Did the magic mushroom develop hallucinogenic properties to defend against being eaten by insects? Some scientists believe so.
The hallucinogenic substance that puts the “magic” in magic mushrooms may have originally evolved as a protection against insect attack, according to a new study. The same chemicals that make humans “trip” may also repel insects by manipulating their brain chemistry and save the mushrooms from being eaten, according to a team of scientists led by Professor Jason Slot, a fungus specialist at The Ohio State University. They arrived at the conclusion after studying the genetics of different magic mushroom lineages.
I won’t go into some of my experiences back in the 70’s regarding the issue at hand…but, suffice to say, the bugs have good reason to not eat those things.
