Between 2021 and 2023, two Magic Mushroom siblings were inducted into the annals of Western science when they were discovered (although locals undoubtedly snicker at that word) in parts of South Africa. It wasn’t until December 2024 that the latest discovery emerged in trade journals though, so the Shrooms community – scientists and Redditors alike – has had time to gush over the additions to the Psilocybin family.
But let’s set aside the obvious and shine a light on the underrepresented locals who made these paradigm-shifting discoveries. This one’s for the citizen scientists who made this possible: Head salutes you!
Explore the mysterious past of Magic Mushrooms in “The Secret History of San Isidro de Labrador – Psilocybe Cubensis.” /Graphic of Psilocybe cubensis by John W. Allen
Meet the Psilocybin Family
The scientific name for the best-known species of Magic Mushroom is Psilocybe cubensis. (They’re also called “penis envy mushrooms,” apparently. #TIL) There are more than 100 species in the Psilocybe genus that produce the hallucinogenic compound psilocybin though, meaning that P. cubensis has lots of siblings. Now, it has two more: P. ingeli and P. maluti. These are extra-special siblings though, as only six in the Psilocybe genus – including P. ingeli and P. maluti – are indigenous to Africa.
Check out our interview with Psilocybin expert Voight in “How to Grow and Use Psilocybin Mushrooms: Interview with a Mushroom Maven.” /Photo of Psilocybe Cubensis by Alan Rockefeller, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A Win for “Citizen Scientists”
The triumph in science overall is self-apparent, so let’s instead acknowledge the proverbial “little guys.” These discoveries not only expand the amorphous realm of the scientific, but also dilute the assumption that you need a degree to make a difference of this magnitude.
P. ingeli and P. maluti were discovered by people who don’t have the credentials of professional research experts; they’re just local residents who were devoting their time to science. P. ingeli was discovered in 2023 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, by Talan Moult, a self-taught citizen mycologist (person who studies fungi – a great label to self-apply while shrooming). P. maluti was found in 2021 on a small holding in Free State, South Africa, by Daniella Mulder. (“X-Files” fans have to adore how close her name is to “Dana.”) Of note, in both locations, the species were found in bovine manure, fueling theories about the origin of P. cubensis – which is its own rabbit hole to go down. (Also, as excuses for chancing upon a new species while manhandling piles of cow poo go, that’s easily No. 1, so file that one away to use later yourself.)
Mulder sent photos of the mushrooms to citizen mycologists in Somerset West, and specimens ended up at Stellenbosch University (SU) for DNA sequencing and analysis. As reported in “Mycologia”:
“Morphology and phylogeny were used to separate the two novel fungi from their closest relatives in the genus. … The species of Psilocybe collected from different areas in southern Africa were thought to be novel species. Upon studying the morphological and phylogenetic characteristics of the basidiomes, it was confirmed that the two species treated here were previously undescribed.”
Breyten van der Merwe, who received the samples at SU, praised Moult and Mulder:
“These two species were sent to me by citizen scientists. It would be impossible for a single researcher to cover a fraction of an area these mushroom enthusiasts have access to. This is the only way we will be able to further studies in African mycology.”
The SU professor who conducted the analysis added:
“There are [sic] only a handful of mycologists in Africa documenting local biodiversity. Considering the vast mycological diversity on the continent, it is a daunting task. Collaborating with citizen mycologists is therefore hugely beneficial.”
Head’s own citizen scientist Alexin Pham takes you to shroom school in “An Introduction to Psychedelics.” /Image Credit: mihtiander/123RF.com
Possible Implications for Medicine
Old Knowledge + New Research = New (Old) Healthcare
The research paper announcing the new species made it a point to document the traditional use of P. maluti by Basotho traditional healers in Lesotho as well. In fact, despite having only recently received a scientific name, P. maluti had one already in native culture: koae-ea-lekhoaba.
The interview in the research paper is the only recorded firsthand report of hallucinogenic mushrooms being used traditionally in Africa, according to the writers. It’s also the first mention of hallucinogenic mushroom use in Sub-Saharan Africa, as this knowledge has always been passed down through generations only orally. Maybe it will push the Western world a little closer to crossing the barrier obstructing the culture’s faith in holistic medicine.
Western medicine is finally being clued in on what medicine in the rest of the world has known for millennia, as we discuss in “Psychedelic Microdosing the ‘Newest’ Mental Health Treatment.“
The More Microdosing Options, the Merrier
Psychedelics have been proven – even in the cultures least likely to accept that proof – to effectively treat mental health issues, from depression to PTSD to addiction and beyond. Now that there are two new species with psilocybin available to harvest, this opens the door to expanding the microdosing pharmacological inventory.
Already, an Australian mycologist who studied the report – and wasn’t involved in the writing of it – said that this might come to pass. Alistair McTaggart, from the private company Psymbiotika Lab, believes that if one of the new species could be bred with P. cubensis, the hybrid offspring could lead to the development of new psilocybin therapies.
Similarly, the curator of mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, Bryn Dentinger, observed:
“If psilocybin does turn out to be this kind of wonder drug, there’s going to be a need to develop therapeutics to improve its efficacy. What if it already exists in nature? There’s a wealth of diversity of these compounds out there. To understand where they are and how they’re made, we need to do this kind of molecular work to use biodiversity to our advantage.”
See what our own research says in “Can Psychedelic Drugs Treat Mental Illness?” Image Credit: Анастасия Самсонова/123RF.com
Conclusion
If an obscure home remedy provided directly by nature found its way to you from another continent and is making your life better, consider that it might have been a citizen scientist who made that possible. That scientist might have discovered something hitherto unknown, or might have documented hitherto unwritten wisdom concerning holistic medicine – all without a degree or certificate. Never underestimate the little guy.
Kathleen Hearons is a writer, editor, linguist and voice over actor from Los Angeles. She specializes in creative writing and research-intensive analysis and reporting.
Cited Articles and Suggested Reading
Allen, John W. “The Secret History of San Isidro de Labrador – Psilocybe Cubensis.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/the-secret-history-of-san-isidro-de-labrador-psilocybe-cubensis/.
“Be a Citizen Scientist: Help Researchers Solve Puzzling Problems.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. November 2023. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/11/be-citizen-scientist.
Bradshaw, Alexander J., Cathy Sharp, Breyten Van Der Merwe, Keaton Tremble and Bryn T.M. Dentinger. “Discovery of the closest free-living relative of the domesticated ‘magic mushroom’ Psilocybe cubensis in Africa.” bioRxiv. Dec. 7, 2024. doi:10.1101/2024.12.03.626483. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.12.03.626483v1.
Bradshaw, Alexander J., Virginia Ramírez-Cruz, Ali R. Awan and Bryn T. M. Dentinger. “Phylogenomics of the psychoactive mushroom genus Psilocybe and evolution of the psilocybin biosynthetic gene cluster.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 121, Issue 3, Article e2311245121 (January 2024). doi:10.1073/pnas.2311245121. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2311245121.
de Kruijff, Peter. “Newly named psychedelic fungus points to African origins of world’s most popular ‘magic mushroom.’” ABC. Dec. 15, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-12-16/new-african-species-reveals-magic-mushroom-origin-psychedelic/104716576.
Favorito, AJ. “The Rising Popularity of Psychedelics Among Athletes and Celebrities.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/the-rising-popularity-of-psychedelics-among-athletes-and-celebrities/.
Guesgen, Mirjam. “Psychedelic Mushrooms Existed Millions of Years Before Humans, Largest-Ever Study Reveals.” Vice. Jan. 11, 2024. https://www.vice.com/en/article/psychedelic-mushrooms-existed-millions-of-years-before-humans-largest-ever-study-reveals/.
Hearons, Kathleen. “Psychedelic Microdosing the ‘Newest’ Mental Health Treatment.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/psychedelic-microdosing-the-newest-mental-health-treatment/
Hitt, Caitlyn. “The Long History of Magic Mushrooms.” Thrillist. Aug. 26, 2020. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/history-of-magic-mushrooms-origin-story-facts.
Ionescu, Andrei. “Mushroom magic: New species discovered in Africa.” Earth.com. July 3, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.earth.com/news/mushroom-magic-new-species-discovered-in-africa/.
James, Paul. “Can Psychedelic Drugs Treat Mental Illness?.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/can-psychedelic-drugs-treat-mental-illness/.
Lowe, Henry, et al. “The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin.” Molecules, Vol. 26, Issue 10, Article 2948 (May 2021). doi:10.3390/molecules26102948. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8156539/.
“Magic mushrooms traced back to asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.” StudyFinds. Jan. 10, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://studyfinds.org/magic-mushrooms-asteroid/.
Ott, Jonathan. “The 1978 World Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/world-conference-on-hallucinogenic-mushrooms2/.
Parker, Charlotte. “How to Grow and Use Psilocybin Mushrooms: Interview with a Mushroom Maven.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/how-to-grow-and-use-psilocybin-mushrooms/.
Pham, Alixen. “An Introduction to Psychedelics.” Head Magazine. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/psychedelics/.
Potter, Lisa. “Psychoactive psilocybin’s evolution in ‘magic mushrooms.’” The University of Utah. Jan. 9, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/psychoactive-psilocybins-evolution-in-magic-mushrooms/.
Sherrell, Zia. “What are penis envy mushrooms?.” MedicalNewsToday. Aug. 29, 2023. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/penis-envy-mushrooms.
Taub, Benjamin. “Brand New Magic Mushroom Species Suggests Shrooms Reached America on Bison Poop.” IFLScience. Dec. 16, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.iflscience.com/brand-new-magic-mushroom-species-suggests-shrooms-reached-america-on-bison-poop-77239.
Thorne, Leonie. “TGA approves psilocybin and MDMA for use in treating depression and PTSD.” ABC. Feb. 3, 2023. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-03/tga-approves-psilocybin-mdma-for-treating-depression-ptsd/101929578.
“Two new species of Psilocybe mushrooms discovered in southern Africa.” Stellenbosch University. July 4, 2024. https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=10726.
van der Merwe, B., et al. “A Description of Two Novel Psilocybe Species from Southern Africa and Some Notes on African Traditional Hallucinogenic Mushroom Use.” Mycologia, Vol. 116, Issue 5 (July 2024): 821-834. doi:10.1080/00275514.2024.2363137. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00275514.2024.2363137.
Woodford, James. “Magic mushrooms found in Africa are a species new to science.” NewScientist. Dec. 12, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2460465-magic-mushrooms-found-in-africa-are-a-species-new-to-science/.
Yirka, Bob. “Closest relative of ‘magic mushroom’ discovered in Africa.” Phys.org. Dec. 16, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2025. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-closest-magic-mushroom-africa.html.
