Ethnomycology

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Amanita muscaria has a long and varied history of psychoactive use.

Ethnomycology is the study of the historical uses and sociological impact of

psilocybin mushrooms, the Amanita muscaria mushroom, and the ergot
fungus.

American banker

John Marco Allegro, Clark Heinrich, John W. Allen, Jonathan Ott, Paul Stamets,Casey Brown and Juan Camilo Rodríguez Martínez
.

Besides mycological determination in the field, ethnomycology depends to a large extent on

medieval Holy Grail myth makers, alchemists and Renaissance artists.[5]

While Wasson views historical mushroom use primarily as a facilitator for the

shamanic or spiritual experiences core to these rites and traditions, McKenna takes this further, positing that the ingestion of psilocybin was perhaps primary in the formation of language and culture and identifying psychedelic mushrooms as the original "Tree of Knowledge".[6] There is indeed some research supporting the theory that psilocybin ingestion temporarily increases neurochemical activity in the language centers of the brain, indicating a need for more research into the uses of psychoactive plants and fungi in human history.[7][8]

The 1990s saw a surge in the recreational use of

psilocybin mushrooms due to a combination of a psychedelic revival in the rave culture, improved and simplified cultivation techniques, and the distribution of both the mushrooms themselves and information about them via the Internet. This "mushrooming of mushroom use" has also caused an increased popularization of ethnomycology itself as there are websites and Internet forums where mushroom references in Christmas and fairy tale
symbolism are discussed. It remains open to interpretation what effect this popularization has on ethnomycology in the academic world, where the lack of verifiable evidence has kept its theories with their often far-reaching implications shrouded in controversy.

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-15-683800-9
    .
  2. ^ Feeney, Kevin (2020). "Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology, & Exploration". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  3. ISBN 978-0-915148-20-2
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0-340-12875-6
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-89281-997-3
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-553-37130-7
    .
  7. ^ "Neurometabolic Effects of Psilocybin, 3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE) and d-Methamphetamine in Healthy Volunteers A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled PET Study with FDG". Neuropsychopharmacology. 1999.
  8. ^ "Neural Correlates of Hallucinogen-induced Altered States of Consciousness". Archived from the original on 2005-09-08.

Sources

External links
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