Mushroom Sparks Shared Visions of Tiny People

University of Utah researcher investigates the compound behind the unusual hallucinations

Feb. 1, 2026 at 3:23pm

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A University of Utah researcher is studying Lanmaoa asiatica, a wild mushroom found in China and the Philippines, that causes people who eat it to experience the same hallucination of seeing tiny people on their clothes, plates, and walls. The mushroom, formally described only in 2015, produces a compound that is not psilocybin but still triggers these "lilliputian hallucinations" when the mushroom is undercooked.

Why it matters

The unusual shared visions sparked by this mushroom have piqued the interest of researchers, who are eager to understand the compound responsible and how it produces such a specific and consistent hallucinogenic effect. Decoding the secrets of L. asiatica could provide insights into the human brain and perception.

The details

Biology doctoral candidate Colin Domnauer of the University of Utah is leading the research effort to analyze L. asiatica and identify the compound behind the visions. Doctors in China's Yunnan province have traced the shared hallucinations of tiny people to this wild mushroom, which has also been found in the Philippines. The visions occur when the mushroom is undercooked, suggesting the compound is sensitive to heat or preparation.

  • L. asiatica was formally described by researchers in 2015.
  • Domnauer, a University of Utah biology doctoral candidate, is currently leading the research into the mushroom.

The players

Colin Domnauer

A biology doctoral candidate at the University of Utah who is leading the research effort to analyze Lanmaoa asiatica and identify the compound behind the visions it produces.

Lanmaoa asiatica

A wild mushroom found in China and the Philippines that causes people who eat it to experience shared hallucinations of seeing tiny people, formally described by researchers in 2015.

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What they’re saying

“It sounds like a movie plot: A group of people eat a mushroom and all see the same thing—tiny people on their clothes, on their plates, and climbing up walls.”

— Rachel Nuwer (BBC)

What’s next

Domnauer and his team at the University of Utah will continue to study the compound in Lanmaoa asiatica that triggers the shared visions of tiny people, with the goal of better understanding the neurological mechanisms behind this unusual hallucinogenic effect.

The takeaway

The discovery of a mushroom that consistently produces the same specific hallucination across multiple people has captured the fascination of researchers, who see it as an opportunity to gain new insights into the human brain and perception.