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Psilocybe semilanceata is a small thin saprotrophic mushroom and is one of more than one hundred and eighty species of mushrooms under the genus Psilocybe. Psilocybe semilanceata is significant because it contains the psychoactive compound Psilocybin and baeocystin which, when consumed, causes feelings of euphoria, hallucinations and dissociation. Psilocybe semilanceata is widely distributed across the world including the vast majority of Europe and parts of North America. Currently much of the world has penalties for individuals possessing Psilocybe semilanceata mushrooms and the United States has labeled it as a Schedule I substance.
Psilocybe semilanceata obtains its nutrients from breaking down dead plant and other organic matter. This process of obtaining nutrition is considered saprotrophic[1]. A study done by a group of scientists in 1990 showed that that the mushroom grows solitarily or in groups on the ground, typically in fields and pastures[1]. It is often found in fields that have been fertilized with sheep or cow dung, even though it does not typically grow directly on the dung[1]. The mushroom is also associated with sedges in moist areas of fields and is often growing on dead organic plant matter[2].
It is agreed upon that the species is native to Europe since numerous sightings and specimens have been recorded in almost twenty three countries of the continent. It was also recorded to be seen widespread in parts of the northern United States and Canada.
This species was first described in 1838 by the great Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries, who named it Agaricus semilanceata. (Most of the gilled mushrooms were included initially in the genus Agaricus!) In 1871 German mycologist Paul Kummer transferred this species to the genus Psilocybe, renaming it Psilocybe semilanceata [1]. Much of this mushroom’s phylogeny became resolved in the coming of the twenty first century. Much of the studies done in the early 2000s, such as the study done by Jean-Marc Moncalvo, supported the idea of dividing the genus into two clades, one consisting of the bluing, hallucinogenic species in the family Hymenogastraceae, and the other the non-bluing, non-hallucinogenic species in the family Strophariaceae making the species polyphyletic[2]. Much of its closest relatives belong to the genus Psilocybe including the famous, Psilocybe cubensis.
The etymology of this name is based on physical features: the generic name Psilocybe means 'smooth head', while semilanceata means 'half spear-shaped'. Panaeolus semilanceata, named by Jakob Emanuel Lange in both 1936 and 1939 publications, is a synonym.
Psilocybe semilanceata is a small mushroom that grows between 1.5 inches (4 cm) and 4 inches (10 cm) tall with a tiny mushroom cap between 1/5 of an inch (5 mm) to 1 inch (25 mm) wide. The Pileus or cap is usually 0.5-2.5 cm broad. It is often, incurved and sometimes wavy or undulated in young fruiting bodies, often darkened by spores. Its surface is smooth, color variable, and extremely hygrophanous meaning a color change in the mushroom tissue. It is usually dark chestnut brown when moist, soon drying to a light tan or yellow, occasionally with an olive tint, margin sometimes with bluish or olive stains. Surface viscid or sticky when moist from a separable gelatinous membrane called the pellicle. The Gills are usually found as mostly narrowly attached to the stipe (adnexed), it does sometimes become adnate or seceding. The gills are also close to crowded and narrow and their color is pale at first, rapidly becoming grey, then brownish and finally purplish brown with the edges remaining pale. The stem is long and slender flexuous (curved or sinuous), and pliant. Psilocybe semilanceata pale to more brownish towards the base, where the attached mycelium may become bluish tinged, especially during drying. Surface smooth overall. The context stuffed with a spongy fibrous tissue called a pith. There is a partial veil thinly coordinate, rapidly deteriorating, leaving an obscure evanescent annular zone of fibrils, usually darkened by spores. The spores are dark purplish brown in deposit, ellipsoid, 11-14 by 7-9 microns.
Several reports have been published in the literature documenting the effects of consumption of Psilocybe semilanceata and other mushroom species belonging to the genus Psilocybe. Typical symptoms include visual distortions of color, depth and form, progressing to visual hallucinations. The effects are similar to the experience following consumption of Lysergic Acid Diethylamine(LSD), although milder[1]. Time magazine wrote about new evidence found that shows how Psilocybin works and why it holds promise as a treatment for depression and other such mental illness. Robin Carhart-Harris, a postdoctoral student at Imperial College London and lead author of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences had this to say. “The results seem to imply that a lot of brain activity is actually dedicated to keeping the world very stable and ordinary and familiar and unsurprising[2].” Throughout history, ancient pictures, carving, and statues have been seen, showing the importance of the genus Psilocybe to ancient tribes.
In the United States, any mushroom containing psilocybin including Psilocybe semilanceata is a Schedule I drug under an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act called the Psychotropic Substances Act. This means that it has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use and isn't safe for use even under a doctor's supervision. However, it is completely legal to posses the spores since they do not contain psilocybin.
Throughout history, ancient pictures, carving, and statues have been seen, showing the importance of the genus Psilocybe to ancient tribes. In Central and South America, use of Psilocybin containing mushrooms was a common religious practice until the arrival of Spanish settlers, who were intent on spreading the Catholic faith, strictly prohibited their use. For Indians the fungi are known as sacred mushroom and historically, it is considered entheogen, propelling them on a religious path to the spirit world.
