Amanita muscaria is not a federally scheduled controlled substance, and the CDC’s 2024 report on Virginia gummies described it as currently legal, while psilocybin mushrooms are a Schedule I drug. Louisiana restricts the mushroom, and state rules can differ, so check where you live. Selling it in gummies is the harder question: the FDA has concluded that using the mushroom in food fails its general recognition of safety criteria.
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| Federal status | Not federally scheduled; the CDC described it as currently legal in 2024, but the FDA says it is not authorized for conventional food. Psilocybin is a DEA schedule I substance. |
| Louisiana | UC San Diego says sales are restricted there; ACMT says Louisiana has banned the mushroom. |
| Gummies in food | The FDA memo of September 9, 2024 concludes food use fails general recognition of safety criteria. |
| When effects start | Symptoms in reported intoxications begin within 30 minutes to two hours, according to the FDA memo. |
| Most serious reported outcome | Seizures, coma, respiratory depression and death in severe poisonings, per the FDA memo. |
| Label accuracy | CDC testing found unlabeled psilocybin or psilocin in four of six gummy bags. |
Is Amanita muscaria legal under federal law?
Amanita muscaria is not a federally scheduled controlled substance, and the CDC described it as currently legal in 2024, though the FDA says it is not authorized for use in conventional food. Psilocybin, the compound in magic mushrooms, is a DEA schedule I substance. UC San Diego researchers suggest the growing market for Amanita muscaria may be sparked in part by emerging clinical research on psilocybin. Per UC San Diego, Google searches for Amanita muscaria rose 114 percent from 2022 to 2023.
TIME, reporting through the American College of Medical Toxicology’s reprint of its mushroom edibles article, says Amanita muscaria and its constituents are legal for U.S. consumers to possess, except in Louisiana. Possessing the mushroom and selling it as a product are different questions, covered below.
Is Amanita muscaria legal in California?
California sets its own rules, separate from federal law. Check California’s current rules directly before you buy or possess the mushroom. That check answers this question for you.
The state restriction reported by UC San Diego and ACMT is Louisiana’s. If you are ordering an edible, confirm the seller ships to your address before you pay. For the wider picture on psychedelic laws, read are psychedelics legal.
Are Amanita muscaria gummies legal to sell?
This is where the confusion starts. UC San Diego reports that many manufacturers use supplement labeling, including “Supplement Facts” panels. Eric Leas, the UC San Diego researcher and senior author of the paper, says he cannot find evidence that any of these manufacturers went through the supplement application process, which in his view makes the products sold this way illegal. The FDA has not clearly defined “mushroom edibles,” and ACMT quotes an FDA spokesperson saying the agency makes a case-by-case evaluation to decide whether a product is a drug, dietary supplement or food.
The FDA’s September 9, 2024 memo also addresses a 2022 press release from Psyched Wellness Ltd. that said a GRAS certification allows the company to legally sell its AME-1 products. The memo calls that statement false, and says a GRAS panel’s outcome does not create or confer GRAS status.
The gummy market has also produced serious illness. The FDA memo says that on June 27, 2024, Prophet Premium Blends announced a voluntary recall of all Diamond Shruumz brand products. As of July 9, 2024, the FDA had received 58 case reports of illness linked to the recalled products, including 30 hospitalizations. TIME reported in October 2024 that the FDA told consumers not to use Diamond Shruumz products and that at least three deaths had been potentially linked to the investigation.
What is in Amanita muscaria gummies?
The CDC’s Virginia investigation tested five brands of mushroom gummies sold as nootropics or psychedelics. Investigators found unlabeled psilocybin or psilocin in four of the six bags tested. Caffeine, ephedrine and mitragynine, an opioid agonist also known as kratom, also turned up. The table below lists what the CDC identified in each brand.
| Brand (as named in the CDC report) | Compounds identified by CDC testing |
|---|---|
| Diamond Shruumz Sour Peach Apple | Psilocin |
| Diamond Shruumz Rainbow | Psilocin and caffeine |
| Urb Magic Amanita Mushroom Watermelon | Psilocybin, psilocin, hordenine and 2-phenethylamine |
| Wonderland Legal Psychedelics Cherry Nirvana | Psilocin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, caffeine and mitragynine |
| Psilly’s Legal Psychedelic Mushrooms Fruit Punch | Ephedrine |
| Tryp mushroom gummies | None identified |
The CDC lists muscimol, ibotenic acid and muscarine as undetermined in the gummies it tested, and warns that package labels might not accurately represent the contents. Ask any seller what the milligram figure measures and which compounds a batch report covers.
What does a 500 mg Amanita muscaria gummy mean?
A milligram figure on a label may describe the weight of mushroom material or extract the maker lists, rather than a measured amount of muscimol or ibotenic acid. The CDC’s testing showed labeled content can differ from what is inside. Ask the seller whether the 500 mg figure refers to mushroom powder, extract, or a measured amount of muscimol or ibotenic acid before you buy.
What is Amanita muscaria, and how does it work?
Amanita muscaria, often called fly agaric, has a red cap with white spots. The USDA Forest Service describes its historic use among northern European and Asian shamans and its role in winter solstice traditions. For a fuller overview, read what is amanita muscaria.
The psychoactive effects come mainly from muscimol, which a 2025 case-report paper in Acta Medica Lituanica describes as a highly selective agonist of GABA-A receptors. Ibotenic acid converts to muscimol when the mushroom is dried or heated, lowering toxicity while keeping the psychoactive effect. The same paper notes that psychoactive effects are often misread as psilocybin-like, but muscimol acts on GABA-A receptors rather than the serotonin 5-HT2A receptors psilocybin activates.
Can you trip off Amanita muscaria, and is it hallucinogenic?
Yes, it has psychoactive effects. UC San Diego describes reported effects as a feeling of weightlessness, visual and auditory hypersensitivity, space distortion, unawareness of time and colored hallucinations. The FDA memo lists hallucinations, drowsiness and delirium among the central nervous system effects of consumption.
The experience is not the same as psilocybin. Leas says muscimol is a sedative whose effects can feel more like alcohol intoxication, with possible blackouts at high doses. The CDC notes that Amanita muscaria is used less commonly as a hallucinogen than psilocybin mushrooms because it can cause agitation, gastrointestinal upset and seizures. For a side-by-side comparison, read amanita muscaria vs psilocybin mushrooms.
How long does an Amanita muscaria high last, and what does it feel like?
The FDA memo says symptoms in reported intoxications begin within 30 minutes to two hours after consumption. Duration and severity vary with the amount taken. In case reports summarized by the FDA, some people had delirium, hallucinations or paranoid psychosis lasting as long as five days. Another case described a coma lasting 72 hours.
UC San Diego describes weightlessness, visual and auditory hypersensitivity, space distortion and unawareness of time. ACMT calls muscimol a sedative, and reports that Leas compares the experience to alcohol intoxication. Reported effects also include drowsiness, confusion, loss of coordination, agitation, nausea and vomiting, and the CDC records rapid heart rate and chest pain in some adults.
Is Amanita muscaria fatal, and can it kill you?
Yes. The FDA memo says severe Amanita muscaria poisoning has been reported with seizure, coma, respiratory depression and possible death. The memo summarizes a 44-year-old man who presented in cardiac arrest after eating six to 10 dried mushrooms and died after nine days of symptomatic care. The memo also cites two lethal cases from the Norwegian Poison Information Center between 2011 and 2022.
The CDC says anyone who experiences symptoms after consuming these products should seek immediate medical attention. For more on poisoning signs and timing, read amanita muscaria poisoning symptoms and safety.
Does Amanita muscaria cause brain damage, and is it hard on the liver?
The case summaries in the FDA memo describe acute effects: seizures, coma, delirium and hallucinations. The FDA memo does not say whether eating the mushroom causes lasting brain damage. If you have symptoms after consuming one of these products, get medical care right away and ask about any lasting effects.
The FDA memo describes effects on the central nervous system, the gut, heart rate and breathing. For liver concerns, ask a clinician. The FDA memo’s case summaries focus on the nervous system and digestion.
Are there health benefits, and which mushroom is best for mental health?
Most of the benefits people talk about come from user reports and early laboratory research. A recent study of members of Facebook groups for Amanita use, described in the 2025 Acta Medica Lituanica paper, found that men cited stress relief (77.8 percent), alleviating depressive symptoms (74.5 percent) and managing insomnia (64.3 percent) as reasons for use. Women cited skin-related issues (85.7 percent) and pain relief (58.7 percent).
The research on muscimol is preclinical or specialized. The FDA memo notes animal (non-human primate) studies of intracerebral muscimol infusions aimed at drug-resistant epilepsy, and a small registered study of muscimol infusions for Parkinson’s symptoms. Preclinical work suggests possible sedative, neuroprotective and cognitive effects, and the 2025 paper says clinical trials would be needed to confirm any of them. UC San Diego quotes Leas saying there may be some pharmaceutical potential to Amanita muscaria, but that muscimol would not have the same treatment applications as psilocybin.
Of these mushrooms, psilocybin is the one with a clinical trial record. UC San Diego points to emerging research on psilocybin for depression, and the FDA loosened restrictions in 2023 so drug developers and scientists can run psilocybin trials. If mood or sleep is the goal, talk with a clinician about the options that fit you.
Could I just make Amanita muscaria at home?
Home preparation is where the risk sits. The FDA memo says Amanita muscaria is poisonous and may not be rendered edible by cooking. In a study the memo cites, boiling or soaking reduced ibotenic acid and muscimol, but toxic components remained at measurable levels after boiling. Drying or heating converts ibotenic acid to muscimol, which the 2025 paper says reduces toxicity while keeping the psychoactive effect. Foraging wild mushrooms is also hard: the 2025 paper notes that historically most cases came from misidentification, while in 2023 all four reported Lithuanian poisonings were intentional.
What are the Amanita muscaria side effects, and who should avoid it?
The side effects reported across the CDC, FDA and Lithuanian case reports are listed below.
| Effect | Where it is reported |
|---|---|
| Hallucinations, agitation, stomach upset and seizures | CDC report on Virginia gummies |
| Rapid heart rate, confusion, anxiety or sleepiness, nausea and chest pain | CDC report on four adult emergency visits |
| Sleepiness and vomiting in a 3-year-old child who ate two gummies | CDC report |
| Flushing, fever, enlarged pupils, vomiting and diarrhea | FDA memo, on the pantherine-muscarine syndrome |
| Sweating, small pupils, excess saliva and slowed heart rate, linked to muscarine | FDA memo |
| Tremors, breathing failure, dizziness and paranoia | 2025 Acta Medica Lituanica case report |
| Coma, seizures, respiratory depression and death in severe poisoning | FDA memo |
The FDA memo says pregnant people, infants and young children must be considered separately in any safety assessment, and it raises concern that the compounds may affect neurodevelopment. The CDC documented a hospitalization after a three-year-old ate two gummies. Keep all mushroom edibles out of children’s reach.
Is Amanita muscaria extract different from gummies?
Extracts appear in tinctures, powders and gummies. The CDC report lists Psilly’s gummies as containing fly agaric extract and hemp-derived extract, and it found ephedrine in that product. Wonderland’s listed Amanita extract came with psilocin, DMT, caffeine and mitragynine in testing. A lab study cited in the 2025 Acta Medica Lituanica paper found that trehalose in commercial Amanita muscaria extracts significantly increased IL-8 levels and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in brain cells. To understand what the extract name means on a label, read amanita muscaria extract.
Is Amanita muscaria safe for a drug test?
The CDC says urine drug screens commonly used in health care facilities do not usually detect the substances it identified in these gummies. Ask a poison control center or local health authority if you need further testing.
Before you order
- Confirm the seller ships the specific item to your state, especially if you live in Louisiana, and check California’s current rules.
- Read the full ingredient panel instead of relying on “legal psychedelic” or “nootropic” marketing.
- Ask what the milligram figure measures and request the batch report, including which compounds it covers.
- Read the seller’s refund terms before you pay.
- Keep all mushroom edibles away from children.
- If you have symptoms after consuming one, seek immediate medical attention, as the CDC advises.
For a product-and-price overview after you understand the legal and safety picture, read amanita muscaria gummies guide. If you are weighing specific brands, best amanita muscaria gummies covers the product questions in one place.
By HealthDataConsortium.org Research Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.
