Psychedelic fungi containing psilocybin may have played a role in the development of human consciousness a scientific review has suggested.
The study, published in the journal LILLOA, analysed multiple studies involving psilocybin, psilocin and human consciousness. Taking a multidisciplinary approach spanning studies from the fields of biology, ethnobotany, and neuroscience researchers found that psychedelic mushrooms, specifically the Psilocybe genus of the Hymenogastraceae family, had the “potential to trigger significant neurological and psychological effects” in humans.
The findings support the Stoned Ape Theory, a hypothesis proposed by ethnobotanist Terence McKenna in his 1992 book Food of the Gods. McKenna suggested that psychedelic mushrooms were the major evolutionary catalyst behind the rapid expansion of human consciousness.
“At the cerebral level, psilocybin affects various areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the anterior cingulate cortex,” the study authors wrote. “The hypothesis that psilocybin mushrooms may have intervened as a factor in the evolution of human consciousness, either as catalysts for mystical experiences or as drivers of cognitive processes, raises profound reflections on the ancestral interaction between humans and their environment.”
The paper highlights how numerous ancient cultures across the world discovered and studied psilocybin-containing mushrooms, citing a prehistoric cave drawing of a shaman figure clutching mushrooms found in the Tassili caves in the Altas Mountains. This suggests, the authors said, that psychedelic mushrooms have played an important part in the evolutionary process of humans.
As human ancestors Homo erectus move out of forested areas into open planes, they encountered more hooved animals, providing a source of food in the form of meat. Evidence shows that human ancestors followed the migratory roots of these animals, where they would have encountered dung that provides a fertile environment for the fruiting of various species of mushroom, including those containing psilocybin, such as Panaeolus cyanescens and Psilocybe cubensis. Scientific research suggests that the ingestion of these mushrooms could have improved visual perception and fine motor skills, leading to greater hunting success. A greater abundance of food improves reproductive success, giving communities of Homo erectus that consumed psychedelic mushrooms an evolutionary advantage over those who did not.
“From an evolutionary perspective, it is suggested that the ingestion of psilocybin may have contributed to the improvement in visual abilities and reproductive success of communities that made use of these mushrooms,” the authors wrote.
“The origin of human consciousness is one of the great questions facing mankind, and the collected material [in this paper] indicates that psilocybin may have contributed to its early development.”
The quotes in this article were machine-translated from the original Spanish publication.
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Author: Liam O’Dowd
