The psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis is cultivated worldwide for recreational and medicinal use. Described initially from Cuba in 1906, there has been substantial debate about its origin and diversification. The prevailing view is that P. cubensis was inadvertently introduced to the Americas when cattle were introduced to the continent from Africa and Europe (approx. 1500 CE), but that...
Psilocybe is a well-known genus of fungi, commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms”, due to its production of psychoactive compounds. Research interest in this genus has experienced a resurgence due to its relevance as a potential therapy for a growing global mental health crisis. In this study, 62 specimens representing 10 species of Psilocybe from southern Brazil were examined using...
Abstract Production of the psychoactive compound psilocybin is a defining feature of the genus Psilocybe , commonly referred to as “psychedelic mushrooms”. However, Psilocybe fuscofulva is a striking exception within Psilocybe sensu stricto as it lacks the stereotypical blue bruising characteristic of the genus, and psilocybin has not been detected in the species.To investigate the evolutionary...
Psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have immense cultural value and have been used for centuries in Mesoamerica. Despite the recent surge of interest in these mushrooms due to the psychotherapeutic potential of their natural alkaloid psilocybin, their phylogeny and taxonomy remain substantially incomplete. Moreover, the recent elucidation of the psilocybin biosynthetic gene cluster is...
Abstract Psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have immense cultural value and have been used for centuries in Mesoamerica. Despite a recent surge in interest in these mushrooms due to emerging evidence that psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound, is a promising therapeutic for a variety of mental illnesses, their phylogeny and taxonomy remain substantially incomplete. Moreover, the...
The therapeutic use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is revolutionizing mental health care for a number of conditions, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and end-of-life care. This has spotlighted the current state of knowledge of psilocybin, including the organisms that endogenously produce it.
Abstract Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound with clinical applications produced by dozens of mushroom species 1 . There has been a longstanding interest in psilocybin research with regard to treatment for addiction 2 , depression 3 , and end-of-life suffering 4 . However, until recently very little was known about psilocybin biosynthesis and its ecological role. Here we confirm and refine...
Abstract The “magic mushroom” Psilocybe cubensis is cultivated worldwide for recreational and medicinal uses. Described initially from Cuba in 1904, there has been substantial debate about its origin and diversification. The prevailing view, first proposed by the Psilocybe expert Gastón Guzmán in 1983, is that P. cubensis was inadvertently introduced to the Americas when cattle were introduced...