Aztec bald head

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Aztec bald head
Aztec bald head (Psilocybe aztecorum)

Aztec bald head ( Psilocybe aztecorum )

Systematics
Class : Agaricomycetes
Subclass : Agaricomycetidae
Order : Mushroom-like (Agaricales)
Family : Trussling relatives (Strophariaceae)
Genre : Psilocybe
Type : Aztec bald head
Scientific name
Psilocybe aztecorum
R. Heim

The Aztec bald head ( Psilocybe aztecorum ) is a species of fungus of the genus Psilocybe , from the family of the Strophariaceae relatives . Within the species, there are at least two varieties , P. aztecorum var. Aztecorum and P. Aztecorum var bonetii .

features

Macroscopic features

The bottom of the hat with the slats

The fungus forms small, moist fruiting bodies . The hat is golden yellow or caramel brown when young, with age the color fades to a brownish gray or even matt white. It is hygrophan and partly curls. This allows strong variations in the tint. Depending on the fluid intake, this ranges from dark chestnut brown to straw yellow or whitish in dry conditions. The shape is bell-shaped or hemispherical, over time an umbrella-shaped flattening takes place, the appearance is then blunt-hunched. The surface is sticky-slimy and has a certain transparency. The lamellae appear in moisture along the hat brim, strip-shaped through. They are close together and have grown rapidly. Their color is dark purple near the inside of the hat, further outside pale brown or gray, with whitish edges. Up to three lamellets can be mixed in. The hollow stem is 0.2 to 0.5 cm thick and 3.0 to 7.5 cm long. It is either straight or clearly twisted. Its color ranges from whitish-gray to cream-colored, sometimes it is spotted blue. The texture is smooth, fibrous and silky hairy, sometimes white-flaky. The velum partiale, which is present in the young stage, disappears quickly, but leaves a transient ring residue on the upper part of the stem. There is a slight thickening towards the top. There are white rhizomorphs on the slightly bulbous stem base . In contrast to other (bruising) bald heads, the stalk tends to turn greenish-blue when pressed or injured. The flesh is white, yellowish or yellow-reddish. In the hat, a yellow rusty red predominates, in the stem a matt cream. The smell is mild. The taste of the mushroom is a bit floury and bitter.

Microscopic features

The thick-walled spores measure (10.4) 12 to 14.0 (17) × (6) 6.6 to 7.7 (8.8) μm, the wall thickness is about 1 to 1.5 μm, those of the bonetii variety are (9) 10 to 13.0 (14 ) × 6.0 to 7.5 (8.0) μm slightly smaller. They each have a wide germ pore. The shape is oblong-elliptical, usually tapering at both ends. Every now and then there are spores that are particularly long. The spore print is brown-purple or blackish-purple. The 24 to 33 × 6.6 to 8.8 μm large basidia can be 1- to 4-spore, the most common being 4-spore. You are hyaline , e.g. Some with a yellowish tone and roughly cylindrical in shape. Some are slightly narrowed in the middle.

The abundant cheilocystids form a sterile band on the edge of the lamellae, their dimensions are 20 to 45 × 5 to 8.2 μm. Their thread-like neck is about 6 to 11 × 1.6 to 2.5 μm in size. The pleurocystids are partially forked and branched. The subhymenium consists of spherical cells that are interwoven with the hyphae . The resulting layer is hyaline to yellow or brownish.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

The species was first mentioned in 1956 by the French mycologist Roger Heim , after the ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson sent him a wild collection of the species from Paso de Cortés . Since only dried specimens were available for the analysis, Heim limited himself to examining the spores, calling them “longer and thinner” compared to the Mexican bald head ( Psilocybe mexicana ). It was renamed a year later by him (previously P. mexicana var. Longispora ) and official description of the nature.

In 1978, Gaston Guzmán and participating Mexican mycologists made further emendations . This resulted in clear distinctions in the color of the hat, its strong hygrophanity , the rhizoids at the base of the stem cells and the size of the spores. It was also found that the species lives in contrast to P. mexicana lignicol. The same publication also contained the description of the variant P. aztecorum var. Bonetii , which has significantly smaller spores. Originally, Guzmán described this as a separate species , Psilocybe bonetii , around 1970 .

The specific epithet aztecorum refers to the central Mexican populations and implies the occurrence in the former Aztec area. The naming resulted from the demonstrably ceremonial use, which was practiced long before the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors . The bonetii variety is named after Federico Bonet , who worked at the Mexican Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas during his lifetime .

Species delimitation

The main reason for confusion is the Indian "doppelganger" Psilocybe pseudoaztecorum (after Guzmán), which can only be identified through the inequalities of the pleurocystids and cheilocystids, such as the lack of a filamentous cystid neck.

The sulfur heads ( Hypholoma ), Helmlinge ( Mycena ) and Häublinge ( Galerina ) should be mentioned as habitually similar genera .

The genus related Psilocybe pelliculosa is native to the Pacific Northwest of the USA and Canada, but the fresh fruit bodies can be confused due to superficial similarities. Your hat is more conical-bell-shaped than spherical-hemispherical, the hat skin can be easily peeled off. Another very similar-looking species, Psilocybe baeocystis , is native to northwestern North America, from British Columbia to Washington and Oregon , it has thinner cheilocystids (20–32 × 4.4–6 micrometers, for example ) than P. aztecorum and the rarer pleurocystids only occur near the edge of the lamella. The species P. quebecensis is only known from the Québec region and is therefore endemic in Canada according to current knowledge . Although the tribal history of the American species is not clear, Guzmán suggests that Psilocybe aztecorum could be the ancestor of P. baeocystis in northwest North America and P. quebecensis in northeast North America. The fact that the Aztec Baldhead is only known from a few central Mexican states to date largely rules out any confusion with other Psilocybe species. The same applies to the close relatives Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe caerulescens , which are widespread throughout Mexico, and which occasionally share locations and occur under similar growth conditions.

Furthermore, the pointed conical bald head ( Psilocybe semilanceata ) native to Europe can look similar to the species P. aztecorum when viewed superficially , since the hats of the two mushrooms hardly differ in color when young and that of P. aztecorum is just as conical in shape. The South African Psilocybe natalensis shares the property of fading when drying, although it has an almost pure white surface when it is fresh. The species is habitually more similar to Psilocybe cubensis .

Only through a comparative microscopic examination can clearer differences between many bald heads be determined.

Popular names

The synonyms of the species coincide in meaning with those of the Mexican bald head.

Aztec (Nahuatl): Apipiltzín , Nahua apipiltzin , teu-nanacatl , tejuinti , teyhuinti nanacatl , Xochinanacatl ("flower meat")

Spanish : dormilon " late sleeper "; niños , »boys«, niño de las aguas (»child of the water«)

ecology

Young fruiting body with white rhizomorphs

Psilocybe aztecorum lives as a saprobiont on dead plant material, such as rotten, rotting wood, leaves and, more rarely, pine cones. However, the species also feeds on conifers parasitically (lignicol) and occasionally grows on their living branches. Suitable habitats are meadows or light (open), grassy forests, where P. aztecorum occurs in symbiosis with grasses such as Festuca tolucensis and Muhlenbergia quadridentata , as well as a lady 's mantle species, Alchemilla procumbens . Piles of mushrooms, about 5 to 20 fruiting bodies, often occur in alpine pine forests (cf. Pinus hartwegii ). The growth is partly tufted. Both varieties appear to be endemic to Mexico. Suitable growth conditions are only achieved in mountain regions, at altitudes of 3,200 to 4,000 m. The only difference in habitat of the bonetii variety is that it prefers humus as a substrate and has so far only been found in coniferous forests of the Montezuma pine ( Pinus montezumae ) and the sacred fir ( Abies religiosa ). Only central Mexican occurrences are known.

The growing season extends from August to October. Occurrences are reported, for example, in the vicinity of Paso de Cortes and the central Mexican states of Puebla and Tlaxcala . Other populations are from other very high mountains in central Mexico, such as B. Sierra Nevada , La Malinche, Nevado de Toluca , Popocatépetl , the Paso de Cortés and the Desierto de los Leones National Park known. The bonetii variety grows on the slopes of the Iztacihuatl above the tree line , at altitudes of around 3000 to 3500 meters.

It is believed that previously undiscovered populations could be found in the mountainous regions of the states of Nuevo Leon, Veracruz, Colima, and Chiapas. The ecology there is similar to that of the habitats already discovered.

Active ingredients

Psilocybe aztecorum primarily contains the indole alkaloids psilocybin and psilocin . 0.2% psilocybin and traces of psilocin were found in the dried mushroom, the concentration of which is usually higher in fresh samples. However, the rather unstable material decomposes to a large extent in the drying process. The psilocybin is quickly metabolized in the body to psilocin, which is actually the psychoactive compound. In the bonetii variety , nothing indicates the presence of the hydrolysis product psilocin. The discovery of the psychedelic effective hallucinogen psilocybin passes to the Swiss pharmacologist Albert Hofmann back, the substance was in 1958 for the first time through it, from the Mexican bald head ( Psilocybe mexicana , isolated).

Psychoactive effect

The psilocybin is taken orally so that it can be absorbed in the digestive tract . It disintegrates through combustion, such as smoking . The effects usually set in after 20 to 30 minutes. With small amounts stimulating or relaxing effects can be observed, with higher doses changes of the sense of sight, hearing and touch occur. Colors are perceived with greater contrast, the perception of time can vary, and synesthesia is occasionally reported. The effects are similar to those of LSD , but the high lasts only 3 to 8 hours.

Slight dizziness, dilated pupils, nausea and vomiting, and less often headaches and palpitations are also indicated. Lethal doses can hardly be reached by consuming fresh mushroom material.

meaning

Depiction of the "flower god" Xochipilli in a raptured state

Xochipilli is the Aztec god of flowers . Its aspects represent love and beauty. The indigenous people considered singing, play and dance to be his arts. The Aztec name of the mushroom, Xochinanacatl ("flower meat"), illustrates the sacred reference to the deity. The stone statue (see picture), an artifact dating back to the mid-16th century, was found during excavations at the foot of Popocatepetl near Tlamanalco. It shows Xochipilli sitting cross-legged on an ornamental, temple-like base. Posture and expression of the body, the crossed legs, the upturned head, the wide-open eyes and the tense jaw, indicate an ecstatic state of consciousness of the deity. The figure is covered with reliefs of various flowers. They show some of the indigenous ritually significant plants, tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum ), Ololiuqui ( Turbina corimbosa ), Sinicuichi ( Heimia salicifolia ) and Cacahuaxochitl ( Quararibea funebris ) could be identified. For the first time by G. Wasson, the stylized, mandala-shaped mushroom reliefs, which are integrated on all four sides of the base, on the knees, right forearm and headdress, were interpreted as cross-cut fruiting bodies of Psilocybe aztecorum . The convex shape of the curved mushroom caps is said to show them just before ripening. At the cubic base there are many smaller reliefs, which in the form of a double circle result in the hat and the characteristic "hat button" of the mushroom and are shown in plan view .

In the 16th century, the scientifically unnamed species was identified by the Spaniard Bernardino de Sahagún as "Teonanácatl" ( meat of the gods , sacred meat ) , alongside Psilocybe caerulescens and Psilocybe mexicana , which underlines the assumption of its early use as an entheogen . The missionary and ethnologist Sahagún was also the first European to write about the use of bald heads in Aztec culture. His twelve-volume Codex Florentinus , an edition of the Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva España , written on behalf of the Frays Francisco Toral , was intended to provide the church with information on the "idolatry of people and nature in New Spain". The writings led not least to the colonial era prohibition of the “mushroom cult”. To this end, Sahagún sent a memorandum on the Aztec rites to Pope Pius V in Rome in 1570 , which u. a. led to further inquisitorial measures in what was then New Spain . From today's perspective, the Florentine Codex is the most extensive source of Aztec culture . The following section of the major works relates in particular to the mushroom:

"[...] They are called Teonanacatl," flesh of the gods ". They grow in the plains, in the grass. The head is small and round, the stem long and thin. It's bitter and itchy, and it burns in the throat. He makes you foolish; he confuses you, harasses you. It is a cure for fever, for gout [...] "

The mushroom is still well known in central Mexico and is used in rituals , especially in Oaxaca . For indigenous people are there, the Mixtecs , Zapotecs and Mazatek -Indianer. The statements of the now popular, Mazatec shaman Maria Sabina in relation to the effectiveness of mushrooms (cf. Psilocybe caerulescens , Psilocybe mexicana ) only led to the discovery of psilocybin and the subsequent pharmacological research on bald heads worldwide. Many Nahuatl -speaking Mexicans in the Popocatépetl region are familiar with the effects of the species that are common there. The veladas practiced under the influence of the mushroom are becoming increasingly rare in the course of the far-reaching modernization of the country. The traditional Mexican healers (curanderos) still use the mind-changing effects of the local bald heads for healing purposes. The mushrooms are often taken by the healer for diagnosis alone, or given to the patient . It deals with both psychological and social conflict situations of the person to be treated, the fungus takes on a "psycholytic" role. The depth psychological effects of psilocybin have also been investigated more recently. Feelings of fear and depression in the context of cancer and post-traumatic stress disorders could be better prevented or prevented. Similar methods for curing mental illnesses are also known in the indigenous context from other plants (cf. Ololiuqui ).

swell

  • J. Ott: Hallucinogenic Plants of North America. (= Psycho-mycological studies. Volume 1). Wingbow Press, Berkeley 1976, ISBN 0-914728-16-4 .
  • A. Hofmann, R. Heim, A. Brack, H. Kobel., A. Frey, H. Ott, T. Petrzilka, F. Troxler: Psilocybin and Psilocin, two psychotropic active ingredients from Mexican intoxicating mushrooms. In: Helvetica Chimica Acta. XLII (1959), pp. 1557-1572.
  • MycoBank - Psilocybe aztecorum

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b G. Guzmán: The Genus Psilocybe: A Systematic Revision of the Known Species Including the History, Distribution and Chemistry of the Hallucinogenic Species. In: Supplements to Nova Hedwigia. Issue 74 (1983), J. Cramer, Vaduz, Germany
  2. ↑ G. Guzmán: Variation, distribution, ethno-mycological data and relationships of Psilocybe aztecorum, a Mexican hallucinogenic mushroom. In: Mycologia. 70 (2), 1978.
  3. ↑ G. Guzmán: New species of Psilocybe of the section caerulescentes from the Mexican conifer-g forests. In: Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas Mexico. 17 (1-4) (1970), pp. 9-16.
  4. ↑ K. Natarajan, N. Raman: A new species of Psilocybe from India. In: Mycologia. 77 (1) (1985), pp. 158-161.
  5. ^ Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ethnomedizin (2007), Vieweg: Curare . Volume 30, issues 1–3.
  6. ↑ a b c d C. Rätsch: Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants. AT-Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-03800-352-6 .
  7. ^ G. Guzmán: Inventorying the fungi of Mexico. In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 7 (1998), pp. 369-384.
  8. ^ A. Hoppe: Gymnosperms, cryptogams, animal drugs. Volume 2, de Gruyter, 1977, ISBN 3-11-084414-1 , p. 134.
  9. ↑ J. Ott: Detection of psilocybin in species Of Psilocybe, Panaeolus and Psathyrella. In: Lloydia . 39 (4): 258-260 (1976).
  10. ^ LE Hollister: Clinical, Biochemical and Psychologic Effects of Psilocybin. In: Archives Internationales de Pharmacadynamie e de therapy. 130, pp. 42-52 (1961).
  11. ^ G. Wasson: The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica. NY - McGraw-Hill, New York 1980, ISBN 0-07-068443-X .
  12. ↑ P. Granziera: Concept of the garden in pre-Hispanic Mexico. In: Garden History. 29 (2) (2001), pp. 185-213.
  13. ↑ M. Spinella: The psychopharmacology of herbal medicine: plant drugs that alter mind, brain, and behavior. MIT Press, 2001, ISBN 0-262-69265-1 .
  14. ↑ G. Guzman: The Genus Psilocybe: A Systematic Revision of the Known Species Including the History, Distribution and Chemistry of the Hallucinogenic Species. In: Supplements to Nova Hedwigia. Issue 74 (1983), J. Cramer, Vaduz, Germany
  15. ^ M. Kloeckner: Sahagún and the religion of the Aztecs. Grin Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-638-99947-5 .
  16. ^ Bernardino de Sahagun: Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. Book 11 (XI), p. 7.
  17. ^ G. Wasson: Maria Sabina and Her Mazatec Mushroom Velada. Harcourt, New York 1976.
  18. ↑ S. Hoogshagen: Notes on the Sacred (Narcotic) Mushrooms from Coatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico. In: Oklahoma Anthropological Society Bulletin. 7, pp. 71-74 (1959).
  19. ↑ T. Leary, R. Metzner, M. Presnell, G. Weil, R. Schwitzgebel, S. Kinne: A New Behavior Change Program Using Psilocybin. In: Psychotherapy. Vol. 2, No. 2, July 1965, pp. 61-72.
  20. ↑ T. Leary, GH Litwin, R. Metzner: Reactions to Psilocybin Administered in a Supportive Environment. In: Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 137 (1963), pp. 561-573.
  21. ↑ Psychedelic drugs support psychotherapy for cancer patients. ( Memento from December 31, 2010 in the web archive archive.today ) In: Epoch Times. May 27, 2010.
  22. ↑ Cannabis and Co: From addictive substance to drug. ( Memento from August 2, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) In: innovations-report . September 3, 2010.

Web links

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