International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2006
S. K. Deshmukh, Shilpa A. Verekar, K. Natarajan
10 citations
Mushroom poisoning (mycetism) is caused by toxins that persist even after cooking, with seven main poisoning syndromes described globally. India's diverse ecoclimatic zones, especially the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, host rich fungal diversity, yet only about 1,200 mushroom species from the orders Agaricales, Russulales, and Boletales have been documented—roughly 10% of the world's known mushroom species. Among these, a very small proportion are poisonous or hallucinogenic. Despite newspaper reports of poisonings, only one clinically confirmed case, by Chlorophyllum molybdites, has been recorded in India. The review calls for greater public and clinical awareness, a comprehensive database of poisonous mushrooms, and chemical investigations of Indian species for potential therapeutic uses.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
November 23, 2021
Lauren Plotnik, Grace Gibbs, Thomas Graham
9 citations
Psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid found in about 200 mushroom species, is being increasingly studied for treating mental illness. Growing demand and advancing clinical trials require reliable methods to produce a quality pharmaceutical product. This review describes current production approaches, including the main synthetic method and biosynthetic alternatives, along with emerging techniques. It also discusses the rapidly evolving psilocybin industry in the 21st century.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2009
Hasan Rafati, Hossein Riahi, Ali Mohammadi
8 citations
The psilocin content of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms depends strongly on the lighting conditions during harvest. Mushrooms harvested in complete darkness contained up to 100 times more psilocin than those harvested under dim daylight or indirect daylight. A simple one-step extraction with chloroform and derivatization with MSTFA followed by GC-MS analysis was used to measure psilocin levels. Preventing natural light in the harvesting chamber may therefore have a considerable effect on the psychoactive potency of the mushroom.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2025
Kumar Katragunta, Bharathi Avula, Amar G Chittiboyina et al.
3 citations
A validated LC-QToF-MS method was developed to assess the quality and potential adulteration of Amanita muscaria and Psilocybe cubensis-based products. Analysis of 27 commercial products—including gummies, chocolates, capsules, tablets, and powders—revealed inconsistencies: 11 of 14 gummies claiming to contain Amanita extracts lacked ibotenic acid, containing only muscimol and muscarine; one gummy labeled "no psilocybin" contained psilocin and psilocybin; and five products contained none of the target compounds. Psilocin and psilocybin levels in Psilocybe samples ranged from 0.001-1.6% and 9.9-19.3%, respectively, while Amanita muscaria samples showed ibotenic acid, muscimol, and muscarine at 0.03-0.04%, 0.01-0.02%, and 0.01-0.02%. The findings underscore the need for standardized product specifications.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2000
M. G. Moldavan, Elvira F. Solomko, Anna A. Grodzínskaya et al.
3 citations
Extracts from the mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, containing the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocine, inhibit the electrical activity of pyramidal neurons in the rat hippocampal CA1 region. Of 50 neurons recorded, 73.5% showed inhibition from biomass extract and 81% from fruiting body extract, with inhibition lasting about 4–5 minutes. Excitation was rare, occurring in only 5.9% of neurons with biomass extract and none with fruiting body extract. The serotonin receptor antagonist ritancerin blocked these inhibitory responses in half the cells tested. The extracts also inhibited excitation caused by L-glutamic acid. These results suggest that psilocybin-containing extracts produce a similar inhibition pattern in hippocampal neurons and can suppress glutamate-induced excitation.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2025
Marcel Nogueira, Solimary García-Hernández, Gleicy Sotéro Roberto et al.
2 citations
Psilocybin mushrooms pose a very low risk to public health in Brazil compared to other drugs, with no deaths reported over 15 years. Among over 112,000 people seeking medical help for drug-related events, only 13 cases involved psilocybin mushrooms, leading to 6 hospitalizations (0.02% of all drug-related hospitalizations) and no fatalities. Alcohol was the most common agent, and most deaths were linked to cocaine. The findings suggest that current drug policy, which classifies psilocybin as having high abuse potential, overlooks its therapeutic properties and should be re-evaluated for evidence-based regulation to allow safe clinical and ceremonial use.
International journal of medicinal mushrooms
January 1, 2025
Kevin Feeney, James Kababick, Stacy Wise
1 citation
Decades of consensus held that the mushroom Amanita muscaria contains negligible amounts of the toxic compound muscarine, based on a 1950s study reporting 0.0003% concentration. This view persisted despite frequent reports of cholinergic symptoms (e.g., salivation, sweating, nausea) in people who consumed the mushroom. To resolve the discrepancy, researchers surveyed 53 individuals who experienced such symptoms after eating A. muscaria, analyzed mushroom samples from three participants and independently collected specimens using HPLC-MS/MS, and compiled commercial analyses. Muscarine concentrations ranged from 0.004% to 0.043%, far exceeding the historical value. The findings indicate that muscarine levels in A. muscaria vary widely and can reach physiologically significant amounts, contradicting the long-held assumption of insignificance.