Mushroom use transcends time and culture Mushrooms are inextricably intertwined with human history. From the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Mesoamerican religion for divine communication to the modern reverence of the mushroom for psychedelic therapy, our relationship with mushrooms has evolved across continents, cultures, and centuries. Spirituality in Mesoamerica Aztec and Maya cultures used mushrooms for healing and communicating with the divine for spiritual insight. - Important symbols Aztecs called these sacred mushrooms Teonanácatl — “flesh of the gods.” Believed to impart mystical experiences with the Gods, psychedelic mushrooms were consumed during important religious ceremonies and feasts. - Shamanic healing Teonanácatl played a sacred role in decision-making and ceremonial healing, whereby healers used psychedelic mushrooms to treat both physical and mental ailments. Greco-Roman mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries were a major religious festival. Centered around an initiation ritual for the cult of Demeter and Persephone, the annual celebration was held at the sacred city of Elusis. Participants went on a symbolic 10-day journey from Athens to the temple of Demeter in Elusis while undergoing purification rituals and fasting. The journey was completed by consuming kykeon — a beverage of barley and pennyroyal that scholars believe was psychedelic. - How fungi played a part Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and sometimes wheat and barley. It replaces cereal grains with sclerotia — dark fungal bodies. Ergot includes compounds that can treat headaches … as well as psychoactive alkaloids. Albert Hofmann derived LSD from ergot while researching migraine cures. - Seeking higher truths Researchers believe Eleusinian attendants purposely consumed the ergot-inoculated kykeon to come closer to the truths of existence. Alternate explanations for kykeon’s composition include psilocybin mushrooms or DMT-containing plants. Fly Agaric shamanism Siberian, Tungusic, and Samoyedic shamans have long revered the Fly Agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) for its hallucinogenic properties as a spiritual conduit. - Not your normal shroom The Fly Agaric contains ibotenic acid and muscimol — not psilocybin — leading to a unique body interaction compared to your typical psychedelic mushroom experience. - Mushroom mythology Siberian shamans have used altered states of consciousness to engage with the spirit world. The Tungsic and Samoyed cultures hold the Fly Agaric mushroom in high esteem, and their folklore and mythologies are rich with references to mushrooms. Significance of mushrooms today Ethnomycological research suggests that in places in the Ivory Coast, mushrooms such as Tamu (the “mushroom of knowledge”) and an unnamed species (the “mushroom of action”) are still used in spiritual practices today. - Mexico Psilocybe mushrooms are deeply rooted in the Mazatec culture of Oaxaca, Mexico, where people continue to use them to perform traditional healing and divinatory ceremonies. - Mount Shasta region Several Native American tribes in North America view mushrooms with reverence as powerful spiritual symbols and medicines. Shamans in the Ajumawi tribe of the Mount Shasta Region in California use the Amanita pantherina (Panther cup mushroom) to achieve heightened spiritual states. - European folklore Mushrooms are also frequently mentioned in German, Irish, and French folklore. All three share the belief that fairy circles of mushrooms are gateways to other realms. - China Mushrooms also play a critical role in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is used to treat a wide array of health issues, from boosting the immune system to managing stress and fatigue.