New trend of Amanita Mushroom Gummies
—
potentially neurotoxic edibles?

Over the last few months we have observed a new product being sold in (online) smart shops: Amanita Mushroom Gummies.

These "psychedelic edibles" are advertised as a legal alternative to psilocybin containing mushrooms offering a "unique dream-like or trippy experience".

While Amanita muscaria (fly agaric mushroom) preparations have been used since ancient times by humanity to generate non-ordinary states of consciousness, for the general public the fly agaric mushroom is the archetype of a (deadly) poisonous mushroom.

There are only very few fatal ingestions of fly agaric documented. However, ibotenic acid, the main alkaloid present in the mushroom (along with muscimol and muscarine) is a potent neurotoxin. Drying mushrooms or preparing a tea (traditional preparations) convert the ibotenic acid into muscimol, the actual active substance that causes the psychoactive effects by interacting with GABA receptors in the brain.
The human body can also convert (metabolize) ibotenic acid into muscimol, however the conversion rate can depend on individual metabolic predispositions. Thus the ingestion of ibotenic acid can potentially be harmful, neurotoxic and can cause irreversible consequences.

Contrary to traditional preparations that convert the ibotenic acid almost completely to muscimol prior to ingestion, this novel edibles "Amanita Mushroom Gummies" contain a substantial amount of ibotenic acid along with muscimol and muscarine.

Given the toxicity of ibotenic acid, the consumption of those preparations even in small doses should be avoided!
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