Toxic 'Magic' Mushroom Gains Popularity Despite Dangers

Amanita muscaria, a hallucinogenic fungus, is being sold openly despite risks of poisoning and lack of proven medical benefits.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 7:15pm

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Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin are being studied for medical uses, but the unregulated sale of the toxic mushroom amanita muscaria has surged, fueled by misinformation and aggressive marketing. This poses serious risks, as amanita muscaria can cause confusion, agitation, and even seizures, coma, or death in severe cases. Products containing the mushroom's psychoactive compound muscimol are being sold with unsubstantiated health claims, and testing has found they often contain undisclosed additional substances.

Why it matters

The rise of amanita muscaria products highlights the dangers of a loosely regulated market for psychoactive substances, where consumers have no way to know what they are actually ingesting. This uncontrolled growth could undermine public trust in the legitimate medical research into psilocybin and other psychedelics. States will need to step in with consumer protections like age restrictions, marketing limits, and mandatory product testing.

The details

Unlike psilocybin, which is federally controlled, amanita muscaria and its psychoactive compound muscimol are not scheduled substances, allowing a fast-growing consumer market to emerge. Products derived from the mushrooms are now sold widely, often marketed with unsupported health claims. Testing has found these products can contain a mix of undisclosed substances including prescription drugs, making dosage arbitrary and dangerous. The products are also packaged in ways that appeal to children, raising further safety concerns.

  • In 2024, federal officials investigated a rash of 180 illnesses linked to amanita muscaria products, potentially associated with 73 hospitalizations and 3 deaths.
  • A 2024 study found that Google searches for the mushrooms increased 114% in just one year.
  • A newly-released Rand report estimated that 3.5 million American adults used amanita muscaria in 2025.

The players

Amanita muscaria

Also known as the fly agaric, this fungus is instantly recognizable by its bright red cap dotted with white spots. It has been associated with hallucinogenic effects for thousands of years, but can be highly toxic, causing confusion, agitation, and dangerous changes to blood pressure and heart rate.

Eric C. Leas

A public health professor at the University of California at San Diego who believes the surge in amanita muscaria use is partly due to consumers conflating these mushrooms with the more studied psilocybin.

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What they’re saying

“A lot of companies are looking for a new edge in the competitive market of loosely regulated psychoactive substances and trying to capitalize on consumers' interest in mushrooms.”

— Eric C. Leas, Public Health Professor, University of California at San Diego (Washington Post)

What’s next

Louisiana has already added amanita muscaria to its list of prohibited substances, and other states could adopt basic consumer protections such as age restrictions, limits on marketing that appeals to children, and mandatory testing to ensure product labels accurately reflect contents.

The takeaway

The rise of amanita muscaria products highlights the dangers of an unregulated market for psychoactive substances, where consumers have no way to know what they are actually ingesting. This uncontrolled growth could undermine public trust in the legitimate medical research into psilocybin and other psychedelics, underscoring the need for stronger state-level consumer protections.