Amanitaceae, Amanita muscaria, Fly Agaric

This spectacular mushroom is unmistakable with its distinct and ledgendary red cap with white dots. A. pantherina (Panther Cap) is similar but with a brownish-yellow head. Both species are common throughout areas of Europe, Asia and N. America.

Fly Agaric has a long and fascinating history, thought to be one of the oldest of all hallucinogens employed by nomadic peoples of Europe, Siberia, and N. American as far back as 10,000 years ago.

Siberian shamans typically consume the mushroom dry, or suspend it fresh in milk.

Since ibotenic acid is metabolized by the body to a more active muscimol and excreted in the urine, infused urine is hallucinogenic and will traditionally be recycled for its psychoactive properties up to five times.
100 g of fresh mushroom are lethal for most humans. 10 g of mucimol will induce dizziness and psychic excitation. 15 g will cause mental disorientation and hallucination. Hallucinations can be both pleasant and euphoric, or horrible and hellish. While some people dance and sing under the influences of Fly Agaric, others will exhibit seemingly uncontrollable tantrums, sometimes accompanied by feelings of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, paralysis, seizures, mydriasis, and even coma and/or death.