Everything about Ethnomycology totally explained
Ethnomycology is the study of the historical uses and sociological impact of
fungi (a.k.a. "fungi lore"), and can be considered a subfield of
ethnobotany or
ethnobiology. Although in theory the term includes fungi used for such purposes as
tinder, medicine and food (including
yeast), it's often used in the context of the study of psychoactive mushrooms such as
psilocybin-containing mushrooms,
Ergot and
Amanita muscaria. By analogy to the term
entheogen the term "entheomycology" (ἔνθεος entheos meaning literally "
god within", more freely translated "inspired") has been suggested for the study of
psychoactive mushrooms used for
spiritual purposes.
The amateur researcher
Robert Gordon Wasson rekindled interest in this field of study in the late
1920s, inspiring later (sometimes non-academic) researchers such as
Terence McKenna,
Carl Ruck,
Giorgio Samorini,
Keewaydinoquay Peschel,
Richard Evans Schultes,
John Allegro,
Clark Heinrich,
Dan Merkur, and
James Arthur.
Besides mycological determination in the field ethnomycology depends to a large extent on
anthropology and
philology. One of the major debates among ethnomycologists is Wasson's theory that the
Soma mentioned in the
Rigveda of the
Indo-Aryans was the
Amanita muscaria mushroom. Following his example similar attempts have been made to identify psychoactive mushroom usage in many other (mostly) ancient cultures, with varying degrees of crediblity. Another much written about topic is the content of the
Kykeon, the
sacrament used during the
Eleusinian mysteries in
ancient Greece between approximately
1500 BCE and
396 CE. Although not an ethnomycologist as such,
philologist John Allegro has made an important contribution suggesting, in a book controversial enough to have his academic career destroyed, that Amanita muscaria wasn't only consumed as a sacrament but was the main focus of worship in the more
esoteric sects of
Sumerian religion,
Judaism and
early Christianity. Clark Heinrich claims that Amanita muscaria use in Europe wasn't completely wiped out by
orthodox Christianity but continued to be used (either consumed or merely symbolically) by individuals and small groups such as
medieval Holy Grail myth makers,
alchemists and
Renaissance artists.
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, 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.
The
1990s saw a surge in the recreational use of
psilocybin mushrooms (a.k.a. "shrooms") due to a combination of a psychedelic revival in the
rave culture, improved and simplified cultivation techniques, and the distribution of both the mushrooms themselves and information about them via the
internet. This "mushrooming of mushroom use" has also caused an increased popularization of ethnomycology itself as there are many websites and internet forums where mushroom references in
Christmas and
fairy tale symbolism are discussed. It remains open to interpretation what effect this popularization has on ethnomycology in the academic world, where the lack of verifiable evidence has kept its theories with their often far-reaching implications shrouded in controversy.
Further Information
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