As mentioned above, individuals who use magic mushrooms typically eat them or brew them in tea, and they may often use them in conjunction with other drugs of abuse. In order to prevent younger individuals from experimenting with psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms, a program of education regarding their use and risks can help. For example, the results are extremely positive for the use of psilocybin in the treatment of smoking cessation and depression, Johnson said. Clinical trials have reported that just one to three doses of psilocybin given in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy have helped patients quit their smoking habit, he said.

Currently, no studies have evaluated the long-term effects of repetitive use of magic mushrooms. Since many species look alike, it can be hard to tell the different species of mushrooms apart. It is possible for people to consume poisonous mushrooms, mistaking them for magic mushrooms.

Rock paintings from the Sahara desert that date back at least 7000 years depict mushroom gods and cult-like rituals, indicating to some historians that psilocybin mushrooms were used in deity worship at the time (De Borhegyi 2012). Spanish missionaries who came to the New World wrote about religious uses of psilocybin mushrooms in the sixteenth century (McGraw 2004), and recreational consumption in the Western world popped up in the late 1950s along with the hippie movement. In 1971 the United States outlawed the possession of psilocybin, and research into the compound did not begin until relatively recently. Psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has no accepted medical use, and possession is considered a criminal offense.

For recreational users, misidentification of mushroom species is one of the biggest concerns. Some poisonous varieties of mushrooms in the wild bear a strong resemblance to psilocybin species, according to ProjectKnow. Inexperienced mushroom hunters might not recognize the difference, and could accidentally ingest a poisonous mushroom, which could lead to liver failure or death. Small studies of psilocybin have also suggested benefits as a treatment for alcohol addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The UC Berkeley Center for Psychedelic Sciences reports that psilocybin is legal in the country. The psychedelic LSD was accidentally synthesised in the country by chemist Albert Hoffman. Switzerland now allows for restricted compassionate use in a medical context of LSD and some other psychedelics.

Microscopic characteristics include spores with an apical germ pore and a cellular pileipellis (Quel, 1872; Quélet, 1872). Panaeolus are coprophilic and frequently reported in livestock droppings, including horse, cow, buffalo and elephant dung (Ediriweera et al., 2015; Wang and Tzean, 2015). Non-coprophilic species, such as Panaeolus bisporus, grow in grassy areas (Senn-Irlet et al., Sacred Fruits Mystical Micros 1999). Guzmán (1983) and Singer (1986) recognised Psilocybe in the Hymenogastraceae, and included non-bluing and non-psychedelic species (Redhead and Guzmán, 1985; Stamets, 1996; Guzmán, 2012). Moncalvo et al. (2002) showed the genus to be polyphyletic with psychedelic species grouping the Strophariaceae and non-psychedelic species grouping the Hymenogastraceae (Moncalvo et al., 2002; Matheny et al., 2006). The proposal was accepted unanimously by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi (Norvell et al., 2010).