Nordic Council of Ministers

Jørn Gry

Christer Andersson

Jakob Kristinsson

In some parts of the world mushrooms have had a central role in religious ritual ceremonies. Ethnomycological studies among the Indian tribes of Mexico - the Aztecs and the Chichimecas - revealed the mushrooms to be hallucinogenic. Chemists from a leading Pharmaceutical company took over, isolated and described the mushroom alkaloid psilocybin, that upon dephosphorylation after collection of the mushroom or in the human body, form psilocin that is the active hallucinogenic compound. For a long time psilocybin/psilocin was expected to become a constituent of psychedelic drugs useful for treatment of specific psychoses. As the effect of psilocybin/psilocin resembles that of LSD the isolated compound, as well as mushrooms containing the compound, became popular among recreational users of hallucinogenic drugs in Western America, and from there the habit of using these mushrooms have spread around the world. Psilocybin/psilocin is legally prohibited in many countries which usually treat the compound as a narcotic drug. Some countries also prohibit the use of some or all psilocybin-containing mushrooms. In this respect, the legal situation differs between Nordic countries. Although psilocybin-containing mushrooms are not what Nordic mushroom pickers are trying to find as food or food supplement, there is a risk, admittedly small, that these mushrooms accidentally will be collected. At the present situation, this may be a legal problem in some Nordic countries. This document aims at identifying when this might be the case without going into legal interpretations.

Occurrence and Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Containing Psilocybin Alkaloids

Glycoalkaloids in Tomatoes, Eggplants, Pepper and Two Solanum Species Growing Wild in the Nordic Countries

Mushrooms recognised as edible have been collected and cultivated for many years. In the Nordic countries, the interest for eating mushrooms has increased. In order to ensure that Nordic consumers will be supplied with safe and well characterised, edible mushrooms on the market, this publication aims at providing tools for the in-house control of actors producing and trading mushroom products. The report is divided into two volumes: a. Volume I: “Mushrooms traded as food - Nordic questionnaire and guidance list for edible mushrooms suitable for commercial marketing b. Volume II: Background information, with general information in section 1 and in section 2, risk assessments of more than 100 mushroom species All mushrooms on the lists have been risk assessed regarding their safe use as food, in particular focusing on their potential content of bioactive constituents.

Nordic risk assessments and background on edible mushrooms, suitable for commercial marketing and background lists for industry, trade and food inspection. Risk assessments of mushrooms on the four guidance lists.

Christer Andersson

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