The genus Psilocybe has been characterized by central nervous system (CNS) effects and as a source of therapeutic drugs such as the alkaloids psilocybin and psilocin—secondary metabolites that produce rapid anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, these mushrooms also contain bioactive primary metabolites, for example, the interesting case of...
The genus Psilocybe currently comprises approximately 165 species that are hallucinogenic. Chemical studies on them have revealed the presence of alkaloids with indole and β-carboline structures, which are responsible for their psychotropic properties. However, scarce information has been reported on other classes of metabolites present in Psilocybe mushrooms. The objective of this review was...
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...
The use of psychoactive Psilocybe mushrooms as entheogens by the Mazatecs of Oaxaca became known to the world in 1957. While the Mazatec Region has been the focus of research, historical records indicate that other indigenous groups in Mexico, including the Zapotecs, also used these mushrooms for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. However, the linguistic, cultural and ecological diversity of...
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.
The genus Psilocybe contains iconic species of fungi renowned for their hallucinogenic properties. Recently, Psilocybe also included non-hallucinogenic species that have since been shifted to the genus Deconica. Here, we reconstruct a multigene phylogeny for Psilocybe, Deconica, and other exemplars of the families Hymenogastraceae and Strophariaceae sensu stricto (s. str.), using three nuclear...
Psilocybe cubensis is a species with psychodysleptic action that grows on cattle dung in pastures in the tropics and subtropics. This fungus has been widely used in Mexico since ancient times both for ceremonies and rituals, as well as for healing or medicinal purposes. Artemia franciscana is a crustacean frequently used as a model organism for toxicity testing. With the objective of...