This mysterious mushroom makes people see hundreds of tiny humans
For nearly a century, people in distant parts of the world have reported a bizarre experience after eating certain wild mushrooms: seeing dozens or even hundreds of tiny, colorful humans moving through the real world. Now, scientists have identified a mushroom species, Lanmaoa asiatica, responsible for these extraordinary hallucinations in China and the Philippines.
Key points
- Researchers at the University of Utah used DNA sequencing to identify Lanmaoa asiatica as the mushroom behind Lilliputian hallucinations in Southwest China and the northern Philippines.
- The mushroom showed no evidence of known psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin, suggesting it produces an unidentified hallucinogenic substance.
- The genomic analysis of 53 specimens found 17 species in the Lanmaoa genus, including four previously unknown to science.
People in Southwest China and the northern Philippines have reported seeing tiny human figures after eating certain wild mushrooms. The figures appear to move through the real world, walking around objects and climbing over surfaces. The experience is known as Lilliputian hallucination, named after the miniature inhabitants of "Gulliver's Travels."
A new study led by researchers at the University of Utah used DNA sequencing to identify Lanmaoa asiatica as the mushroom responsible. The findings were published in the journal Mycologia. The authors are Colin Domnauer, a doctoral student at the university, and Bryn Dentinger, a mycologist affiliated with the university and the Natural History Museum of Utah.
No known psychedelic compounds found
The researchers tested the mushroom for established psychoactive substances and found no evidence of any known compounds, including psilocybin. They suggest L. asiatica may produce an entirely unfamiliar hallucinogenic chemical. Isolating that substance is the team's next major objective.
mushroom madness
— researchers describing the effect in Papua New Guinea
What the visions look like
Accounts describe dozens or hundreds of miniature figures between 3 and 30 centimeters tall. According to Domnauer, about 90% of people having the experience describe figures resembling elves, clowns or fairy-like characters in brightly colored clothing. The figures appear to follow physical rules, walking around obstacles and sometimes tumbling from table edges.
The mystery dates back to 1934, when Western researchers learned of similar visions in Papua New Guinea. Chemical testing at the time, including by Albert Hofmann, found no active ingredient. The investigation also identified four previously unknown mushroom species within the Lanmaoa genus.
