Just one more tidbit to note on Amanita 'shrooms.
It isn't just A. muscaria that has hallucinogenic properties. Many species
do and have been used 'round to world to raise "spiritual awareness" and
medicinally.
The story I love most about Amanita (I curated the 'shroom collection here
at BPBM), is one that tells of a particular group of Viking warriors ,
known as "berserkers" who ate Amanita prior to heading off into battle.
Evidently the mushroom would drive them into some sort of mad frenzy and
would fight like... berserk!
Similar cases still happen today, and the important lesson here is, don't
eat it if you don't know what it is!
 
Karen J. Kroslowitz                     phone: 808-848-4118
Natural Sciences, Malacology            fax:   808-841-8968
Bernice P. Bishop Museum                [log in to unmask]
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not necessarily
those of Bishop Museum.