Psilocybin mushroom

Psilocybe semilanceata

Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms[1] shrooms, or broadly as hallucinogenic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin, which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. The most potent species are members of genus Psilocybe, such as P. azurescens, P. semilanceata, and P. cyanescens, but psilocybin has also been isolated from approximately a dozen other genera, including Panaeolus (including Copelandia), Inocybe, Pluteus, Gymnopilus, and Pholiotina.

Amongst other cultural applications, psilocybin mushrooms are used as recreational drugs. They may be depicted in Stone Age rock art in Africa and Europe, but are more certainly represented in pre-Columbian sculptures and glyphs seen throughout the Americas.

  1. ^ Wennig, R; Eyer, F; Schaper, A; Zilker, T; Andresen-Streichert, H (2020). "Mushroom Poisoning". Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. 117 (42): 701–708. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2020.0701. PMC 7868946. PMID 33559585.