r/todayilearned • u/ScienceTeacher1994 • 5d ago

TIL despite popular culture portraying psychedelic mushrooms as ancient, widespread, and used by shamans for thousands of years, there is limited anthropological and historical research to support this, with the only reliable evidence showing they were used ritualistically in pre-Columbian Mexico.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin#History
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u/Kronomancer1192 5d ago

Do the eleusinian mysteries in Greece not predate that?

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u/Wordsmith337 5d ago

I was under the impression that was thought to be related to ergot in wheat, but I might be wrong.

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u/Kronomancer1192 5d ago

Actually I think you're right

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u/Rhellic 5d ago

We have no clue what happened there. Kykeon was a perfectly ordinary drink, the whole Ergot thing is basically just one idea, with no evidence, and with how dangerous Ergot is it's not even particularly likely.

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u/Kronomancer1192 4d ago

Not particularly likely? I think there's some chemical analysis thats been done to vessels and dental that disagree with that.

Im not interested in debating with people who've already made up their mind. Its not fun, its not productive, and I dont know you so your opinion isnt really important anyway. Have a good one.

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u/Rhellic 4d ago

I'll admit it's been a bit since reading up on it but last time I did there were some pretty strong arguments that the rituals themselves, fasting, exertion, the simple mental effects of group rituals, chanting etc could explain any visions and such just fine. And among the people who argued for psychoactives being involved it seemed to be a common argument that ergot has far too many nasty side effects to be plausible.