Researchers have documented the first traditional medical use of hallucinogenic mushrooms on the African continent, using a species of mushroom that is entirely new to science in rituals performed by indigenous fortune tellers and spiritual healers in Lesotho.
The mushroom, which was discovered growing in a cow dung-covered pasture in South Africa’s Free State province in 2021, is one of two new species of hallucinogenic fungus described in the new paper. Psilocybin MaltPreviously unknown mushrooms are now famous Psilocybin This genus contains about 140 different species worldwide.
The second newly discovered fungus was discovered in cow-dung-strewn grasslands in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Together, these two new species bring the total number of fungi known to date to 1.2 billion. Psilocybin The number of African species has now dropped to six, but the study authors argue that “there are undoubtedly many more species remaining to be discovered in southern Africa”.
“The discovery of new species in Africa is not surprising given the lack of mycological research on the continent,” the researchers added.
While the presence of mushrooms in Africa may not be surprising, little is known about the historical use of these mind-altering fungi in the region. To date, the only evidence of indigenous peoples taking psilocybin is an 8,000-year-old cave painting found on a cave wall in Tassili in the Sahara Desert, tentatively interpreted as depicting the following: Psilocybin mushroom.
However, the newly discovered P. Marti The mushroom is found throughout the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the researchers observed local Basotho healers using it for therapeutic purposes in rituals that have been “passed down through generations.” The researchers said the mushroom is used by two types of Basotho shamans, the first of which is called “linohe,” described as “the equivalent of a fortune teller or seer” who can “foresee the future” through visions induced by the hallucinogenic mushroom.
The other type, called “Ngakataitja,” specializes in herbal medicine but has no powers of divination. To harness the effects of mushrooms, these healers steep them. P. Marti When soaked in warm water with another hallucinogenic plant, Buffon DistichaIt produces a tea with strong psychoactive properties known locally as “Seiphone sa Coaé Aire Recoaba.”
During the ritual, this mind-altering drink is “drinked by the patient, who then places himself in front of a reflective surface and relays any hallucinations or visions he sees on the surface to the healer, who interprets them as answers to the patient’s spiritual questions.”
“This is the only direct documented report of traditional use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Africa and appears to be the first mention of their use in sub-Saharan Africa,” the authors conclude.
The study is published in the journal Mycologia.
