Psilocybin / psilocin (mushrooms)

Hallucinogenic mushrooms with the active ingredient psilocybin grow in the wild and were used by indigenous cultures as a remedy and intoxicant. The best-known varieties are the pointed cone bald man(Psilocybe semilanceata), the "Mexican"(Psilocybe cubensis) and the "Hawaiian"(Panaeolus cyanescens or Copelandia cyanescens). When ingested, psilocybin is converted by the body into the degradation product psilocin, which is responsible for the psychoactive effect of the mushrooms. Psilocin develops its psychoactive effect primarily through the activation of certain serotonin receptors. Clinical research is currently investigating psilocybin as a possible treatment for various psychiatric disorders.