Magic mushrooms have influenced humans for thousands of years. They’ve played a significant role in ancient rituals and in more recent cultural movements1.
There was a time when psilocybe cubensis mushrooms were a focal point in therapeutic research. As the counterculture embraced them, and research showed promise, psychedelic drugs experienced a ban and negative perceptions.
Scientists eventually received another chance to continue research. Since then, studies on the potential therapeutic uses of medicinal fungi have bloomed. Today, popular culture and media are seeing a growing interest in shrooms.
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms may have had a significant influence on our brain development around 5.3 million years ago. Researchers recently found that early hominins likely foraged them from forest floors and ungulate dung in the Pliocene1.
The earliest evidence of medicinal fungi is their discovery, dating 9,000 years2. Historians uncovered a variety of rock paintings and artifacts from different civilizations across the globe.
The use of psilocybe in American society dates back to the late 1950s3, however, ancient cultures used them throughout history. There are records of medicinal, religious, spiritual, and recreational uses in various civilizations.
Historians found representations of medicinal fungi in caves and artifacts from around 9,000 years ago. They uncovered paintings on rocks in southeastern Algeria on the Tassili n’Ajjer plateau4.
Many Sahara Desert depictions portray hallucinogenic psilocybe use, with paintings of figures sprouting or holding mushrooms.
Researchers also found prehistoric paintings in the Selva Pascuala cave in eastern Spain. These depictions are around 6,000–8,000 years old5. They resemble psilocybe mushrooms, with rounded caps and wavy stems.
The Mayan civilization also developed art based on medicinal fungi between 1000 BCE and 900 CE6.
Researchers discovered stone artifacts in 1971 in Guatemala7. They named them mushroom stones. Mayans carved these statues into the shape of mushrooms with animal or human faces. These representations point toward hallucinogenic psilocybe.
There’s still some debate about these depictions being medicinal fungi. The wild, trippy nature of these artifacts and drawings paints a convincing picture.
The artistic representations of medicinal fungi throughout history point toward spiritual and religious use. They suggest a connection between the artists’ experiences and the consumption of hallucinogenic substances.
Evidence shows that indigenous civilizations across the globe collected, cultivated and used psychedelic mushrooms regularly throughout ancient history. They served as important spiritualistic and communal gathering resources8.
Aztec Indians used something called teonanácatl, or divine mushrooms in rituals, to induce trances. Their goal was to receive visions of the future and communicate with the gods. They also used them in healing practices.
There are mushroom statues in India’s Khajuraho Temples that represent an association with various gods, depending on their placement. It’s likely psychoactive mushrooms played a significant role in certain religious rituals and Vedic texts8.
There’s documentation that indigenous Mesoamerican cultures regarded psilocybe species as sacred and medicinal. They used them in daily life and for religious rituals8.
Documentation of medicinal fungi and their use exists throughout history. Various civilizations recorded their experiences with hallucinogenic mushrooms. There are manuscripts, illustrations and texts from the Aztecs, Egyptians, Chinese, and Europeans.
The most acclaimed written record appeared after the Spanish conquest. Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún documented Indigenous Mexican culture after arriving in Mexico, from the mid to late 1500s11. He noted various uses of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Many written records hint towards psilocybe. The first to document hallucinogenic mushrooms was the Florentine Codex. This book details Aztec culture as Sahagún observed it, making mentions of teonanácatl and its uses11.
Sahagún details the effects those eating teonanácatl experience. It gives them visions, either humorous or frightening. The mushrooms cause others’ hearts to flutter or drive them to lust if they consume too much11.
Many of the indigenous tribes of Central America documented their use of teonanácatl through sculptures, manuscripts, or paintings.
The Codex Magliabechiano is one of the Aztec codices that depicts their daily life through text and illustrations. It features creatures representing psilocybe’s mystical properties after people consume teonanácatl10.
There’s also older documentation, including descriptions of psilocybe mushrooms from ancient China and Egypt.
Baopuzi is an ancient Chinese doctrine Ge Hong wrote around 300 A.D. It details various intoxicating mushrooms, including psilocybe. He describes them as part of an immortality formula8.
Ge Hong claimed consuming these medicinal fungi allowed you to commune with the spirits and ride on clouds. He also believed they enabled fighters to visualize the Eight Extremities (a traditional Chinese martial art)8.
The Egyptians also documented a similar mushroom they believed could give immortality. They recorded this finding on their temple walls and papyrus sheets, highlighting it as a gift from Osiris9.
Magic mushrooms played a significant role in Mesoamerican shamanic practices.
Mazatec Shamans used psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, alongside Salvia divinorum and psychoactive morning glory seeds, in their rituals3. One of the most notable Mazatec Shamans, María Sabina, used psilocybe cubensis mushrooms in her veladas (healing ceremonies)12.
Mazatec Shamans had three fundamental uses for psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, salvia, and morning glory seeds. Each one had unique properties for different situations:
There are also hints of shamanic use of psychoactive mushrooms in the Khajuraho Temples of India. Several ancient sculptures depict mushrooms associated with Buddhist, Jain, Vedic, and/or Hindu gods. It signifies their role in religious practices8.
Scientific interest sparked in the late 1950s after R. Gordon Wasson ventured to an Oaxacan village in Huautla de Jiménez and attended a sacred ceremony involving medicinal fungi3.
Wasson published an article in Life magazine in 1957, where psychologist Timothy Leary read about psychedelic mushrooms. The piece inspired him and Richard Alpert to experiment with them and research their effects at Harvard University12.
Unfortunately, Leary and Alpert didn’t exercise the proper scientific practices, leading to their dismissal in 196314.
Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist, also conducted research on psychedelic mushrooms alongside others in 195815.
In 1970, the United Nations (UN) and the American government criminalized hallucinogenic substances16. This act brought scientific and medical research to a crawl for the next 30 years17.
By 2000, Johns Hopkins received regulatory approval in the USs to continue research into psychedelics, including psilocybe cubensis mushrooms17.
One of the earliest discoveries of hallucinogenic mushrooms in medicinal literature appeared in Europe.
A London Medical Journal from 1799 records their effects on a family who consumed them accidentally. The youngest child experienced fits of laughter after eating them18.
The earliest study on psychedelic mushrooms took place in 1958. It involved Hofmann and his colleagues at Sandoz. They discovered and isolated psilocybe Mexicana’s two main compounds, psilocybe cubensis and psilocin, which were believed to cause its hallucinogenic effects19.
In 1960, Leary and Alpert started the Harvard Psilocybin Project. Their goal was to record the effects of psilocybe cubensis and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on human consciousness. The study bore no fruit, since the two researchers didn’t follow scientific guidelines14.
A study in 1961 focused on the “cross” tolerance between psilocybe cubensis and LSD. It showed patients treated with one were “cross” tolerant to the other. This finding highlighted the psychic disturbance of these drugs by acting on a common mechanism or pathway20.
Later research in 1998 uncovered evidence that serotonin-2A receptor activation caused psilocybe cubensis-induced psychosis21.
The syndrome resembles initial schizophrenic episodes. It highlights the involvement of the overactivity of serotonin-2A in schizophrenia pathophysiology21.
The counterculture movement was a turning point for American society in the late 1960s22.
Peace and love were at the forefront of counterculture mentality, and the youth wanted social reform. They yearned for a change in mainstream media, which promoted trade wives and male-dominated households.
Counterculture sprouted in the late 1940s, blooming in the 1950s with beat poets. These literary hipsters rejected societal norms. They created a hotspot of like-minded individuals in San Francisco in the late 1960s22.
This period saw a massive migration of youths, labeled as the “Summer of Love.” It changed art, fashion, media, and music to this day.
The Summer of Love kicked off with almost 100,000 youths migrating to San Francisco in 196722. They became the counterculture movement’s heart and soul.
Leary and Alpert became icons of the counterculture movement, promoting psychedelic drugs and human potential. They helped bring rise to the use of hallucinogens for self-discovery and personal growth.
Spiritual exploration was at the roots of counterculture youths’ use of hallucinogenic drugs, but they also influenced pop culture. Art, fashion, media, and music experienced a metamorphosis and the freedom it brought influenced other movements, too.
The counterculture movement and its use of hallucinogens birthed psychedelic art. It represented the trips artists experienced while using psilocybe cubensis mushrooms or LSD.
Psychedelic art shows the artist’s experiences with highly stylized, swirling, and colorful imagery. It changed the visual culture of the era forever.
Magic mushrooms and counterculture also influenced music. Subgenres of rock, like psychedelic rock, emerged. It influenced the identity of the 1960s and 1970s with sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll22.
The 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair is another iconic event that spawned during the counterculture movement. Almost 500,000 people attended23.
Fashion also saw significant changes. Vivid and flamboyant styles emerged from the counterculture’s influence. The psychedelic impact of medicinal fungi was evident in the patterns, bold colors, and bohemian aesthetic.
This period nurtured freedom and defiance. These feelings also led to the progression of other movements, like the Civil and Women’s Rights movements.
Magic mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs changed the way people thought in the 1960s and 1970s. Recreation and spiritualism may have been its initial purpose, but it helped pave the way to medicinal uses today.
Why did medicinal fungi become illegal in America? The government believed they had a high potential for abuse, with no accepted medical use. Another factor may have been their embrace by the counterculture24.
This ban didn’t stop people from using medicinal fungi, but it affected research. It slowed down the process of finding acceptable medicinal uses.
There were also negative social implications because of the criminalization of medicinal fungi. It affected your reputation, employability, chances of immigrating, choosing a home, and receiving financial aid.
The landscape changed in 2020 when Oregon legalized psilocybe cubensis for the supervised treatment of mental health25. Many cities across the US, including Oakland and Denver, followed suit.
Psilocybin is still federally illegal, with certain states slowly adjusting laws and regulations24. There’s also an international push to reclassify it to lower barriers worldwide, making research and treatment easier.
Over 200 species of medicinal fungi exist26. There are two groups they fall into27:
Psilocybe semilanceata is the most common magic mushroom. It produces the psychedelic compounds psilocybe cubensis and psilocin19.
This species is the most globally spread magic mushroom. It’s native to Europe, but has also been found in North America, South America, and New Zealand29.
Psilocybe semilanceata first appeared on record as Agaricus semilanceatus in 1838. Paul Kummer, a German mycologist, renamed it in 1871 based on its appearance. Psilocybe translates to smooth head, and semilanceata means half spear-shaped30.
You can identify this magic mushroom by its cream-colored cap, typically topped with a noticeable pimple. The cap has a diameter of 0.2–0.8 inches30. Psilocybe semilanceata also features olive-gray gills that change to purple-black as its spores mature.
Its stem is cream-colored, sometimes blue, at the base. The stem is also thin, wavy, and fibrous, standing 1.6–4 inches tall30. This mushroom’s spores leave a dark purple-brown print behind.
The primary use of Psilocybe semilanceata was recreational because of its hallucinogenic properties. It alters your perception of space and time and fills you with euphoria. People also used it to spiritually awaken.
Psilocybe semilanceata produces psilocybe cubensis, which may be an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Amanita muscaria, or Fly Agaric, contains psychoactive compounds like ibotenic acid, muscarine, and muscimol. It’s native to the UK, but shows up across the globe on continents like Africa, Asia, and Central America31 32.
Its earliest use dates back to the Rig Veda. Indians and Iranians made a hallucinogenic ceremonial drink out of it called soma33. Fly Agaric’s uses include killing flies, thanks to the ibotenic acid. This trait is also where its name comes from.
There are various myths associated with Amanita muscaria. One relates to the Viking berserkers. The Stockholm Viking Museum, however, discredits these claims. Fly Agaric also has a mythological history as a home for fairies and dwarves.
You can identify Fly Agaric by its white-spotted red cap, white gills, and savory aroma. It grows up to 12 inches tall and 8 inches wide. The stem has a brittle texture and a cup-like base with shaggy scales and skirts. The spores of Amanita muscaria are oval and white31.
Fly Agaric’s psychoactive compounds, muscimol, and ibotenic acid deliver sedative and hallucinogenic effects. These characteristics may make it an effective treatment for anxiety, sleep disorders, stress, pain relief, and addiction.
Magic mushrooms have the potential to treat various disorders. They may help with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and more.
One or two psilocybe cubensis doses in a therapeutic setting may offer notable, long-lasting changes in certain people. It may help your brain’s neurons develop new dendrites, boosting cell communication34.
The growth of dendrites helps create and set new circuits in your brain. It makes maintaining insights gained and developing more positive pathways easier.
In 2000, Johns Hopkins received approval to continue clinical research on medicinal fungi. It conducted various studies into psilocybe cubensis’s therapeutic uses17. Psilocybin could help treat anxiety, addiction, and depression.
A clinical trial by researchers at Johns Hopkins, published in 2015, showed psilocybe cubensis may help treat addiction. Of the participants, 80% remained smoking abstinent after a six-month follow-up35.
Johns Hopkins researchers conducted a study in 2016, giving psilocybe cubensis treatments to patients with life-threatening cancer. A six-month follow-up revealed about 80% showed decreased anxiety and depression36.
Another clinical trial in 2020 by Johns Hopkins researchers revealed psilocybe cubensis’s potential to treat major depressive disorder (MDD). After a month, 71% of participants showed a significant reduction in depression scores37.
The same MDD participants received a 12-month follow-up, with 75% showing improvements in well-being. This study also revealed that 58% were in remission38.
Research into psilocybe cubensis’s therapeutic use continues today. Johns Hopkins University received sponsorship from the Beckley Foundation to study its ability to help people quit smoking. They’re conducting a placebo-controlled trial with 80 participants39.
There’s an ongoing clinical trial focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study is researching the safety and efficacy of psilocybe cubensis-assisted therapy in treating it40.
The University of California San Francisco is running various clinical trials involving psilocybe cubensis. One study is researching its therapeutic use for depression in bipolar II disorder41.
Another trial is investigating it as a treatment for anorexia in young adults42.
Magic mushrooms are seeing a significant increase in popularity. Around eight million Americans reported using psilocybe cubensis in 202343. There’s also a boom in research and investment into its potential therapeutic uses.
A 2024 study highlighted a growing public interest in psychedelics. Microdosing searches increased from 7.9 per ten million searches to 105.6 from 2015 to 202344.
Psychedelic drugs like ayahuasca and blue meanie medicinal fungi are becoming a source of recreation and therapy. Many people, including those in the media, are noticing how they can improve your mood, mental health, and personal development.
Magic mushrooms are showing up in Hollywood, Netflix documentaries, and fashion.
A documentary called How To Change Your Mind explores the history of psychedelics like psilocybe cubensis. It also brings attention to its potential therapeutic benefits.
Various celebrities have shared their experiences using different psychedelic drugs, including Chris Rock, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, and Aaron Rodgers.
French design house Hermès partnered with MycoWorks to develop an alternative leather made from mushroom roots. They named the fabric Sylvania. Other designers, like Stella McCartney, are also getting involved with the fungi’s material potential.
The increasing global acceptance of medicinal fungi is ushering us into another psychedelic renaissance. As more therapeutic and spiritual enlightenment benefits emerge, public perception becomes more positive.
Magic mushrooms are entering the mainstream again. This time, we’re seeing a more positive reception.
Are you interested in discovering the wonders of medicinal fungi? Start your spiritual journey to holistic health with Good Moods today.
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Bend, Oregon 97702
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