Sponsor
Funding by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to DJB (grant IOS 1656057) and to JKU (grant DEB 2030338) are gratefully acknowledged.
Published In
Fungal Biology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-11-2022
Subjects
Psilocybin -- Therapeutic use, Hallucinogenic drugs -- Therapeutic use
Abstract
Therapeutic use of psilocybin has become a focus of recent international research, with preliminary data showing promise to address a range of treatment-resistant mental health conditions. However, use of psilocybin as a healing entheogen has a long history through traditional consumption of mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe. The forthcoming adoption of new psilocybin-assisted therapeutic practices necessitates identification of preferred sources of psilocybin; consequently, comprehensive understanding of psilocybin-containing fungi is fundamental to consumer safety. Here we examine psilocybin producing fungi, discuss their biology, diversity, and ethnomycological uses. We also review recent work focused on elucidation of psilocybin biosynthetic production pathways, especially those from the genus Psilocybe, and their evolutionary history. Current research on psilocybin therapies is discussed, and recommendations for necessary future mycological research are outlined.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2022 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1016/j.funbio.2022.01.003
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/37340
Citation Details
Van Court, R. C., Wiseman, M. S., Meyer, K. W., Ballhorn, D. J., Amses, K., Slot, J. C., ... & Uehling, J. K. (2022). Diversity, biology, and history of psilocybin-containing fungi: Suggestions for research and technological development. Fungal Biology.