-
Recently Written
- Foraging for wild mushrooms in Vail, Colorado
- Where and when to find magic mushrooms
- Getting stoned from nature’s pharmacy
- Did Amanita Muscaria influence major religions?
- Sacred use of fly agaric mushrooms
- Did magic mushrooms inspire Xmas legends?
- Are these wild Amanita muscaria mushrooms?
- It is Best to Leave Mushrooms Magic in the Hands of the Healers of Tribes
- Amanita Muscaria effects
- Use of Amanita Muscaria mushrooms
-
Categories
-
Archives
-
Blogroll
-
Admin
Search
Jul
2
Getting stoned from nature’s pharmacy
Filed Under Wild mushrooms |
Is it natural to get high on magic mushrooms? I just read a fascinating column in an Indian newspaper that makes such an appealing argument. “In the Tundra, reindeer eat the beautifully red-capped Amanita muscaria, a mushroom used by Siberian shamans to aid their spiritual journey,” Maneka Gandhi wrote in yesterday’s edition of the Bihar Times. She cited a dozen or so instances of animals in the wild that consume naturally growing hallucinogenic or other mood-altering substances.
For example, “In Sikkim , weary horses consume bitter tea leaves for added energy. Tired pack donkeys in Mexico graze on wild tobacco. During the war, Cambodian water buffaloes and antelopes increased their intake of opium poppies to overcome the stress of the hostilities. In Colombia, jaguars gnaw the bark of yaje, which locals believe, transports them to other worlds. In West Africa, wild boars dig for the hallucinogenic roots of iboga.” and “Bighorn sheep in the Canadian Rockies take great risks to nibble narcotic lichen.”
I was impressed by the amount of research that had to be done in order to create Ms. Gandhi’s enthralling article. I have only cited about half of the anecdotes she reported, leaving out references to birds, bears, bats and bugs who, from time to time, get high on one thing or another.
What I especially enjoyed, however, was the conclusion she drew at the end of her report regarding the reason why such a number of animals and birds use Mother Nature’s pharmacy. “I prefer the theory,” Ms.Gandhi said, “that many birds and animals simply enjoy getting stoned.”
It gives a whole new meaning to the old song that goes something like: “Birds do it, so let’s do it.”
I’ll drink to that. Or ingest some Amanita muscaria mushrooms, perhaps.
The complete column by Maneka Gandhi can be found online at http://bihartimes.com/newsbihar/2008/July/newsbihar02July1.html