Culture & History

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Study

Traditional Healers in Southern Africa Use a Psilocybin Mushroom

Traditional Healers in Southern Africa Use a Psilocybin Mushroom

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

Interviews with Basotho healers documented traditional use of Psilocybe maluti for initiation, healing and protection.

Interviews with Basotho healers documented traditional use of Psilocybe maluti for initiation, healing and protection.

How solid is it?

Early human

Early human

Human – observational/survey

Human – observational/survey

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Psilocybe maluti

Psilocybe maluti

Compound

psilocybin

psilocybin

Sample size

26 healers and 8 non-healers

26 healers and 8 non-healers

Published in

OSF Preprints

OSF Preprints

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Ancestral Mushroom Use

Ancestral Mushroom Use

Basotho healers and non-healers in southern Africa reported using Psilocybe maluti, a psilocybin-producing mushroom found in Lesotho and South Africa, for initiation, healing, recreation, and protection. In interviews with 26 healers and 8 non-healers, 15 healers and 6 non-healers independently identified the mushroom, and 5 healers described adding it to a psychoactive initiation brew used to intensify dreams and visions. The findings expand documented traditional psilocybin use beyond the Americas and show a different pattern than Western clinical or Mesoamerican models: smaller doses, mixed preparations, and use as one tool within a broader healing system.

Basotho healers and non-healers in southern Africa reported using Psilocybe maluti, a psilocybin-producing mushroom found in Lesotho and South Africa, for initiation, healing, recreation, and protection. In interviews with 26 healers and 8 non-healers, 15 healers and 6 non-healers independently identified the mushroom, and 5 healers described adding it to a psychoactive initiation brew used to intensify dreams and visions. The findings expand documented traditional psilocybin use beyond the Americas and show a different pattern than Western clinical or Mesoamerican models: smaller doses, mixed preparations, and use as one tool within a broader healing system.

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