This study revisits the hypothesis that Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul., a fungus infecting cereals and producing ergot alkaloids (EAs), was the psychedelic agent in kykeon, the sacred elixir of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Although archaeological evidence supports this link, experimental data confirming the transformation of toxic ergopeptides into psychoactive lysergic acid amide derivatives in...
The genus Psilocybe of Basidiomycota includes more than two hundred species of mushroom-forming fungi, which are widely known for the production of the secondary metabolite psilocybin, a prodrug of its in vivo dephosphorylated active metabolite psilocin [1]. Psilocybin is being currently used in numerous clinical trials including the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) [2], existential...