What is amanita muscaria and why is it dangerous?

Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric, is a toxic mushroom sold in unregulated products with baseless health claims, leading to confusion and harm.

How are unregulated mushroom products harmful?

Unregulated products often contain undisclosed psychoactive ingredients and prescription drugs, with arbitrary dosages, posing significant health risks.

What is being done to address the amanita muscaria market?

The FDA has issued warnings, but federal enforcement is limited, prompting calls for states to implement consumer protections and public education.

Home / Health / Amanita Muscaria: Deadly Fad Masquerading as Health Aid

Amanita Muscaria: Deadly Fad Masquerading as Health Aid

27 Jan

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Summary

Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric, is widely sold despite its toxicity.
Unregulated products often contain undisclosed psychoactive ingredients.
Misleading health claims fuel dangerous consumption of toxic mushrooms.

Amanita Muscaria: Deadly Fad Masquerading as Health Aid

Psychedelic drugs are undergoing serious medical research, with psilocybin showing promise for severe depression and awaiting potential FDA approval. However, this interest has unfortunately fueled the market for more dangerous hallucinogenic mushrooms like amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric. Despite its known harms and lack of medical proof, amanita muscaria products are openly sold due to a regulatory gap.

Unlike psilocybin, amanita muscaria and its compounds are not federally controlled. This has allowed vape shops and online retailers to distribute harvested mushrooms and muscimol-derived products, often with unsubstantiated health claims. A 2024 study revealed a 114 percent increase in Google searches for these mushrooms, and a Rand report estimated 3.5 million American adults used them in 2025.