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On New Years eve of 1998-1999, a young female (age 34) experienced a most dysphoric reaction brought on after the consumption of the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe cyanescens. This is the first reported case of a dysphoric reaction due in part to the consumption of Psilocybe cyanescens.
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the modern history of the world, dysphoric reactions resulting from both the accidental and deliberate ingestion of psilocybian mushrooms have shared a small place in the scientific and medical literature. The earliest reported ingestion of psilocybian mushrooms are from the 2nd century of the last millennium (Li, 1977; Yu, 1959). Such intoxication's were know to Chinese physicians who described healing procedures under the heading of “cures for the laughing sickness.” The next report involving entheogenic mushrooms ingestion's occurred in Japan during the early the 11 century (Kawamura, 1918; Sanford, 1972). These inebriation's were the results of consuming mushrooms belonging to various species of Panaeolus or Gymnopilus. In the late 1700's, Brande (1799) and Heim (1971) reported on an intoxication in England by one adult and four children involving the species Psilocybe semilanceata. The mushrooms were gathered early in the morning by the father and prepared with food.
Another case study involving mushrooms belonging to the genus Panaeolus was reported by Glen (1816). Although this former case study by Brande (1799) was the result of an accidental ingestion of an inedible yet psychoactive species; similar deliberate intoxication's caused by the ingestion of Psilocybe semilanceata in Great Britain occurred during the late 1970's and early 1980's (Mills, Lesinskas, & Watkinson, 1979; Cooles, 1980; Gartz, 1996; Murray & Murray, 1983; Peden, Pringle & Crooks, 1982; Peden et al., 1981). Other dysphoric intoxication's during the next two centuries were generally the result of eating mushrooms belonging to the genus Panaeolus and/or Copelandia species. Many of these Panaeolus intoxication's also occurred in the northeastern United States during the early 1900's (McIlvaine & Macadam, 1902; Kreiger, 1911; Verrill, 1914; Murrill, 1916); in Australia during the 1940's and early 1950's (Unsigned, 1941; Trotter, 1944; Southcott, 1974; Allen, Merlin & Jansen, 1991).
Also, a few cases involving members of the genus Gymnopilus (Buck, 1964; Walters, 1965) and some possible intoxication's by both Psilocybe and Panaeolus occurred in Africa during the late 1940's and early 1950's (Charters, 1957, 1958a, 1958b; Cullinan & Henry, 1945; Gartz, 1996; Vedcourt & Trump, 1969). Copelandia species have also been responsible for a number of accidental and deliberate intoxication's which resulted in dysphoric reactions (Heim et al., 1966; Stapleton, 1981; Allen, 1998). During the 1980's in the Pacific Northwest, numerous trips to the emergency rooms of hospitals involved the deliberate ingestion of both Psilocybe semilanceata and Psilocybe stuntzii (Norton, 1976; Sherman, 1976; Pollock, 1977-1978).
Additionally, there have also been numerous reported cases of dysphoric reactions due to the consumption of Psilocybe cubensis (Cullinan & Henry, 1945; Charters, 1957, 1958; Stein, 1958; Stocks, 1963; Vedcourt & Trump, 1969; Southcott, 1974; Morton, 1982; Allen, Merlin & Jansen, 1991; Allen & Merlin, 1992). For a more comprehensive study of psilocybian poisoning and treatment, see Lincoff & Mitchell (1977), Rumack & Saltzman (1978) and Allen, Merlin & Jansen, 1991).
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