Ethnomycology

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Ethnomycology is the study of the historical uses and sociological impact of fungi, most specifically psychoactive mushrooms such as Amanita muscaria (toadstool) and those containing psilocybin, and can be considered a branch of both mycology and anthropology, and a subfield of ethnobotany. The amateur researcher Richard Gordon Wasson rekindled interest in this field of study in the late 1920s, inspiring later researchers such as James Arthur and Terence McKenna.

Ethnomycology is primarily the description of mushroom use in the world's cultures. "Paleo-ethnomycology" speculates about the use of mushrooms in ancient cultures, relying on the study of cultural artifacts (such as cave paintings, sculptures and texts), on the basis of which core proponents have hypothesized that rites and traditions based on the psychedelic experience were an integral part of many ancient cultures (Greek, South American, African, etc.)

While Wasson views historical mushroom use primarily as a facilitator for the "shamanic" or "spiritual" experiences core to these rites and traditions, McKenna takes this further in his book, Food of the Gods, positing that the ingestion of psilocybin was perhaps primary in the formation of language and culture and identifying psychedelic mushrooms as the original "Tree of Knowledge". There is indeed some research supporting the theory that psilocybin ingestion temporarily increases neurochemical activity in the language centers of the brain and, though this is hardly enough to substantiate McKenna's ambitious claim, it does indicate a need for more research into the uses of psychoactive plants and fungi in human history.

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