Amanita Muscaria Mushroom


The use of Amanita muscaria as an entheogen dates back thousands of years. One of the earliest known use of the mushroom in religious or spiritual rites was by the indigenous people of Eastern Siberia. The village shaman would take a large quantity of a. muscaria and others would then drink from his urine to experience the effects. Remarkably, this is thought to have lessened some of the negative side effects since the shaman acted as a filter.


The Amanita muscaria was an important part of ancient siberian, nordic, and even indian cultures. Indeed, the mushrooms colorful and distinct appearance has become the prototype for artistic renderings of mushrooms throughout the world. Nearly all illustrations of a toadstool show the familiar white dots on a background of bright red or yellow.


The Amanita muscaria is a resilient fungus that grows in the shade of large conifers and is found not only in eastern euorpe but also in the northwestern United States as well as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Amanita mushrooms form a symbiotic relation ship with pine trees and will thrive in the same conditions often forming fairy rings.


Although the Amanita is grown throughout the world, Eastern Europe is still a major exporter of the mushrooms. Since the criminalization of psilocybin mushrooms in the United Kingdom, the popularity of the a. muscaria has increased dramatically. In most countries the mushroom is perfectly legal and has become a safe alternative to other illegal hallucinogens such as LSD and psilocybin or magic mushrooms.




Amanita Muscaria Effects


Here is a great British documentary chronicling the trips of two gentleman who ingest Fly Agaric as part of a scientific study.