Historical overview of psychoactive mushrooms
Yoshihiro Matsushima, Fumio Eguchi, Tadahiro Kikukawa, Takahide Matsuda
Inflammation and Regeneration 2009 DOI: 10.2492/inflammregen.29.47 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Muscimol Psychoactive drug Ibotenic acid Pharmacology Agonist |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin and psilocin have high therapeutic efficiency for obsessive-compulsive disorder, a difficult-to-treat nervous disease. |
Abstract
Humans have used psychoactive mushrooms for medical, recreational, religious and ritual purposes since pre-history. Previous studies have clarified that psychoactive mushrooms produce psychoactive agents such as psilocybin, psilocin, ibotenic acid, and muscimol. However, the status of psychoactive mushrooms in most countries as illegal hallucinogens has prevented full investigation of their biochemical properties. Recent studies have shown that many psychoactive agents pass through the blood-brain barrier and act on neurotransmitter receptors. Psilocybin and psilocin are 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A/C receptor agonists, respectively, while ibotenic acid is a glutamic acid receptor agonist and muscimol is a GABAA receptor agonist. A new psychoactive agent, aeruginascin, has also been isolated from psychoactive mushrooms, and it is expected that more useful compounds will be discovered as the technology of component analysis advances. In addition, it has been shown that psilocybin and psilocin have high therapeutic efficiency for obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is a difficult-to-treat nervous disease. The increase of nervous diseases in modern society has thus given new importance to psychoactive mushrooms. In this review, we summarize the history of the use of psychoactive mushrooms, from pre-history to the modern age, describe their classification and distribution, survey previous studies, and discuss their therapeutic effects for difficult-to-treat nervous disease. The utilization and distribution of psychoactive mushrooms in Japan is given special attention, as there are few articles on this subject.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act Neuropharmacology June 5, 2018
- The hallucinogenic world of tryptamines: an updated review. Archives of Toxicology August 1, 2015
- Indole Alkaloids from Psychoactive Mushrooms: Chemical and Pharmacological Potential as Psychotherapeutic Agents Biomedicines February 5, 2023
- Active Metabolite of Aeruginascin (4-Hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethyltryptamine): Synthesis, Structure, and Serotonergic Binding Affinity ACS Omega July 2, 2020
- An Improved, Practical, and Scalable Five-Step Synthesis of Psilocybin Synthesis January 8, 2020
and 12 more in the library
Cites 20
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- The psychopharmacology of hallucinogens. Neuropsychopharmacology April 1, 1996
- Morphological and chemical analysis of magic mushrooms in Japan. Forensic Science International December 17, 2003
- SAR of psilocybin analogs: Discovery of a selective 5-HT2C agonist Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters August 3, 2005
- Aeruginascin, a Trimethylammonium Analogue of Psilocybin from the Hallucinogenic MushroomInocybe aeruginascens Planta Medica April 1, 2006
and 15 more in the library