[HN Gopher] The mushroom making people hallucinate tiny humans
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The mushroom making people hallucinate tiny humans
Author : 1659447091
Score : 83 points
Date : 2026-01-22 10:30 UTC (12 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.bbc.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.bbc.com)
| pstuart wrote:
| This sounds like a variation of Machine Elves --
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine#Entity_enco...
|
| Those are primarily associated with DMT (the one time I tried it,
| I too had such an encounter and I didn't know it was a thing
| until years later).
|
| I'm sure I'll be corrected on this but I _think_ DMT and
| Psilocybin ultimately affect the same pathways so it 's just more
| evidence that Machine Elves are real! (/s on the real part).
| emymin wrote:
| The mushrooms that the article talks about do not contain
| psilocybin (it's still not clear what psychoactive compound
| they contain), but you are correct in that DMT and psilocybin,
| at comparable doses, have extremely similar subjective effects.
| Teknomadix wrote:
| Avid conosour of both DMT and Psilocybin and would not
| characterize the effects as "extremely similar". Psychedelic
| yes, but profoundly different at their core in heroic doses--
| at least from my vantage point.
| tastyfreeze wrote:
| Just curious, nn-DMT or 5meo-DMT? I haven't tried either
| but have heard nn-DMT to be more the machine elves type
| experience and 5meo-DMT to elicit a feeling of not existing
| in the physical world anymore.
| temp0826 wrote:
| Usually when people just say DMT they mean nn-DMT (which
| is a lot more visual/weird and can bring on the "elves"
| at breakthrough dosage). 5-meo-dmt(/bufo) is much more of
| a felt thing, but can definitely have some visual effects
| (I usually get enveloped in the bright white light of god
| before dissolving into everything/nothing, ymmv).
| pstuart wrote:
| Same vantage point here (with sample size n=1 on the DMT
| front).
| Teknomadix wrote:
| >"It's not psilocybin that's giving the L. asiatica mushrooms
| their lilliputian effect"
|
| Unknown compound ATM.
| pstuart wrote:
| Yeah, my comment was a bit loose, but I think it's likely
| that the pathways are ultimately arriving at the same
| destination.
|
| I've done plenty of psychonaut adventures in the past but it
| was only that one experience with DMT that actually gave that
| experience -- but it was also the only time in which I
| completely disengaged from local reality.
| WarmWash wrote:
| They are both serotonin analogues, but they definitely yield
| different experiences.
|
| In chemistry it often only takes a single atom difference to
| totally and radically change a molecule's properties.
| pstuart wrote:
| It would be fascinating to have research into what is
| effectively manifesting the experience.
|
| My (extremely limited) understanding is that humans are
| "hardwired" for pattern recognition (especially faces) --
| could there be some sort of ROM equivalent of "this pattern
| is another human" that gets engaged by the chemical
| experience?
| duskwuff wrote:
| Maybe. It's certainly the case that there are areas of the
| human brain which are specifically associated with
| recognizing faces, like the fusiform face area - it's an
| intrinsic capability of the brain, not one that's learned.
| But I'm not certain that's sufficient to explain what's
| happening here. Increasing the activation of that area
| would most likely result in a person perceiving _faces_
| everywhere (e.g. an extreme form of pareidolia), not entire
| humanoid figures.
| pstuart wrote:
| Malkovich? Malkovich! --
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpev8JXJHQ
| tim-tday wrote:
| Yes, but where can I get some?
| Teknomadix wrote:
| Yes, also curious where you might locate a few kilos of said
| fungi?
| amanaplanacanal wrote:
| There are other species of the same genus that grow in
| southern Europe and north America, but if any contain the
| same compounds they don't appear in the literature. More
| research needed.
| ge96 wrote:
| Common Side Effects? (show)
| codyklimdev wrote:
| Great show!
| echelon_musk wrote:
| Previous discussion:
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46393936
| CrzyLngPwd wrote:
| But can we grow them in the UK?
| theturtlemoves wrote:
| > "It sounded so bizarre that there could be a mushroom out there
| causing fairytale-like visions reported across cultures and
| time," Domnauer says.
|
| Now I'm kinda curious whether fairy tales are the result of these
| visions or the other way around. Probably both.
| dwroberts wrote:
| Wonder if it will turn out to be related to muscimol that is in
| amanita mushrooms, as that is always described as more delirious
| and dream-like
| creeble wrote:
| Almost all of the reports from people I know who have done
| ayahuasca have reported seeing "elves". It's not only common,
| they say it's not a "valid" trip unless you do, and even converse
| with them.
|
| Though I don't know any reports of profound conversations.
| randomtoast wrote:
| I have done ayahuasca and many people report seeing something
| like this: http://pbmo.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/machine-
| elf-2.jpg I can say from my personal experience, that this is
| only one possible "hallucination" although quite common.
|
| > it's not a "valid" trip unless you do You can definitely have
| a life-changing experience without encountering machine elves.
| smt88 wrote:
| Feels like now that I've seen it, it could become a self
| fulfilling prophecy
| Klonoar wrote:
| The idea that there is one "valid" trip is essentially
| gatekeeping and should be pushed back on whenever it comes up.
| It leads to one of the more unhealthy sides of the psychedelic
| experience - nobody should feel that they have to continually
| chase something that's not happening for them.
|
| Like, I know at least two people who've done it in group
| settings with people who saw "elves" and they themselves didn't
| see any.
|
| "Valid" as a descriptor is probably best replaced with
| "average".
| temp0826 wrote:
| Fwiw having drank ayahuasca hundreds of times, I've never seen
| elves (have seen plenty of other weird stuff though). Only
| times have been with breakthrough doses of smoked dmt. I
| guarantee it doesn't make it any less/more valid. There are so
| many more profound things to see, I don't know why people get
| so hung up on elves lol (if you ever experience meeting the
| medicine of a master plant/tree spirt during a traditional
| dieta you'd be flabbergasted).
| tasty_freeze wrote:
| > having drank ayahuasca hundreds of times
|
| I have some earnest questions, and please take it in that
| spirit, though I realize these might easily be interpreted as
| being negative.
|
| To disclose, I've done LSD probably 15 times and 4-ACO-DMT
| three or four times. I haven't done it in years and I'm OK if
| I never do them again. LSD no longer hits the same way it
| used to such that the unpleasant parts now far outweigh the
| good parts.
|
| Getting back to my questions, I've been under the
| understanding that ayahuasca can be punishing (vomiting,
| scary trips) but people often find it was worth it due to the
| insights they gain in the process. After the first handful of
| trips, are you still finding out new things? Are you so
| familiar with the terrifying aspects that they are no longer
| terrifying? Or are you lucky that the good aspects are still
| worth the price of admission? Is the driver for you insights
| or just the novel experiences which arise?
|
| My wife's therapist went on an ayahuasca retreat and said it
| was like going through a wringer emotionally but it was
| really worth it. It had me wondering if maybe I should try
| it. A year later the therapist did it again and said it was
| like going through a ringer every night for four nights and
| she got nothing from it. :-(
| temp0826 wrote:
| I'm a bit of a different case, have been
| volunteering/working at retreat centers in Peru and Mexico
| for the last 6 years (and am somewhat of an apprentice in a
| particular tradition).
|
| There are tough parts physically sure, you mostly get used
| to those parts, sometimes I'll have long stretches of not
| vomiting and sometimes it'll be every (or multiple times
| per) ceremony.
|
| As far as "finding out new things", we often use this
| analogy of layers of an onion (of which you tend to cry
| more with each layer coming off :)). Breaks between
| sessions to integrate are needed- after a retreat you might
| find that some of your baselines have shifted, and you need
| to find your new normal (or make changes in your life to
| break out of the old patterns you didn't realize you were
| stuck in because it was just normal/programmed and not a
| choice previously). After you've adjusted/integrated other
| things may begin to surface that were just overshadowed by
| the energies you've cleaned up before. (A good shaman has
| cleaned themself to the point that their own energies no
| longer dominate their vision, and they can "see" outside
| themselves to diagnose/heal others). Anyways sometimes the
| physical side effects are just too much for some people and
| it's understandably not the modality for them...if you
| spend your ceremonies being entirely consumed by those
| effects, you can still make progress drinking with a good
| shaman (though it might be a few ceremonies before you get
| your head above water).
|
| I still get surprised (especially with master plant diets).
| Ayahuasca isn't addictive but I think for some of us there
| is an intellectual addiction to it. The scary ones are the
| ones I look forward to now :).
|
| I'm very biased but I'd only recommend doing retreats that
| offer master plant diets in a traditional Shipibo context
| if you're looking to make lasting changes. The master
| plants (adjunct plants taken alongside ayahuasca) offer a
| whole other dimension that ayahuasca alone doesn't even
| scratch the surface of. A weekend retreat in someone's
| garage might be ok for a "tuneup" or to see where you're at
| once in a while, but it's not the place for deep work or
| for someone new imo (and you risk opening a box that you
| won't have time to wrap your head around).
| nine_k wrote:
| Can't help but remember this wonderful story:
| https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/04/21/universal-love-said-th...
| itronitron wrote:
| Some friends of mine in college were sitting in a cave,
| tripping, when a group of actual little people (not elves)
| walked past them.
|
| _The universe finds a way..._
| vjvjvjvjghv wrote:
| I didn't see elves but I saw a dark jungle with a big cat's
| reflective eyes looking at me. Kind of cool.
| surfsvammel wrote:
| In my youth I experimented with hallucinogenic drugs. Having
| shared hallucinations are very easy. It often just requires that
| someone give you an idea of a hallucination, or someone tells you
| what they see, and your brain will make you see it as well.
|
| Maybe people know these things make you see small people, and
| then they are primed to do so.
| ACCount37 wrote:
| In the brain, expectations modulate perception. If your
| perception is breaking down, expectations can control how.
| hmokiguess wrote:
| So smurfs?
| JohnLeitch wrote:
| >Current tests suggest it is not likely related to any other
| known psychedelic compound. For one, the trips it produces are
| unusually long, commonly lasting 12 to 24 hours, and in some
| cases even causing hospital stays of up to a week.
|
| Plenty of common psychedelics have durations in excess of 12
| hours. Some even in excess of 24 e.g. high doses of 2C-P. This
| may be a novel compound, but the duration is not necessarily an
| indicator.
| Denatonium wrote:
| Another example, this one deliriant and not psychedelic, is
| atropine/scopolamine, found in certain nightshades, such as
| deadly nightshade, mandrake, plants in the Datura genus, and
| trees in the Brugmansia genus. The chemical weapon QNB, also
| called BZ is another example of a long-acting deliriant.
|
| As far as classic psychedelics go, I've read mescaline
| (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) lasts really long.
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| I read this merely as not likely corresponding to any
| psychedelic compound _known to occur in nature, not that it isn
| 't psychedelic_. Of course, even that isn't a given, since
| there could be some interaction between a known compound and a
| second compound affecting the metabolism of the first one.
| Although the description of its effects doesn't really sound
| like any psychedelic I've tried either, and I've tried quite a
| few
|
| I'm still open to it being psychedelic(primarily acting on the
| 5-HT-2 receptor family) though. It could just be that there's
| enough folklore surrounding these mushrooms in the local
| culture to explain the very specific effects. After all,
| cultural beliefs are a part of "set and setting".
| jeffwask wrote:
| Make sure it's fully cooked or you may see little people is a
| wild table side instruction.
| DonaldFisk wrote:
| Here's the Wikipedia article, which provides more information:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucinogenic_bolete_mushroom
|
| Dennis McKenna, mentioned in the article, is the brother of the
| late Terence McKenna.
| ajb wrote:
| Previous discussion:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46393936
| d4tak0w wrote:
| Actually, Amanita Muscaria probably has the same alcaloid, as it
| induces too visions of small people watching you from the
| forest's bushes... Don't ask me how I know it.
| Prof_Sigmund wrote:
| For some reason, this reminded me of the "little people" in a
| genius book, 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.
| jonathanlydall wrote:
| Anyone else initially struggle to parse the headline correctly?
|
| I was curious about "the mushroom making people" who were doing
| the "hallucinating [of] tiny humans".
| tzs wrote:
| It would be interesting if it turned out that they are not
| hallucinations. The tiny people are real but for several hundred
| or maybe thousands of years have been slipping something into our
| food or water that makes it so we don't perceive them. The
| chemical in this mushroom temporarily neutralizes that.
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