Magic Mushrooms and Humans: A Brief History

Magic mushrooms have been used by humans for millennia, dotting our history and influencing cultures worldwide. You can find their influence in Mexico, Australia, and even parts of Europe, with spiritual deities and sacred ceremonies commonly associated with their use. Despite our long connection to shrooms, though, there are still deep questions surrounding them. The active ingredient, psilocybin, has long been a mystery. Even with all of our modern advances in science, nobody can come to a solid, foolproof conclusion on how psilocybin could evolve in the natural world.

Some scientists believe it evolved to deter bugs from consuming it [1], but others, on the contrary, argue that it attracts insects [2]. Furthermore, it has no obvious nutritional benefit and occurs in over 200 species of mushrooms [3], many of which have little else in common with each other. Whatever the truth behind these extraordinary creatures may be, there is no denying that mushrooms have had a profound mark on human existence, regardless of whether or not you have personally consumed any.

In recent years, the global psychedelic renaissance has begun to turn the tide back towards connecting with our spiritual and natural sides, as many have “woken up” to see how damaging our current ways of life are towards the earth. What role in this do mushrooms play?

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