Emerging Risks of Amanita Muscaria: Case Reports on Increasing Consumption and Health Risks.

Emilija Savickaitė; Gabija Laubner-Sakalauskienė

doi:10.15388/amed.2025.32.1.23

Emerging Risks of Amanita Muscaria: Case Reports on Increasing Consumption and Health Risks.

Emilija Savickaitė, Gabija Laubner-Sakalauskienė

Acta medica Lituanica 2025 DOI: 10.15388/amed.2025.32.1.23 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Review Peer reviewed
Sample size	27
Population	Publications on Amanita muscaria toxicity and psychoactive effects
Topics	Microdosing
Keywords	Ibotenic acid Muscimol Psychoactive mushrooms Mycotoxicosis Mushroom intoxication Amanita muscaria toxicity Health concerns Psychoactive substance use Drug regulation Unregulated substances
Citations	4
Key findings	Amanita muscaria, largely unregulated in the EU, poses public health risks due to its hallucinogenic effects and toxicity, with four intentional poisoning cases reported in Lithuania in 2023.

Abstract

The increasing popularity of Amanita muscaria, driven by its hallucinogenic properties, has raised significant public health concerns, particularly as it remains largely unregulated across most European Union countries. The mushroom contains muscimol, a compound that induces euphoria, altered perception, and hallucinations, and its precursor, ibotenic acid, converts to muscimol when dried or heated, reducing toxicity while preserving psychoactive effects. The growing trend in intentional consumption of A. muscaria reflects evolving patterns of intoxication despite its known toxicity risks. The European Food Safety Authority has flagged A. muscaria as an emerging risk, highlighting concerns over its increasing availability and potential for misuse. Four cases of Amanita muscaria consumption and subsequent intoxication have been documented in Lithuania in 2023. To further investigate this topic, a systematic search was conducted using the PubMed database with the following keyword combinations: 'Amanita muscaria', 'Amanita muscaria toxicity', 'muscimol', 'ibotenic acid', 'psilocybin', and 'hallucinogenic fungi'. After screening for relevance and eligibility, a total of 27 publications met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into the final analysis. In 2023, four cases of intentional A. muscaria poisoning were reported in Lithuania, linked to recreational consumption. Symptoms included tremors, respiratory failure, dizziness, and paranoia. All patients were male and required hospitalization, but all were discharged in stable condition. The unregulated status and increasing accessibility of A. muscaria pose significant public health concerns. While A. muscaria remains largely unstudied in medical contexts, its toxicity risks are well-documented. Misleading online information contributes to uninformed consumption, especially among younger individuals. Further research is needed to elucidate its chemical composition, therapeutic potential, and health effects to inform regulatory policies.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on microdosing, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design
Big physics, small doses: the use of AMS and PET in human microdosing of development drugs	2003	Review
Phase 0/microdosing approaches: time for mainstream application in drug development?	2020	Review
Microdosing and drug development: past, present and future	2013	Review
Microdosing and Other Phase 0 Clinical Trials: Facilitating Translation in Drug Development	2016	Review
Expectancy Effects in Psychedelic Trials.	2024	Review

Citations in the library

Cited by 3

Cites 12

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