Two topics, related to mushroom poisoning of recent interest in Japan, have been presented. In autumn 2004, 59 cases of acute encephalopathy were reported across 9 prefectures in Japan (24 from Akita Prefecture with 8 deaths; age 48-93, average 70; female 14, male 10). Of 24 cases, 20 had kidney dysfunction. Four poisoned subjects showed no kidney trouble. O...
Indole alkaloids of Psilocybe cubensis have been reported to be the potential candidates for drug discovery in central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In this research, the effect of the harvesting light on increasing the active alkaloids of P. cubensis was investigated. Three different lighting conditions, that is, dim daylight, indirect daylight, and darkn...
A28-year-old man with a history of drug and alcohol abuse presented multiple times to the hospital over 2 months with an elusive constellation of symptoms, resolving spontaneously in each instance. This patient required a high level of care for management and stabilization, including 3 emergency department visits, 2 medical floor admissions, and 1 intensive ...
The questions of whether psilocybe type mushrooms exist in Trinidad, and if they exist, whether they contain psychoactive drugs namely psilocin and psilocybin were addressed in this paper. To answer these questions naturally-growing mushrooms were collected and classified by trained mycologists. Thin layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatograp...
RationaleBinocular rivalry occurs when different images are simultaneously presented to each eye. During continual viewing of this stimulus, the observer will experience repeated switches between visual awareness of the two images. Previous studies have suggested that a slow rate of perceptual switching may be associated with clinical and drug-induced psycho...
Natural hallucinogens (including Psilocybe mushrooms) became popular in Europe since the nineties. They have been in the focus of clinicians interest for years because of their biological effects. Mechanism of action of these hallucinogens, both Psilocin and Psilocibin, is based on the physiological structure similarity to human neurotransmitters as serotoni...
Paul Stamets, founder and director of Fungi Perfecti, LLC., and director of the Fungi Perfecti Research Laboratories (www.fungi.com), has been a mycologist and mushroom enthusiast for more than 30 years. A pioneer in the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms, he is credited with the discovery of four new mushroom species. Stamets is the author of fiv...
Morphological and toxicological analyses were performed on hallucinogenic mushrooms that are currently circulated in Japan. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated a three-dimensional microstructures in the mushrooms. The complementary use of SEM with an optical microscope was effective for observing characteristic tissues, such as basidiomycetes, spore...
Psilocin and psilocybin are psychoactive components of mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe and many others (Panaeolus, Inocybe, Pluteus etc.). In our republic, several species of Psilocybe with a high content of these components can be found. In the present study, we give a semiquantitative content of psilocin and psilocybin in some of our mushrooms in dry subs...
Introduction: It has been accepted that acute toxicity of psilocin is low and this substance does not create a serious health hazard. Few symptoms observed after intake of Psilocybe mushrooms were mostly limited to the Central Nervous System. Material and methods: In order to readdress the supposed low toxicity and relative safety of natural hallucinogens, w...
Psilocyn and psilocybin can be identified in different stages of developing psilocybe mushrooms. Knowing the various stages of the mushroom development can be useful when receiving evidence from illicit mushroom growing operations. Exhibits from three separate cases were submitted to the drug analysis section of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension ...
The classical taxonomic methodologies for determining taxa of mushrooms are based primarily on morphological traits. If the mushroom specimens are dried or pulverized, the morphological characteristics are frequently disguised or no longer apparent. Included among these fungi are known to produce psilocybin, which are hard to identify by their macroscopic fe...
In the context of excessive use of natural or synthetic psychoactive substances, with stimulating, psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects, an increase, if not a recurrence, in consumption of Psilocybe semilanceata has been observed in France over some fifteen years. Psilocybin and psilocin are the active compounds, responsible for the hallucinogenic effects ...
'Magic mushrooms' is the name most commonly given to psychoactive fungi containing the hallucinogenic components psilocybin and psilocin. Material confiscated by local authorities was examined using morphologic, microscopic, microchemical, and toxicological methods. Psilocybe cubensis was the most popular mushroom in the sample collective, followed by Psiloc...
Active compounds of some mushrooms e.g. Psilocybe cubensis, Paneolus subalteatus or Stropharia coronilla, the psychotropic agents psilocybin and psilocin, have hallucinogenic effects. In one case of 'magic mushroom' intake, we had to analyse blood and urine. Psilocin was detected in the urine with REMEDi HS. Most of the psilocin was excreted as the glucuroni...
The following questions regarding the detection of psychoactive drugs in mushrooms are addressed: At what stage of the mushroom development can the psychoactive drugs psilocyn and psilocybin be identified, and what effect does light have on the growth of these mushrooms. To answer these questions, Psilocybe cyanescens Wakefield mushrooms were grown from thei...
The neurotropic effect of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Sing, dried biomass and fruiting bodies containing the indole hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocine on spike activity of pyramidal neurons from the rat hippocampal CAl region slices has been studied. Extracellularly responses of 50 neurons were recorded, 34 during the application of biomass extract (BME) ...
In this study a fatal case caused by the ingestion of magic mushrooms is reported. After a trip to the Netherlands a young girl had ingested a handful of psilocybe mushrooms with a soft drink. Soon later, she was trying to fly from the window and died in the street while falling from a room situated on the second floor of a house. The victim was not known by...
The paper presents simple methods for microscopic examination and basic microchemical testing for the identification of suspect mushroom powders. The microscopic features of the most commonly cultivated and trafficked hallucinogenic genus Psilocybin are described and may serve for the decision whether any suspect material consists of such mushroom powder (an...
Capillary electrophoresis was utilized for the rapid determination of psilocybin in the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe semilanceata. Following a simple two step extraction with 3.0 + 2.0 ml methanol, the hallucinogenic compound was effectively separated from matrix components utilizing capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with a 10 mM borate/phosphate run...
