Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Amanita muscaria (fly agaric): from a shamanistic hallucinogen to the search for acetylcholine

The paper traces Amanita muscaria from its shamanistic use and the isolation of four active compounds (muscarine, muscimol, muscazone and ibotenic acid) to Henry Dale and Otto Loewi’s demonstration that the parasympathetic transmitter is acetylcholine, which defined muscarinic/cholinergic receptors and paved the way for drugs such as pilocarpine and ipratropium.

Published

March 1, 2018

Journal

Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Authors

Lee, M. R., Dukan, E., Milne, I.