Jochen Gartz - Magic Mushrooms Around the ... - preterhuman.net

substrates, such as fallen twigs and raw compost,
grounds littered with the remains from evergreen
and deciduous trees or dung left behind by pasture
animals. Among the mushroom species that may
have grown in the area thousands of years ago, the
most likely candidates are relatives of Psilocybe
cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens (dunginhabiting
species), Psilocybe semilanceata (a
nitrophilic species) as well as Psilocybe
cyanescens, a species that grows on top of raw
compost.
Considering the impressive nature of
existing historic evidence, the obvious question
would seem to be whether any of these species can
currently be found in Africa, where the cradle of
mankind is located.
African Species Related to
Psilocybe Cyanescens
Interestingly, on October 24, 1912, R.
Maire first collected several specimens of bluing,
dark-spored mushrooms which he found growing
on raw compost underneath some cedar trees in
Algeria, at Chrea Pass near the city of Blida south
of Algiers. He collected additional specimens every
year up until 1926 and published his findings in
1928, naming the species Hypholoma cyanescens
nov. spec..
Later on, G. Malencon classified a number
of similar specimens from his own samples
collected in the Central Atlas Mountains (Morocco)
as belonging to this species. In 1973, Singer then
classified the species as Psilocybe mairei Sing.
Krieglsteiner, however, considered this species to
be identical with Psilocybe cyanescens Wakefield,
as found in Europe. Thus, bluing Psilocybe species
can still be found in Africa today.
In his monograph on Panaeolus
mushrooms from the 1960's, Ola'h mentions two
Panaeolus species that are strongly psychoactive:
- Panaeolus africanus Ola'h and
- Panaeolus tropicales Ola'h
There are also accounts from Africa about
typical hallucinatory intoxications, caused by
mistaken identification of a yellow Stropharia
species as a culinary mushroom. In 1945, E.R.
Cullinan and D. Henry described 22 cases in
Nairobi, which occurred in July of that same year.
The symptoms started one hour after
ingestion of the mushrooms, peaked within three
hours and then persisted for 24 to 48 () hours.
Symptoms consisted of emotional imbalance, fits of
mirthful and irresponsible laughter alternating
with depressive moods, during which patients felt
they wanted to die. Patients were unable to sleep,
due to nightmarish feelings that descended when
they closed their eyes... They remained conscious
throughout the experience and their speech, while
somewhat uncontrolled, was rational.
In 1957, A.D. Charters reported additional
cases of intoxication from Nairobi: On May 18,
1949, a man and his wife - both Europeans who
resided in Nakuru, ate generous portions of
mushrooms for lunch. Within 30 minutes, both of
them developed mental symptoms, along with pupil
dilation and a tingling sensation in the fingers.
The man
experienced visions of pink colors and a sense of
euphoria in association with delusions. He felt
that he was passing into the next life and he could
see his own body. He stated that he realized "we
are in the process of working toward our next life
".
His wife also reported delusions, and she
felt that she was inside the tube that was part of
the apparatus used for pumping her stomach at the
time. She believed that she was going to die and
she was afraid of death. She had laughing fits and
felt sensations that alternated between happiness
and depression. Both patients had their stomachs
pumped and recovered completely within six
hours.
Given sufficiently wet climate
conditions, Psilocybe cubensis can often be found
in other parts of the world growing on pastures in
areas located up to 30° north as well as south of
the equator. Therefore, it is likely that the yellow
Stropharia species from the Highlands of Kenya
may actually have been Psilocybe cubensis
mushrooms or at least a close relative of this
species.
In January 1994, M. Smith and myself
were collaborating in South Africa, where we
discovered a bluing Psilocybe species in Natal
Province. It was the first psychotropic Psilocybe
species ever found in the area. This species is
generally withish in color and does not have an