Why Do Some Mushrooms Make You Hallucinate?

By Olivia Barney

Have you ever wondered, "Why do some mushrooms make you hallucinate?" We have too, which is why our team sat down with NHMU Curator of Mycology, Bryn Dentinger, Ph.D., to uncover the answer. Listen to his response, then keep reading for a deeper dive into the world of mushrooms and fungi.

Understanding Mushrooms vs. Fungi

The world of fungi is diverse and mysterious — with over 150,000 known species worldwide. These include species of mushrooms, mold, yeast, and mildew. Of the large and diverse Fungi Kingdom, about 20,000 species belong to the mushroom class. Mushrooms are temporary, visible reproductive “fruits” in the fungi family, kind of like apples on a tree.

Mushrooms are made up of a few key components that make them easily recognizable, as well as some harder-to-see attributes that help mushroom colonies communicate and thrive.

Parts of a Mushroom

Cap

The mushroom’s cap is the topmost structure, also known as the pileus, that’s often described as an umbrella or dome shape. But these caps can actually come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Sometimes these caps are covered in scales, but not all mushroom caps have scales.

Cap Underside

Hidden on the “underbelly” of the cap, you’ll often find textured gills, pores, ridges, or teeth. These anatomical parts are responsible for producing and releasing spores, allowing the species to reproduce. Since so many mushrooms look nearly identical, these undersides can help distinguish between species — which is especially important when determining if a mushroom is edible or toxic.

Stems

Mushroom stems, also called stalks or stipes, form the base of the visible mushroom. These tall, cylindrical bases support the mushroom cap like a tree trunk supports the tree’s branches.

Mycelium

Mushrooms aren’t plants, so they don’t have a traditional root system like the flowers in your garden. Instead, mushrooms grow from mycelia, small networks of threads called hyphae that collect water and nutrients (much like a traditional root system). One of the key differences, however, is in how they collect these resources. Roots suck up existing resources like a straw, while hyphae secrete special enzymes that help surrounding dead matter break down into nutrients that the mushroom can absorb and use. Through this process, mushrooms help our environment by serving as decomposers that recycle the otherwise dead organic matter.

Edible vs. Toxic Mushrooms

Mushrooms often make a tasty addition to your meal, but not all mushrooms are safe to eat. Toxic mushrooms can look nearly identical to common, edible alternatives, but ingesting them has big consequences. Depending on the mushroom, toxins can cause nausea, vomiting, confusion, organ failure, and even death. With so many species (known and unknown) across the world, identifying safe-to-eat mushrooms apart from their toxic lookalikes takes a lot of skill and experience. For your safety, we don’t recommend ingesting or foraging wild mushrooms without the help of a mycologist.

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

One of the most frequently encountered and popular edible species sold in Yunnan is Lanmaoa asiatica. Locals call it Jian shou qing, which roughly translates to “turns blue in the hand,” a reference to its rapidly changing colors when touched. Highly valued for its unique and rich flavor, it is equally notorious for its powerful hallucinogenic effects when undercooked: many recount stories of having fantastical perceptions of hundreds of colorful little people interacting with them and their environment — a syndrome known clinically as Lilliputian Hallucinations. The chemicals responsible for the strange effect remain unknown. Colin Domnauer

Understanding why some mushrooms have hallucinogenic effects is complicated, because not every mushroom functions the same way. Some mushrooms cause hallucinations because of a chemical called psilocybin, which mimics a neurotransmitter in your brain called serotonin. But not all hallucinogenic mushrooms contain psilocybin. Lanmaoa asiatica, which causes unique, fairytale-like hallucinations when undercooked, doesn’t contain psilocybin or any other known hallucinogenic compounds.

But as fascinating as they are, hallucinogenic mushrooms are relatively rare. Curator of Mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, Bryn Dentinger, Ph.D., reveals, “far less than one percent of mushrooms are hallucinogenic. Probably less than one tenth of a percent.”

In addition to their scarcity, hallucinogenic mushrooms are also a mystery of evolution. While many theorize that hallucinogenic effects developed as a way to deter animals from eating them, the truth is that we don’t yet know for sure why some mushrooms evolved to become hallucinogenic while others did not.