Types of Psychedelic Mushrooms; beyond Psilocybe cubensis

Published on the ThirdWave website: https://thethirdwave.co/psilocybe-cubensis/

“With the growing interest in the medicinal benefits of psilocybin for treating a range of mental health problems, it follows that there is greater interest in where psilocybin comes from.  Psilocybin is one of the classic psychedelics, a natural compound found within psilocybin-containing mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe. Psilocybe is a diverse genus, with species found on all continents (except Antarctica) within various habitats. It turns out that psilocybin-containing fungi are quite widespread with other genera—including Gymnopilus, Inocybe, and Conocybe—also containing psilocybin.

Fungi have always had an association with some element of the magical, and as we investigate these associations in more detail, we find their use in surprising places. The use of Psilocybe in Central America and Amanita muscaria among the shamans of Siberia is well documented. There is also some evidence that the fungus ergot was part of the Eleusinian mysteries. Records of other fungi used in ceremony appear in academic literature, including a Boletus used in the curious “mushroom madness” of the Kuma of New Guinea, and the use of a Lycoperdon puffball in northern Mexico among the Tarahumara of Chihuahua for divination. Despite mentions in literature, some references lack detail, with further investigations revealing either ritual practices or other entheogens as the cause for the altered states of consciousness.”