The December mushroom of the month is Amanita persicina, known commonly as the Peach Fly Agaric. Recent DNA evidence has indicated that Amanita persicina is better treated as a distinct species, and it was elevated to species status in 2015. Scroll to learn more and where to find in Texas and how it is being used as a medicine for anxiety and depression.
🙌 to @mullenjoseph for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the newest member of Central Texas Mycology! Become a supporting member to stay dialed-in to the wood-wide-web and join us for events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
Can I EAT it?
It is both poisonous and psychoactive.
The mushroom contains the neurotoxin ibotenic acid which can be decarboxylated into Muscimol, a legal, psychoactive compound. A few studies show it inhibits neuronal and glial GABA uptake, helping with depression, anxiety, muscular pain and promote sleep. In the last few years Muscimol has become a popular ingredient in medicinal mushroom products.
Hometown Hero is one local company that sells “Magic Muscaria Gummies.”
WHERE DOES IT GROW?
In East Texas
Amanita persicina is mycorrhizal with conifers (Loblolly Pine) and deciduous (Oak & Hemlock) trees and can be found in the late fall to early spring. The cap color varies from bright red and fades to yellow to orangish peach. Additionally, the universal veil material is usually present merely as scattered fragments and patches, rather than the well defined concentric rings and zones that characterize the other North American varieties.
Is Santa Really A Mushroom?
Some believe the myth of Santa is derived from shamanic uses of the Fly Agaric mushroom near the north pole. Fungi Foundation has cataloged 200 ancestral and traditional uses of this mushroom. Some uses are by shamans in the northern hemisphere for purposes such as communicating with spirits, increasing courage and inducing altered states of consciousness. Fact or fiction? Just a cute Christmas card design? We are glad that indigenous uses of mushrooms are being cataloged and protected for future generations.