Updated
The trial record is real, and it is not about the mushroom
Psilocybin has one of the stronger randomised records of anything on this site, for depression and for the dread that comes with a terminal diagnosis. Every one of those trials used a measured synthetic dose with two people in the room for the whole session. That is a different thing from a mushroom, and the difference is most of why the results look the way they do.
Psilocybin
The compound every clinical trial on this page is actually about. The body strips a phosphate off it to make psilocin, which is what reaches the serotonin 2A receptor. Trials use a measured synthetic dose with two people in the room for the whole session, which is a different thing from a mushroom, and the difference is most of why the trial results look the way they do.
Muscimol
What makes fly agaric act, and nothing to do with psilocybin: it works on the GABA-A receptor, the same one alcohol and benzodiazepines reach. It is sold in gummies where psilocybin is illegal, and the human trial record for that use is all but empty.
Magic mushrooms
Psilocybe cubensisPsilocybe cubensisgolden teacher, cubes, San Isidro
Liberty capPsilocybe semilanceataliberty cap, witch's hat
Wavy capPsilocybe cyanescenswavy cap
Flying saucerPsilocybe azurescensflying saucer, azzies
Psilocybe mexicanaPsilocybe mexicanateonanácatl, pajaritos
Blue meaniePanaeolus cyanescensblue meanie, Copelandia
Psilocybe baeocystisPsilocybe baeocystisbottle cap, knobby tops
Fly agaricAmanita muscariafly agaric, fly amanita
Laughing gymGymnopilus junoniuslaughing gym, spectacular rustgillWhere the law stands
Each row was read off the law or the regulator today, and says which. This is not legal advice, it goes out of date without anyone touching it, and a row we could not confirm says so rather than guessing.
| United States (federal) | Psilocybin is listed in Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act. State programs do not change that. | Read today 2026-10-29 |
| United Kingdom | Psilocin and its esters are Class A. Fresh mushrooms containing them were brought within the Act in 2005. | Read today 2026-10-29 |
| Australia | From July 2023 an authorised psychiatrist may prescribe psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. It is not otherwise available. | Could not be confirmed today 2026-10-29 |
| Canada | A controlled substance. A physician may request it through the Special Access Programme for a patient with a serious or life-threatening condition; a patient cannot apply themselves. | Read today 2026-10-29 |
| Oregon, United States | Adults 21 and over may take psilocybin at a licensed service centre with a licensed facilitator. None may be taken away, and possession outside that system remains an offence. | Could not be confirmed today 2026-10-29 |
| Colorado, United States | Licensed healing centres serve adults 21 and over. Personal possession and sharing without payment are not state offences; commercial sale is. | Could not be confirmed today 2026-10-29 |
| France, Italy, and the rest of the EU | Psilocybin is controlled under the 1971 UN Convention, which every member state implements. Read the country profile for the penalty and for whether possession is treated as an offence or a breach. | Read today 2026-10-29 |