Magic mushrooms are a group of mushrooms that contain the psychedelic prodrug compound Psilocybin. Mankind has used them for millennia, and recently they have become popular as a recreational and medicinal substance. Magic mushrooms have been known to induce feelings of euphoria, powerful hallucinations, self-discovery, understanding, and ego-dissolution. Recent studies suggest that they have neuroregenerative properties, and may be a potential cure for depression and various addictions.
Psilocybin mushrooms have long been intertwined with human civilization, from prehistoric cave paintings to pre-Columbian sculptures and glyphs. They were consumed in ceremonies and spiritual rituals, Aztecs referred to them as the "flesh of the gods." Notable mycologists including Paul Stamets infer that magic mushrooms are the reason we are here today. In what's known as the Stoned Ape Theory, they suggest that psilocybin was the catalyst in the primitive brain expanding its information processing ability, and evolving.
For the first time, psilocybin was isolated as the active ingredient in magic psychoactive mushrooms in 1958. After this discovery, psilocybin was briefly sold by pharmaceutical companies as a treatment for addiction, anxiety, and depression, until the “war on drugs” began in the 1970s.
Magic mushrooms have recently been staging a comeback. Public opinion has again shifted and researches are returning to psychedelics as potential solutions to many mental health issues. As psychedelics are currently going through FDA trials, leading scientists are projecting that psilocybin will be available for prescription within the next five years.
