Citizen scientists discovered two new species of psychedelic mushrooms in South Africa, publishing their findings in the journal Mycologia. Named Psilocybe maluti and psilocybe ingeli, these species are among the few psychoactive mushrooms reported in Africa, a continent with a relative lack of mycology research compared to countries like Mexico, where the traditional use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms has been well recorded. The newly-discovered fungi are members of the Psicolybe genus, which currently contains around 140 species of mushrooms worldwide.
Psilocybe ingeli and P. maluti are the second and third Psilocybe species to be described from South Africa, after P. natalensis. The blue-bruising mushrooms were found in 2021 and 2023 respectively, growing on bovine manure-enriched grasslands. P. maluti has a particularly distinctive appearance: its cap is elongated and pointy like an elf hat, and never fully opens up like most mushrooms.
“Although there are no studies on the origin of the genus Psilocybe, it is possible that the genus originates from Africa,” the paper’s authors write. “There are undeniably more South African species [to be found].” Shockingly, this brings the total count of endemic Psilocybe discovered from Africa so far to a grand total of four.
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Psilocybe maluti is the first psychedelic mushroom known to have been used in traditional African medicine. Basotho healers in the region where these mushrooms were found are divided into two types: the “linohe” are similar to diviners who use medicinal plants like the psilocybe maluti to foresee the future. The second type of healer, known as “ngaka-chitja,” has deep expertise in plants and herbs, but does not possess the powers of divination.
The Basotho healers use Psilocybe maluti to induce a trance-like state. The healers make a brew by steeping the mushrooms in warm water. They then combine the mushrooms with an extract of Boophone disticha, a hallucinogenic bulbous plant known as the “Sore Eye Flower” because its pollen can prompt headaches and sore eyes. In addition to causing strong visuals, Boophone disticha has analgesic (pain-killing) and sedative effects, and has been used for treating wounds as well as hunting by a multitude of South African tribes.
After ingesting the combination of psilocybe maluti and Boophone extract, the patient is placed in front of a reflective surface and tells the healers about the hallucinations and visions that they see in the reflection. The healer then interprets these visuals to answer the patient’s spiritual questions. According to the study, this is the only recorded firsthand report of hallucinogenic mushrooms being used traditionally in Africa, as this knowledge has been passed down through generations by word of mouth.
