Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms? The discovery and use of magic mushrooms (those containing psilocybin) cannot be credited to any one person. These mushrooms have been used for thousands of years across different cultures worldwide, often for religious, spiritual, and shamanic practices.

The origin of who first consumed psilocybin mushrooms remains uncertain, with one theory even proposing that human evolution was influenced by early primates eating these mushrooms as a food source (known as the “stoned ape theory”).

Although the true origins of their use are unknown, the first person to bring them to public attention in the West was anthropologist Richard Evan Shultes.

The Ancient Use of Magic Mushrooms

Psychedelic plants and fungi have been used for millennia to achieve altered states of consciousness, connect with divine beings, deepen the bond with nature, and promote healing of the mind, body, and spirit. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Some researchers suggest that the consumption of magic mushrooms dates back to a crucial point in human evolution, when our cognitive abilities began to distinguish us from other species. This theory is based on the fact that various animals, including dolphins, reindeer, bighorn sheep, and jaguars, have been observed actively seeking out and ingesting psychedelic substances.

Related: Wavy Wildlife — Which Animals Take Psychedelics, and Why?

Mushrooms in the Psilocybe genus are not only common but widespread, growing on every continent inhabited by humans. It seems improbable that early humans would have avoided these fungi, and it’s likely that they incorporated magic mushrooms into their diets.

Ethnobotanist and psychonaut Terence McKenna proposed an even bolder idea: that the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms might have played a key role in human evolution. His “Stoned Ape” theory suggested that the ingestion of these mushrooms could have heightened neural connectivity in early humans, which might have contributed to an increase in brain size, the development of language, and the creation of innovative technologies—potentially even sparking the development of religious concepts.

Prehistoric Use of Magic Mushrooms

Evidence suggests that psilocybin mushrooms have been used for spiritual and medicinal purposes for at least 12,000 years. While direct evidence from this period is scarce, rock paintings discovered in the Kimberley region of Australia might indicate early use of psychedelic mushrooms.

The “Bradshaw rock art,” a collection of over 100,000 paintings spread across 50,000 square kilometers (about 12.4 million acres) of the Kimberley region, is thought to date back at least 12,000 years. Some of these artworks feature images resembling mushroom caps, which some researchers interpret as symbols of psilocybin mushroom use. While this interpretation remains speculative, it does point to the possibility that these mushrooms were used in prehistoric rituals or spiritual practices.

While evidence from prehistoric times is limited, there is more concrete proof of psilocybin mushroom use in later cultures, dating back to 1500 BCE.

Magic Mushrooms in Ancient Civilizations

Magic mushrooms have a long history of use among indigenous peoples, particularly in Mesoamerica (present-day Mexico and Central America), where species such as Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe cubensis were consumed for their psychoactive effects.

Archaeological findings suggest that these mushrooms played a key role in religious rituals and ceremonies in ancient civilizations such as the Mayans and Aztecs, where they were considered sacred and central to their spiritual practices.

1. The Mayan Civilization | Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

The Mayans, who flourished in present-day Mexico and Central America from around 1500 BCE to 1500 CE, left behind inscriptions and artwork that offer insight into their use of magic mushrooms. The Mayans believed that consuming these mushrooms allowed them to communicate with the divine and access other spiritual realms.

Some of the most famous Mayan artifacts related to mushrooms are the “mushroom stones” — phallic-shaped sculptures adorned with various faces, each crowned with a mushroom-shaped cap. These stones are believed to have been used in religious ceremonies where psilocybin mushrooms were consumed.

The Maya were keen users of psychedelic plants and fungi, possessing a deep understanding of the natural world. They regularly incorporated these substances into their religious rituals, medical practices, and everyday life. In addition to psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe spp.), other psychoactive plants and fungi such as peyote (Lophophora williamsii), the seeds of ololiuqui (Turbina corymbosa), Jimson weed (Datura stramonium), wild tobacco (Nicotiana rustica), and Salvia divinorum were depicted in Mayan stone carvings and artifacts.

2. The Aztec Civilization

The Aztecs, another Mesoamerican civilization that flourished from the 13th to the 16th century, also used magic mushrooms in their religious ceremonies. These mushrooms were strongly associated with the god Xochipilli, the “Prince of Flowers,” who was the patron deity of art, games, beauty, and love.

The Aztecs called psilocybin mushrooms “teonanácatl,” which means “Flesh of the Gods.” They primarily used species like Psilocybe mexicana and possibly Psilocybe cubensis. In addition to mushrooms, the Aztecs utilized a variety of other psychoactive plants to enter trance states and connect with the divine during their religious rituals.

The Florentine Codex and Aztec Use of Magic Mushrooms

The Florentine Codex, a comprehensive ethnographic work composed of 12 volumes, contains several references to the use of magic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances by the Aztecs. In particular, the 11th book features an analysis of the statue of the Aztec god Xochipilli by renowned researchers R. Gordon Wasson, Richard Evan Schultes, and Albert Hofmann. They examined the intricate carvings on the statue and compared them to native plants and fungi from the region. Their analysis revealed that these carvings likely represented several psychoactive substances used in Aztec religious rituals, including:

• Psilocybe aztecorum (a type of psilocybin mushroom),
• The flower and bud of Heimia salicifolia,
• The tendril of morning glory (Ipomoea spp.),
• The flower of Rivea corymbosa,
• The flower of wild tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).

These symbols suggest that the Aztecs consumed these plants as part of their spiritual practices, possibly to induce visionary states and facilitate communication with the divine.

The First Reported Psilocybin Trip | Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

The first recorded psilocybin-induced trip occurred in 1799 in London, when a poor family foraged for mushrooms in St. James’s Green Park. They prepared a meal using the mushrooms they collected, which included Psilocybe semilanceata (commonly known as Liberty Caps), though the species was not yet identified. After eating, the family experienced symptoms such as dilated pupils, vertigo, and uncontrollable laughter. The father even feared that he had been poisoned and was going to die. We now understand that they had unknowingly consumed psilocybin mushrooms, but at the time, the species was mistakenly believed to be highly toxic.

Later that year, chemist Augustus Everard Brande published an article titled “On a Poisonous Species of Agaric” in the London Medical & Physical Journal, detailing the family’s experience and incorrectly identifying the mushrooms as Agaricus glutinosus. The family’s encounter was further documented in Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms by James Sowerby in 1803. The book contained illustrations of Psilocybe semilanceata with a brief mention of the incident in Piccadilly, London, where the mushrooms nearly proved fatal. However, the incident was dismissed as an accidental poisoning, and there was no further exploration into the scientific or medicinal properties of the mushrooms at the time.

Who Really Discovered Magic Mushrooms in the West?

Robert Gordon Wasson is often credited as the first Westerner to discover magic mushrooms, but this is not entirely accurate. While Wasson did bring psilocybin mushrooms to the attention of the Western world, he was not the first to study them. Wasson’s discovery was largely thanks to Richard Evan Schultes, a pioneering ethnobotanist who had already been studying psychoactive fungi and plants in the Americas.

Schultes had been studying peyote and other indigenous plants when he encountered references to teonanácatl — the Aztec term for “Flesh of the Gods,” which referred to psychoactive mushrooms. Schultes became convinced that the “Flesh of the Gods” was indeed psilocybin mushrooms, and he sent Wasson a letter with a sample of Psilocybe mexicana, the species that would later become a central focus of Western psychedelic research. This letter, which introduced Wasson to the use of magic mushrooms in shamanic rituals, played a crucial role in launching the psychedelic movement in the 1960s.

The Key Figures in the Modern “Discovery” of Magic Mushrooms

While Wasson is often celebrated as the “discoverer” of magic mushrooms in the West, there were several important figures involved in this process. Along with Wasson, Richard Evan Schultes is recognized as one of the foremost researchers responsible for the rediscovery of psilocybin mushrooms. Schultes is often hailed as the father of ethnobotany, a field dedicated to studying the traditional knowledge of indigenous cultures concerning plants and their uses, including medicinal, spiritual, and ritualistic purposes.

1. Richard Evan Schultes — The Pioneer Ethnobotanist

Richard Evan Schultes (1905–2001) was one of the most influential ethnobotanists of the 20th century, known for his extensive work in the Amazon rainforest. Schultes is credited with discovering many psychoactive plants, including Psilocybe mexicana, which he identified as the “teonanácatl” (Flesh of the Gods) described in Aztec codices.

Schultes first encountered references to teonanácatl during his studies of peyote cactus, which led him to examine the Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus. This codex depicted Aztec gods holding mushrooms while playing a drum made from a human skull. Schultes believed these mushrooms were the same species the Aztecs had used to contact the gods. Despite skepticism from other botanists like William Safford, who argued that teonanácatl was actually peyote, Schultes remained certain that the sacred mushrooms existed and were a key part of Aztec spiritual practice.

Schultes’ work helped lay the foundation for the later study of psilocybin mushrooms and their cultural significance, ultimately leading to their rediscovery in the West and sparking the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s.

Schultes’ Quest for the Sacred Mushroom

Richard Evan Schultes was skeptical of William Safford’s theory that teonanácatl (the Aztec “Flesh of the Gods”) was actually peyote. Schultes questioned how the Aztec cultures, which thrived in the humid, tropical regions of southern Mexico, could have used peyote — a cactus native to the dry, northern deserts of Mexico.

His doubts were confirmed when, during his research, Schultes came across a letter from Blas Pablo Reko, an Australian living in Mexico, who had sent the letter to J.N. Rose, the Director of the Harvard Herbarium. In the letter, Reko stated that teonanácatl was a psychedelic mushroom and that the Mazatec tribes in Oaxaca still used the mushroom in their sacred ceremonies. This information was all Schultes needed to begin his own investigation.

In 1938, Schultes traveled to Oaxaca to meet Blas Pablo Reko and explore the claims. The two set out for the Teotitlán region, where they quickly found evidence of mushroom use. However, due to the mushrooms’ sacred nature, it was difficult to obtain samples. They decided to continue their search further into the mountains, heading on foot to the remote town of Huautla de Jiménez — the heart of Mazatec territory.

The Discovery of “Flesh of the Gods”

After weeks of hiking, Schultes and Reko finally reached Huautla de Jiménez. As Schultes was laying out plant samples he had gathered, a Mazatec man approached him and handed over a dozen small mushrooms. The man referred to them as niños santos — “the Sacred Children.”

Schultes initially identified the mushrooms as a species of Panaeolus, though in reality, they were a type of Psilocybe — the very mushrooms used in Mazatec ceremonies for centuries, and the same type that the Aztecs had called teonanácatl (“Flesh of the Gods”). Although Schultes had discovered the sacred fungi, he still had many unanswered questions about the mushrooms and the ceremonies surrounding their use.

Schultes did, however, learn that the mushrooms typically grew between June and September. He returned to Oaxaca the following year to continue his research.

The Beginning of a New Era in Psychedelic Research

In 1939, Schultes returned to Oaxaca, hoping to find fresh specimens of the sacred mushrooms. Unfortunately, due to the late onset of the rainy season, he was unable to find any fresh mushrooms. However, he did manage to acquire five dried mushrooms from local people in exchange for quinine pills.

Schultes consumed the mushrooms himself and recorded his experience in his groundbreaking paper, The Identification of Teonanácatl, A Narcotic Basidiomycete of the Aztecs. He described the effects as follows:

“Shortly after ingestion of the mushrooms, the subject experiences a general feeling of levity and well-being. This exhilaration is followed within an hour by hilarity, incoherent talking, uncontrolled emotional outbursts, and, in the later stages of intoxication, fantastic visions in brilliant colors, similar to the visions often reported for the narcotic peyote.”

This marked the beginning of a new era in psychedelic research, as Schultes’ discovery of teonanácatl helped spark the study of psilocybin mushrooms and their psychoactive effects. His research laid the foundation for the psychedelic revolution, which would later be fueled by the work of figures like Robert Gordon Wasson.

Robert Gordon Wasson: Bringing Magic Mushrooms to the West

Robert Gordon Wasson is often called the “godfather of the psychedelic revolution” for his role in introducing the Western world to psilocybin mushrooms. Had it not been for Wasson, it’s hard to say how long it would have taken for the public to discover the psychedelic properties of magic mushrooms.

Wasson’s Introduction to Mushrooms | Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Wasson’s first exposure to mushrooms came through his wife, Valentina. Before meeting her, Wasson had believed that all wild mushrooms were poisonous or inedible. But Valentina, who had grown up in Russia, had a different perspective. During their honeymoon in the Catskill Mountains, Valentina found a cluster of mushrooms she recognized from her youth and added them to their meals. Wasson, however, was convinced that the mushrooms were dangerous and refused to eat any, fearing they would poison him.

Robert Gordon Wasson and the Search for Magic Mushrooms

Growing up in America, Robert Gordon Wasson, like many others, was taught to regard wild mushrooms as dangerous and unfit for consumption. But his wife, Valentina, who grew up in Russia, had a very different perspective. In her culture, foraging for wild mushrooms was a regular practice, and they were often incorporated into family meals.

This cultural divide sparked a shared curiosity in the Wassons, motivating them to explore the world of mushrooms. They embarked on mushroom-hunting expeditions around the globe, hoping to understand the cultural significance of mushrooms and why their perspectives were so vastly different.

The Wassons’ Worldwide Mushroom Research

In their travels, the Wassons ventured to places like Friesland, Lapland, Provence, and the Basque Country, collecting information on the mushrooms they encountered. Over the years, they gathered enough material to publish a book on the subject. As they reviewed their findings, Robert realized that many of the mushrooms they had studied appeared in religious texts, rituals, and artifacts. This led him to wonder whether ancient cultures had revered mushrooms as sacred objects — a theory that would explain their frequent representation in religious symbols.

Motivated by this new hypothesis, Robert and Valentina shifted the focus of their mushroom-hunting adventures to studying the spiritual significance of mushrooms. They sought out cultures across the world, from India and China to Europe and the Americas, to learn how different societies used psychoactive mushrooms. They uncovered references to psychedelic mushrooms in ancient texts, religious rituals, and stone carvings from Greece to Guatemala. However, their breakthrough came in the form of a letter.

The Letter from Richard Evan Schultes | Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Richard Evan Schultes, an ethnobotanist and one of the leading figures in the study of psychoactive plants, had been following the Wassons’ research. Recognizing the importance of their work, Schultes sent Wasson a letter detailing his own experiences with a “mushroom cult” in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. He included a sample of the very mushrooms that the Wassons had been searching for — the sacred mushrooms used by indigenous peoples in spiritual ceremonies.

This letter became the catalyst for Wasson’s deep dive into the world of magic mushrooms. Schultes’ information led Wasson to seek out the “mushroom cult” in Huautla de Jiménez, a remote town in southern Mexico known for its use of psilocybin mushrooms in healing and religious rituals.

Wasson’s Encounter with Maria Sabina

Upon arriving in Huautla de Jiménez in the early 1950s, Wasson met Maria Sabina, a renowned curandera (medicine woman) of the Mazatec people. Maria Sabina was famous for her mushroom ceremonies, where she used psilocybin mushrooms to guide participants into altered states of consciousness for healing and spiritual insight. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Between 1953 and 1954, Robert and Valentina Wasson spent significant time in the region, collecting mushroom specimens like Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe cubensis, and participating in several of Maria Sabina’s ceremonies. These experiences deeply influenced Wasson’s understanding of the role of psychedelic mushrooms in indigenous cultures and their use in spiritual practice.

“Seeking the Magic Mushroom” — The Article that Introduced Magic Mushrooms to the West

In 1957, Robert Gordon Wasson published a groundbreaking 15-page article in LIFE magazine titled “Seeking the Magic Mushroom.” In this article, he shared his experiences in Huautla de Jiménez, describing his participation in the mushroom ceremonies and the cultural significance of psilocybin mushrooms for the Mazatec people. The term “magic mushroom” was coined in this article, which has since become the standard term for any species of psilocybin-producing fungi.

The article was a sensation. It reached a wide audience and introduced the Western world to the existence of psychedelic mushrooms. The public’s fascination with the article led many to travel to Huautla de Jiménez, seeking out Maria Sabina and her sacred mushroom ceremonies. This sparked the beginning of a psychedelic wave in the 1960s, with famous figures like John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards visiting the town to experience the effects of psilocybin mushrooms firsthand. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Maria Sabina: The “Mother of Mushrooms”

Maria Sabina, often referred to as the “Mother of Mushrooms,” is one of the key figures responsible for the introduction of psilocybin mushrooms to the Western world. She was an expert curandera who collected several species of psilocybin mushrooms from the mountains surrounding her village, including Psilocybe caerulescens, Psilocybe mexicana, and Psilocybe cubensis. These were the varieties most commonly used in her healing ceremonies.

Maria Sabina’s use of the mushrooms was not just for recreation or spiritual exploration, but for physical and emotional healing. Her ceremonies were deeply rooted in the Mazatec tradition, and she guided individuals into altered states of consciousness where they could confront personal traumas, gain spiritual insights, and even communicate with the divine.

Sabina’s life and work were forever changed after Wasson’s visit, as the international attention that followed brought both positive and negative consequences. While her ceremonies gained global recognition, they also became commercialized, which ultimately led to a loss of cultural authenticity and personal hardships for Sabina. Nonetheless, her role in the psychedelic movement and her connection to the sacred use of magic mushrooms have left a lasting legacy.

Conclusion | Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Through the combined efforts of Richard Evan Schultes, Robert Gordon Wasson, and Maria Sabina, the sacred use of psychedelic mushrooms was brought to light in the Western world. Wasson’s pivotal role in sharing the cultural and spiritual importance of magic mushrooms with the public marked the beginning of the modern psychedelic era. Today, the legacy of these early pioneers continues to influence both scientific research and the ongoing exploration of psychedelics for therapeutic and spiritual purposes. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

Maria Sabina and the Cost of Her Fame

Maria Sabina, a humble and kind-hearted curandera from the small town of Huautla de Jiménez, had an immense knowledge of the plants and fungi that thrived in the region. Her expertise in healing and spiritual practices, particularly using magic mushrooms, made her an invaluable resource to the Mazatec community. When Robert Gordon Wasson came to her with a desire to learn about her sacred mushroom ceremonies, she graciously shared her knowledge and allowed him to participate in the ritual.

However, Maria Sabina’s generosity would ultimately lead to her downfall. Wasson’s article in LIFE magazine, which detailed her use of psychedelic mushrooms in healing ceremonies, ignited widespread interest in the mystical world of magic mushrooms. This new fame attracted thousands of Westerners to Huautla de Jiménez, all eager to experience the magic mushrooms for themselves.

The Unintended Consequences of Western Interest

What began as a sincere desire to learn about the ancient Mazatec practices quickly spiraled out of control. The influx of foreign visitors caused severe disruption to Maria Sabina’s once-peaceful life. Many of these visitors, unfamiliar with the cultural and spiritual significance of the mushrooms, would arrive in Huautla de Jiménez and disrespect the local customs, land, and people, often under the influence of psilocybin. As more people sought out the sacred mushrooms, the situation became increasingly problematic.

Maria Sabina, who had once opened her heart and her ceremonies to those seeking enlightenment, saw her sacred practices being commodified and misunderstood. The mushroom ceremonies, which had been a deeply spiritual experience for generations of Mazatec people, began to lose their sanctity in the eyes of the community.

In her own words, Maria Sabina lamented the loss of purity in the mushrooms:

“From the moment the foreigners arrived to search for God, the saint children lost their purity. They lost their force; the foreigners spoiled them. From now on they won’t be any good. There’s no remedy for it.”

Her concerns were not just philosophical. The continuous flow of Westerners to Huautla de Jiménez brought unwanted attention from local authorities, who accused Maria Sabina of drug dealing. The Mazatec people, frustrated by the chaos and the disrespect brought on by the foreigners, turned against her. Her community, once supportive, became hostile. In a tragic turn of events, Maria Sabina’s house was burned down by her own neighbors, and she was eventually ostracized from her village.

The Aftermath: A Humble Journey Despite Heartache

Despite being rejected by her community and losing her home, Maria Sabina did not abandon her calling. She continued her travels across Mexico, sharing her knowledge of sacred mushrooms and the ancient practices of her people with anyone willing to listen. Despite the hardships she faced, Maria remained humble and devoted to her spiritual path.

Her legacy lived on, not just in the knowledge she shared, but in the impact she had on the global psychedelic movement. She introduced countless people to the power of psilocybin, and her words, recorded in various writings, continue to inspire people around the world today.

Albert Hofmann: The Scientist Behind the Magic

Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist best known for synthesizing LSD, also played a pivotal role in the discovery of psilocybin and its psychedelic effects. While Hofmann’s work on LSD remains his most famous contribution to science, his involvement with magic mushrooms and psilocybin further solidified his place in the history of psychedelics. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

In 1958, Hofmann first synthesized psilocybin, the active compound in psilocybin-containing mushrooms, in his laboratory at Sandoz Laboratories. Although the psychedelic properties of magic mushrooms had been known to indigenous cultures for centuries, it was Hofmann’s research that allowed the scientific community to isolate and understand the compound responsible for the psychedelic experience.

Hofmann’s work laid the foundation for future research into psychedelics, and his contributions to the understanding of psilocybin have had lasting effects on both scientific inquiry and the growing interest in psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. His discovery of LSD in 1938 had already earned him a place in psychedelic history, but his involvement in psilocybin research added another important chapter to the story of psychedelic science.

Conclusion

Maria Sabina, Albert Hofmann, and Robert Gordon Wasson were three key figures whose actions and discoveries shaped the modern understanding of magic mushrooms and their place in human culture. While Maria Sabina’s humility and openness to sharing her sacred knowledge with others brought her great personal hardship, her legacy as a spiritual guide and healer continues to inspire people around the world. Meanwhile, the work of Hofmann and Wasson helped bring the mysteries of psilocybin mushrooms into the scientific and public consciousness, contributing to the broader psychedelic renaissance that we continue to experience today.

In 1958, Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist renowned for synthesizing LSD, isolated and identified psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin as the compounds responsible for the psychedelic effects of magic mushrooms. This discovery was made using samples of Psilocybe mexicana, which had been sent to him by Robert Gordon Wasson. While Hofmann’s involvement in the initial discovery of magic mushrooms may seem modest, his work with psilocybin was pivotal. Who Discovered Magic Mushrooms?

In 1963, Hofmann, alongside fellow Swiss chemist Franz Troxler, successfully synthesized psilocybin, filing a patent for their process. This breakthrough was crucial, as it enabled further scientific investigation into psilocybin’s effects and its potential therapeutic applications. Hofmann’s discovery laid the groundwork for modern research into the medical and psychological benefits of magic mushrooms, which continues to this day.