The effect of particular active substances of hallucinogenic mushrooms
Acta Universitatis Lodziensis Folia Biologica et Oecologica – November 26, 2014
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
For millennia, magic mushrooms have profoundly altered human perception. Compounds like psilocybin, ibotenic acid, and muscimol, natural alkaloids, drive these hallucinogen experiences. Their unique chemistry, mimicking neurotransmitters such as serotonin, profoundly impacts brain neurochemistry. Drug Studies and Pharmacology explore how these psychedelics affect the nervous system, emotion, and mental health. Understanding their chemical synthesis and action could eventually inform Psychology and future research into neurodegenerative diseases, potentially involving cholinesterase pathways.
Abstract
Magic mushrooms have accompanied man for thousands of years. Formerly they were used for religious and culture purposes. Those fungi belong mainly to the genera Conocybe, Copelandia, Panaeolus, Psilocybe and Stropharia. A number of these fungal species produce substances, like psilocybin, psilocin, ibotenic acid or muscimol. Because of their chemical similarity to naturally occurring neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA these substances, after ingestion, affect brain neurochemistry and by this induce hallucinations. This mini review presents the influence of psilocybin, psilocin, ibotenic acid and muscimol on the nervous system. Also the effects of the above mentioned substances on emotion and mental health of people are discussed.