There’s a really big problem with this hypothesis though, you can’t just pop some A. muscaria in your mouth and have a powerful “trip”
Unlike P cubensis , they don’t contain the alkaloids psilocin or psilocybin but instead they contain ibotenic acid and muscimol, both of which, unlike the first two alkaloids, are toxic. There is still a lot of debate on what the actual components of the brew or what it would’ve been or how the mushroom was prepared, not to say that it can’t be prepared in a way to achieve the desired results, only that we have not figured it out yet. The same that we have not figured out what soma was or what was taken in Eleusis at the temple of Dimitr(I recommend the book “the immortality key” on that particular subject. Great audiobook available too)

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are groups doing, eh... active research on the a. muscaria now. They tend to point out that simply drying the mushroom will convert the bulk of the ibotenic acid and make it more tolerable for consumption. (Finding a mostly dried mushroom in the wild is probably a more realistic scenerio than a reindeer brewing itself a cup of tea. I also wonder if reindeer can handle much higher dosages without getting killed... Dunno.)

But yeah, I tend to agree that any stories like these can be a little over dramatic. Most reports only really say that a muscaria trip is more like alcohol than anything else. While I am curious about this mushroom myself, I am going to wait for newer studies on it. It has been used as a medicine for years in some parts of the world, but still....

Still, it is a fun theory that most of the traditional stories we hear are the result of psychedelics. If this were a science community, I would have been a less sarcastic with my original context.

[–] MycoBro@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I have found them, var guessowi, but have never been brave enough to experiment with them. Like datura. My foraging skills are pretty B+ (I do pretty well for the species of plants and fungi I am familiar with) so it’s no specimen shortage, guess I’m just a scared nerd :( I don’t deserve the name I chose. I was arrogant :(

Edit: for real though, they are some of the most fun to find. They are super charismatic and seem to call you over to look at them. It’s no wonder at all why people find them interesting. Always beautiful but I just take a picture and leave them alone. Check on the spot later.

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

My foraging skills are pretty B+

Lulz. I see what you did there.

don’t deserve the name I chose

Sure you do. You are allowed to enjoy a hobby! ;)

But I am right there with you. I am deeply engaged in mycology now and have only just scratched the surface with my learning. It is tempting to join some of the local mushroom foraging clubs, actually. In the mean time, I am just buying mushroom books and learning all the identifying characteristics.

Cubes started this journey of mine, interestingly enough. I quickly became fascinated with how such a simple thing could be so extremely diverse and beneficial.

Cheers!