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.