also hallucinogenic but contains different active compounds that produce very different effects than psilocybin.
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The mushroom in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that causes size changes may have been inspired by Amanita muscaria, which is known to cause size-perception distortions.
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"Mushroom stones" found in Guatemala and Mexico, dating back to 1000 BCE, suggest a long history of ritual mushroom use in Mesoamerica.
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"Microdosing," or taking a sub-perceptual dose, gained popularity in Silicon Valley for its reported ability to boost creativity and focus.
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Psilocybin hyper-connects brain areas that don’t usually communicate, possibly explaining the "mind-expanding" sensation users report.
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It suppresses key brain hubs like the thalamus, allowing a freer, more chaotic flow of sensory information.
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Users often report synesthesia—like hearing colors or tasting shapes—due to the brain’s cross-wired activity during a trip.
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A 2013 study on mice found psilocybin helped them unlearn fear responses faster than other mice.
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Terminal cancer patients given psilocybin reported reduced depression, fear of death, and increased peace.
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A 2016 Global Drug Survey found psilocybin mushrooms to be the safest recreational drug, with only 0.2% of users needing emergency care.
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They grow naturally on every continent except Antarctica.
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Some mushrooms like Amanita muscaria can create their own air currents to release spores even in still environments.
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Goats in the UK were once seen dazed after eating wild magic mushrooms, showing animal curiosity toward psychedelics.
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In the 1962 Marsh Chapel Experiment, theology students described psilocybin-fueled church services as profoundly spiritual.
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Timothy Leary’s Psilocybin Project at Harvard helped kick off the 1960s counterculture movement.
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Potency varies between mushroom species, with some up to 20 times stronger than others.
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Mushrooms often contain other compounds like baeocystin and harmine that may influence their psychedelic effects.
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In 2017, scientists synthesized psilocybin in the lab by identifying the genes responsible for producing it in mushrooms.