A mushroom that makes people see tiny humans is identified, and it contains no known psychedelic
A century-old mystery from Papua New Guinea, Yunnan and the Philippines gets a DNA answer, and the open question (what chemical is doing this?) is the best part.
People in Southwest China and the northern Philippines who eat certain wild mushrooms raw or undercooked report seeing tiny human figures walking around them, a so-called Lilliputian hallucination. University of Utah researchers used DNA sequencing to pin the effect on one species, Lanmaoa asiatica, according to a university release on ScienceDaily. The study by doctoral student Colin Domnauer and mycologist Bryn Dentinger is published in Mycologia.
Mushrooms known locally as Jian shou qing in Yunnan and Sedesdem in the Philippines turned out to be the same species, which scientists had thought grew only in China. The team found no known psychoactive mushroom compounds, including psilocybin, suggesting an unknown substance.
The puzzle dates to 1934 reports of "mushroom madness" in Papua New Guinea. Even Albert Hofmann, who discovered LSD, could not find an active ingredient in samples tested decades ago.
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Lanmaoa asiatica
After exploring This mysterious mushroom makes people see hundreds of tiny humans | ScienceDaily, to meet the mushroom itself, see Lanmaoa asiatica.
A reddish bolete that lives in partnership with Yunnan pine and is known for causing Lilliputian hallucinations when eaten raw or undercooked.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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Lilliputian hallucination
After exploring This mysterious mushroom makes people see hundreds of tiny humans | ScienceDaily, for the medical side of seeing tiny people, try Lilliputian hallucination.
Hallucinations of small humans, animals or fantasy beings, usually seen as part of the real surroundings, which can also occur in conditions such as Alice in Wonderland syndrome.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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