What makes the Fly Agaric the most iconic mushroom in the world? And why, despite its prominence, is it so poorly understood? Today on the show we are starting from the ground up to demystify the reputations of this mushroom with cultural anthropologist, Kevin Feeney, PhD. In his book "Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology, & Exploration" Kevin has elaborated on nearly every aspect of this mushroom, finally providing comprehensive literature on this species. We take these 450 pages and present bite-sized answers to all of your Fly Agaric questions.

Topics Covered:

- Ecology, geography, and mycology of Amanita muscaria
- The etymology of The Fly Agaric
- Prevalence in pop culture and pedestrian use amanita imagery
- Pharmacology, especially muscimol & ibotenic acid
- Soma, and the parallels of this sacred drink and the Fly Agaric
- Motifs and archeological evidence of amanita muscaria in ritual use
- Gordon Wasson's influence on interpreting Soma, Viking Berserkers and more


Show notes:

Kevin's Book "Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology & Exploration" : https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Agaric-Com...
Sacred Plants of the Americas Conference: https://chacruna.net/sacred-plants-am...

Kevin's profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...

Soma: https://www.britannica.com/topic/soma...

Amanita muscaria profile: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita...

Gordon Wasson's Soma Report: https://www.amazon.com/Soma-Mushroom-...