Magic Mushroom (Psilocybin and Mescaline)

Aztec Cacti

Psilocybin is the main active component in so-called Magic Mushrooms. It has hallucinogenic properties, and is closely related to mescaline in structure. Both chemicals have been observed for decades by the Aztecs in Mexico, who used them in tribal rites, believing the vivid, colourful hallucinations had religious significance. Indeed, the mushroom was so significant to the Aztecs that they named it teonancatl, meaning "God's flesh" or "God's mea"'. This magic mushrooms was said to once have been distributed to the guests at the coronation of Montezuma to make the event seem even more impressive. The Aztecs even had professional mystics and soothsayers who achieved their inspiration by eating other hallucinogenic plants, such as the mescaline-containing peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii). During the 19th Century, the use of peyote cacti in tribal rituals spread north to the locals of north America, for example the Comanches, Kiowas and the Mescalero Apaches, from where mescaline obtained its name. Over the years, the employment of these drugs in spiritual rites became fused with Christianity, and even today some clans believe that God put some of His power into peyote, and Jesus was the man who gave the plant to the Indians in a period of need.

Magic Mushrooms

Psilocybin itself, comes from "magic mushrooms" (such as Psilocybe mexicana and Stropharia cubensis), many varieties of which grow in temperate regions of the world, including the United States, Europe and the UK. Their use became fashionable in the UK in the 1970s as a natural and legal alternative to LSD. In most countries it is not illegal to own or consume these mushrooms, however if they are prepared (e.g. Crushed or dried), or purposely cultivated, they then become a Class A drug punishable by imprisonment.

Brain Food

The Psilocybin and mescaline are psycho-active because they closely resemble the structures of neuro-transmitters that convey impulses from one nerve to another, particularly in the brain. Examples are serotonin and norepinephrine. The hallucinogenic molecules fit into the same receptors as the neuro-transmitter, and over-stimulate them, leading to fake signals being made.

In magic mushrooms many hallucinogens are variations of important biological substances called indole-amines. These contain an indole ring structure (highlighted in red in all of the diagrams), which is simply a 6-membered benzene ring fused to a 5-membered ring containing nitrogen. An example of a vital indole-amine is the serotonin molecule mentioned earlier. The main modification is to add some methyl groups, making the molecule more lipophilic (soluble in fats), and so better able to penetrate the fatty membranes that protect nerves and nerve endings. This allows the molecules to more instantly penetrate the central nervous system, and thus makes them more powerful. Psilocybin has this indole ring, with a phosphoric acid group attached to it. In the body the phosphoric acid group is oxidised to the hydroxyl compound, known as psilocin, which is similarly psycho-active. Mescaline does not have the indole ring, but as shown in red in the diagram above, its structure can be represented in order to suggest its relation to the ring. The most famed hallucinogenic drug, LSD has a complicated structure, but it, too, is based around the indole ring.

Hallucinations and Schizophrenia

The elationship of Magic Mushrooms between allucinogenic drugs and serotonin has given rise to the conjecture that schizophrenia is caused by a disparity in the metabolism of serotonin, with excitement and hallucinations resulting from too much serotonin in certain regions of the brain, and depressive and catatonic states coming from its deficiency.