MindShift

The Big Story

With its red cap and white spots, Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric, may be the most recognizable mushroom in the world. A new report from RAND suggests it is also one of the most widely used psychoactive mushrooms in the United States. Based on a survey of nearly 10,000 U.S. adults, more than 1% reported trying the mushroom in 2025, making it the third most used psychedelic after psilocybin and MDMA, ahead of ketamine and LSD.

The finding comes amid concern about the mushroom’s risks. Amanita muscaria belongs to the Amanita genus, which includes some of the most toxic mushrooms known. Species such as Amanita phalloides account for roughly 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. While deaths from Amanita muscaria itself are rare and typically require very high doses, adverse experiences are common. According to Amanita expert Kevin Feeney, small amounts can be euphoric, but larger or poorly prepared doses often lead to severe vomiting, delirium, and visual disturbances.

As interest in psychedelics grows, Amanita muscaria sits in an uneasy space: rising in popularity yet pharmacologically unpredictable. Neither the mushroom nor its psychoactive compounds, muscimol and ibotenic acid, are listed as controlled substances. With the mushroom growing naturally across much of the world, outright bans appear unlikely, leaving clearer standards as the main lever for limiting harm.

Science & Innovation

One receptor, two fates. Why do some psychedelics induce hallucinations while others deliver therapeutic benefits without a “trip”? Researchers show that while both types of compounds act through the famous 5-HT2A receptor in the brain, they engage different signaling routes. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the authors found that these differences are due to subtle differences in how a drug sits within the receptor. Guided by these insights, the team engineered a new compound targeting the receptor while avoiding hallucinations. In mice, it produced rapid and lasting antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects.
→ Nature 

Temper your expectations. A new large survey study suggests that psychedelics can be catalysts for major life changes, but far from universally so. Among nearly 4,000 U.S. adults who had used psychedelics, roughly one in five to one in four users reported a major life change they attributed to their experiences, most commonly shifts in relationships, health behaviors, substance use, or religious beliefs. Such changes were more likely among younger users, those who were more religious, and people with higher lifetime psychedelic use. The authors stress that while these transformations are often described as positive, they are not guaranteed and may be highly context-dependent.
→ Scientific Reports

Lessons from Europe. A new article reviews the status of psychedelics in Europe, drawing lessons from long-running limited-access programs in Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The authors argue that the future of psychedelic therapy depends not only on what works for a given condition, but also on “what works, for whom, and under what circumstances.”
→ The Lancet Regional Health 

Safety standards at retreats. Surveying 48 psychedelic retreats, researchers found wide variation in how participant health and safety are managed. All organizations collected medical histories, and about two-thirds excluded individuals with certain health conditions. Only 32 retreats had a licensed healthcare professional or staff trained in emergency response present on site. The authors highlight the need for standardized safety guidelines for psychedelic retreats.
→ JAMA Network Open

Society & Policy

You’d better cook it off. Lanmaoa asiatica has long been a popular food in the Chinese province of Yunnan. There, it is common knowledge that, if not thoroughly cooked, this mushroom can induce hallucinations in the form of little elf-like people, otherwise known as "lilliputian hallucinations". During peak mushroom season, local hospitals treat hundreds of cases coming in with complaints about tiny people crawling under their doors or on their furniture. The active ingredient of Lanmaoa remains unknown, but whatever the compound may be, it produces unusually long trips lasting one to three days.
→ BBC 

High hopes. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s enthusiasm for facilitating the clinical use of psychedelics sparked hope among mental health advocates, patients, and biotech. His enthusiasm, however, has yet to move the needle and is instead fueling growing frustration among stakeholders.
→ POLITICO

The latest updates on the regulation front. So far, 2026 has seen an active legislative landscape, especially at the state level.

• New Hampshire - Legislators introduced a bill to legalize the medical use of psilocybin. → House Bill 1809

• Mississippi - The House voted in favor of a framework for researching the efficacy of ibogaine in treating opioid use disorder and other mental health conditions. → Senate Bill 2561

• Washington State - Lawmakers have introduced two bills proposing state-regulated psychedelic programs modeled on those in Oregon and Colorado. → Senate Bill 5201 and House Bill 1433

• Oklahoma - The Oklahoma Breakthrough Therapy Act was filed. The bill focuses on establishing a framework for ibogaine clinical trials in the state. → House Bill 3834

• West Virginia - Legislators introduced a bill to fund clinical trials and research on ibogaine, aiming to secure FDA approval for its use in treating mental health conditions. → House Bill 4626

• US Federal - The Expanding Veterans’ Access to Emerging Treatments Act was introduced to establish a research program for testing novel therapies, including psychedelics, for veterans with mental health conditions. → House of Representatives Bill 7091

• Europe - Switzerland is treating patients, the Czech Republic opening tightly supervised therapies, and France is holding back. → Radio France International

In brief

Stigma. An Army veteran is stopped from becoming a firefighter over brief psychedelic use during chemotherapy for brain cancer. → KSAT 

Tuning in. A jazz drummer and a researcher at the University of Maryland, Nikolas Alejandro Francis, studies how psychedelics affect sound perception. → The Baltimore Sun

To bring back ecstasy. Columbia University and MAPS launch a study of MDMA-Assisted couple therapy. → maps.org

FDA, not so fast. Trump administration officials vetoed the FDA’s plan to fast-track Compass Pathways’s psilocybin treatment for severe depression, overruling agency leadership. → STAT

A pioneer's profile. Read about the legacy of Max Rinkel, the first doctor in North America to work with LSD.  → The New York Academy of Sciences

Size matters. From microdosing to going all in, the amount of a psychedelic taken shapes both the user’s experience and its therapeutic effects. → Psychology Today

Legal but out of reach. Financial and logistical barriers limit access to psilocybin therapy, even in states where the drug is legally available. → New York Times

Anarchy in the UK. Psychedelics remain illegal in the UK, but the rise in clinical trials has pushed the government to pursue licensing exemptions. → BBC

Le trip de trop. A former French senator is on trial after allegedly spiking an MP’s drink with MDMA as part of an attempted sexual assault. → The Guardian

Hallucinatory finances. Some Americans are pouring their savings into high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies and psychedelic stocks. → Moneywise

Psychedelic psychiatry, reviewed. A summary of psychedelic therapeutics in psychiatry, from clinical evidence and dosing, safety, and blinding challenges, to what lies ahead. → Neuropsychopharmacology 

A trip from the bush. Australian scientists have begun studying local species of acacias containing psychedelic compounds such as DMT. → Sydney Morning Herald

In Colorado’s healing centers. Reporters visited state-licensed centers where psilocybin can be administered to adults 21 and older. → Colorado Public Radio

Run it, drop out. An ultramarathon runner microdoses psilocybin to see if it impacts human endurance. → Outside

If you have a little more time

God in the grey zone. Psychedelic churches are popping up. What they all have in common is knowing how to leverage a legal grey zone to freely distribute millions of dollars’ worth of Schedule I drugs to thousands of congregants. This interview peeks into how the government decides whether a belief system counts as a sincere religion, with a legal expert explaining how he helps his clients create and defend psychedelic churches. A process that often involves helping clients write their own version of the Bible, plan ceremonies, define religious garb, and even establish holidays.
→ NPR (audio)

The ethical predicament: when psychedelic researchers use psychedelics. “Many entered the field because of their own experiences,” says author Ian Reardon in STAT. In fact, a survey suggests that personal use concerns up to 85% of scientists studying psychedelics. Such a situation favors expectancy bias and alters the outcomes. To solve these issues, he advocates “scoped transparency”, when researchers disclose limited information about their personal use, for example, through conflict-of-interest forms and ethics review.
→ STAT