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Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology, & Exploration

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Kevin Feeney at Central Washington University
Kevin Feeney
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Abstract

With more than two-dozen contributors and over 450-pages of content Fly Agaric is the most comprehensive book on the iconic red and white-spotted mushroom ever assembled. In the 29 chapters contained herein, the reader is taken on a journey through history, folklore, and the magical landscapes experienced under the influence of the Fly Agaric, and its many close relatives. The reader of this book will learn: *How to recognize and identify over a dozen types of psychoactive Amanita species, subspecies, and varieties occurring in North America, and how to distinguish them from look-alikes. *What psychoactive and other active compounds are found in psychoactive Amanitas, and how they affect the mind and body. *The differences between the effects and experiences produced by psychoactive Amanitas and psychedelic Psilocybe mushrooms. *How the Fly Agaric can be detoxified and safely prepared for the dinner table. *The history of medicinal and homeopathic use of the Fly Agaric.How the Fly Agaric can be used topically and internally to treat conditions such as pain, inflammation, insomnia, and anxiety. *Theories regarding the historical and religious use of psychoactive Amanitas around the world based on archaeological, folkloric, and other evidence.
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Fly Agaric:
A Compendium of History,
Pharmacology, Mythology, &
Exploration
Edited by
Kevin M. Feeney
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Kevin Feeney
1.
Kevin Feeney
2. Amanita Basics
Kevin Feeney
3. Psychoactive Amanitas of North America
Kevin Feeney
PART II:
4. Soma’s Third Filter: New Findings Supporting the
Amanita muscaria as the Ancient Sacrament of
the Vedas.
Kevin Feeney & Trent Austin
5. Travels with Santa and his Reindeer
Lawrence Millman
6. A Search for Soma in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula
Jason Salzman, Emanuel Salzman, Joanne Salzman & Gary
7. In Pursuit of Yaga Mukhomorovna: The Finno-Ugric
Frank M. Dugan
ix
xi
3
7
19
51
63
71
93
8. Magical Potions: Entheogenic Themes in Scandinavian
Mythology
Steven Leto
9. An Attempt to Explain the Battle-Fury of the Ancient Berserker
Samuel Ödman
10. The Berserkers: Odin’s Warriors & the Mead of Inspiration
11. Amanita muscaria Motifs in
12.
13. Bride of Brightness & Mother of all Wisdom: An Ethnomyco-
Patron Saint of Ireland
14. Mail-Order Mushrooms: An Interview with Mark Niemoller
Kevin Feeney & Mark Niemoller
15. Glückspilz: The Lucky Mushroom
Kevin Feeney
16. The Lucky Mushroom: A New Fairy Tale Story
PART III:
17.
Approach
Giorgio Samorini
18.
101
129
135
143
177
195
221
241
247
269
297
PART IV:
19. The Fly Amanita
20. Amanitas in the Family: “Brownie Seats for dinner… again?”
21.
Kevin Feeney
PART V:
22. Amanita muscaria
Ewa Maciejczyk
23. Re-examining the role of Muscarine in Fly Agaric inebriation
Kevin Feeney & Tjakko Stijve
24.
25. Agaricus Muscarius (1894)
26. Fly Agaric as Medicine: From Traditional to Modern Use
Kevin Feeney
27.
Kevin Feeney
28. The Experience
Kevin Feeney
29. The Formula?
Kevin Feeney
References
Index
331
335
339
351
367
377
391
397
419
425
445
459
483
... Amanita muscaria (мухомор красный) традиционно применяется в народной медицине России и Северной Европы в качестве средства облегчения боли при артрите и радикулите (спиртовая настойка), при лечении гнойных ран [17]. Некоторые исследования подтверждают потенциал использования вытяжек мухомора для лечения боли разной этиологии и применение при раковых опухолях и деменции [18]. ...
Economically important macro fungi species of the State Nature Reserve “Bylina”
Article
  • Aug 2023
The complex study of fungi biota of the State Nature Reserve “Bylina” in Kirov region in 2010-2017 (apart from defining species composition of the territory) included the study of economically important species and also ones with potentially medicinal properties. Total number of macrofungi species of the area reached 377, including 84 edible, 6 – conditionally edible, 74 – non-edible, and 20 – poisonous species. The following species were subsumed to medicinal fungi: Lenzites betulinus, Stereum hirsutum, Fomes fomentarius, Fomitopsis pinicola, Russula foetens, Boletus edulis, Suillus granulatus, Amanita muscaria, Ramaria stricta, Coltricia perennis, Inonotus obliquus, Cantharellus cibarius, and also rarely found Pycnoporus cinnobarinus, Trametes suaveolens, Heterobasidion annosum, and Ramaria formosa. Keywords: KIROV REGION, MACROFUNGI, MACROMYCETES, EDIBLE MUSHROOMS, MEDICINAL FUNGI, BASIDIOMYCOTA, PROTECTED AREAS
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... The other psychoactive compound, ibotenic acid acts on glutamate receptors. Recent analyses of trip reports by ( Feeney, 2020 ) suggest that it is appropriate to characterize A. muscaria as a psychedelic in spite of mostly distinct effects from serotonergic psychedelics. More typical psychedelic effects include a sense of unfamiliarity to reality, a surreal dream-like quality to the experiences and reports of ego loss, and dislocation of the mind's eye from body perspective and one's head. ...
The potential of psychedelics for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2023
  • EUR NEUROPSYCHOPHARM
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a currently incurable but increasingly prevalent fatal and progressive neurodegenerative disease, demanding consideration of therapeutically relevant natural products and their synthetic analogues. This paper reviews evidence for effectiveness of natural and synthetic psychedelics in the treatment of AD causes and symptoms. The plastogenic effects of serotonergic psychedelics illustrate that they have efficacy for addressing multiple facets of AD pathology. We review findings illustrating neuroplasticity mechanisms of classic (serotonergic) and non-classic psychedelics that indicate their potential as treatments for AD and related dementias. Classic psychedelics modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission and stimulate synaptic and network remodeling that facilitates synaptic, structural and behavioral plasticity. Up-regulation of neurotrophic factors enable psychedelics to promote neuronal survival and glutamate-driven neuroplasticity. Muscimol modulation of GABAAR reduces Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and psychedelic Sig-1R agonists provide protective roles in Aβ toxicity. Classic psychedelics also activate mTOR intracellular effector pathways in brain regions that show atrophy in AD. The potential of psychedelics to treat AD involves their ability to induce structural and functional neural plasticity in brain circuits and slow or reverse brain atrophy. Psychedelics stimulate neurotrophic pathways, increase neurogenesis and produce long-lasting neural changes through rewiring pathological neurocircuitry. Psychedelic effects on 5-HT receptor target genes and induction of synaptic, structural, and functional changes in neurons and networks enable them to promote and enhance brain functional connectivity and address diverse mechanisms underlying degenerative neurological disorders. These findings provide a rationale for immediate investigation of psychedelics as treatments for AD patients.
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Analysis of the Ibotenic Acid, Muscimol, and Ergosterol Content of an Amanita Muscaria Hydroalcoholic Extract with an Evaluation of Its Cytotoxic Effect against a Panel of Lung Cell Lines In Vitro
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2023
  • MOLECULES
The fungus Amanita muscaria is universally recognizable for its iconic appearance; it is also widely regarded as poisonous, inedible, and even deadly. In spite of that, there have been documented cases of use of A. muscaria-containing preparations against various diseases, including cancer, to no apparent ill effect. The search for compounds that can be used to treat cancer among various plants and fungi has been intensifying in recent years. In light of this, we describe an HPLC HILIC analytical method for the evaluation of the content of the anticancer compound ergosterol (ERG) and the neuroactive alkaloids ibotenic acid (IBO) and muscimol (MUS) that contribute significantly to the unpleasant physiological syndrome associated with A. muscaria consumption. A 'homemade' A. muscaria tincture made using 80-proof rye vodka as the solvent, an A. muscaria extract made with a standardized water-ethanol solution as the solvent, and fractions obtained from the second extract via liquid-liquid extraction with nonpolar solvents were analyzed. The study also presents the results of capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection and UHPLC-MS/MS analyses of the IBO and MUS content of the two native A. muscaria extracts and an evaluation of the standardized extract's cytotoxic effect against a small panel of lung cell cultures in vitro. Our results show that the standardized extract has a significant cytotoxic effect and does not contain the compounds of interest in any significant quantity.
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Etnografía del Amanita muscaria en las Américas
Article
  • Oct 2023
Objetivo: recopilar y analizar el conjunto de datos etnográficos sobre el uso tradicional entre las poblaciones americanas del hongo embriagante Amanita muscaria. Metodología: durante la adquisición de los datos se realiza una cuidadosa evaluación, realizando críticas y correcciones donde se considera que los datos estaban presentados de manera inadecuada desde el punto de vista metodológico. Otro tipo de datos que se tienen en cuenta son los nombres populares que recibe este hongo y sus etimologías. También se analizan las causas que han provocado un proceso cultural de “mortalización” del A. muscaria, de modo que entre muchos grupos étnicos, tanto americanos como del Viejo Mundo, este hongo ahora se considera mortalmente venenoso. Resultados. El uso tradicional de A. muscaria como fuente embriagante se ha conservado hoy entre algunos grupos étnicos de América del Norte (Ahnishinaubeg, Ajumawi, Wixaritari), y los fines de uso son principalmente religiosos y chamánico-terapéuticos. Las etimologías de los nombres populares revelan una gama de asociaciones semánticas similares a las encontradas en el Viejo Mundo, y dan testimonio de un conocimiento de las propiedades embriagantes de este hongo que se conservó hasta épocas muy recientes en algunos grupos nativos de Mesoamérica. La presencia de este hongo en América del Sur parece deberse a la reciente actividad de reforestación antrópica, y esto explicaría la falta de documentos arqueológicos, históricos y etnográficos para esta región. Conclusión: los datos aquí recogidos hacen sospechar una mayor difusión del conocimiento de las propiedades embriagantes del A. muscaria entre los nativos norteamericanos y mesoamericanos en épocas pasadas; conocimientos olvidados o transmitidos en secreto aún hoy, tras la centenaria represión colonial contra los cultos nativos, incluido el uso de fuentes embriagantes.
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