Mannitol in Amanita muscaria--an osmotic blood-brain barrier disruptor enhancing its hallucinogenic action?
Medical hypotheses November 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.07.048 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMannitol, abundant in the tissues of the fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), may facilitate the transport of the mushroom's active compounds into the brain, thereby enhancing their overall psychoactive effects. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the hallucinogenic effect from consuming the whole mushroom is greater than what would be expected from the quantity of active substances it contains, suggesting that mannitol acts as a co-factor that improves brain penetration and potency.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Pharmacology Drug action Drug mechanism Drug effects Drug activity |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Mannitol in Amanita muscaria may enhance the brain uptake of its active compounds, explaining why the mushroom's hallucinogenic effect exceeds that of its isolated active substances. |
Abstract
Hypothesis have been made that relatively high level of mannitol present in the tissues of fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) enables more efficient transportation of these active substances into the brain and thus enhance their total activity. It may have been supported by the fact that hallucinogenic effect after A. muscaria consumption is greater than after ingestion of an active substance quantity which the eaten fungi dose contain.