If you have read our book "Unlocking the power of Amanita Muscaia Microdosing: A Masterclass", you will already have a good idea of how far back the history of the fly agaric and its seemingly magical powers goes. For everyone else, we would like to give you a little insight into its history today, because it is not considered "the all-rounder fly agaric" for nothing - a remedy for pain and sleeping problems that is thousands of years old!
50,000 years and more
Yes, you read that right! The Amanita muscaria and its entheogenic power (a spiritual, all-encompassing experience-triggering effect) has been known to us humans for half an eternity! At the beginning of the era in which it was consumed, however, it was apparently mainly about its psychoactive effect rather than physical healing. Why? Well, it is safe to assume that many modern diseases of civilization did not even exist tens of thousands of years ago! It has now been sufficiently proven that high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer, autoimmune diseases and the ubiquitous allergies only emerged in the modern age! This is mainly due to our diet, which is based less and less on natural products, environmental toxins, stress and, unfortunately, the consumption of chemical medicines.
However, cave paintings in Australia and Algeria prove that our prehistoric ancestors were well aware of the benefits of fly agarics! While the elders of the Aboriginal tribes saw them as stars that had fallen from the sky and were therefore considered sacred and should never be eaten, only a few thousand years later Nordic cultures were already using them regularly for certain purposes.
(Source: openculture.com) Amanita Muscaria remedy for pain and sleeping problems
Once around the world
Amanita muscaria can be found almost everywhere on earth. It prefers to grow in symbiosis with birch trees or conifers wherever it is not too hot or too dry. Due to the ever-changing climate since the earth was formed, the zones in which the fly agaric grows also change. Basically, however, apart from desert regions, it can be found almost everywhere on the globe; sometimes more, sometimes less.
Amanita muscaria myths
Of course, how could it be otherwise, there are also some mythical stories surrounding the fly agaric, which we will probably never be able to decipher exactly. Basically, however, it doesn't matter whether we regard them as legendary or true: It's more about the message behind them! And virtually all the stories surrounding Amanita Muscaria have this in common: it has the ability to make you grow beyond yourself!
We find the legends surrounding the most important god of the Norsemen aka Vikings particularly exciting. Odin, who was the "chief" of Valhalla, the place where brave warriors went after bravely serving in battles and falling, is said to have gained his knowledge and wisdom from the Amanita muscaria.
It is also said that the Vikings liked to consume plenty of Amanita muscaria before their raids and important wars. It is said that the fly agaric brew they drank made the warriors brave and aggressive.
Amanita muscaria is also mentioned in the mysteries of ancient Greece in the Dionysus mysteries. The situation was similar in the Roman Empire, where a clear connection can be drawn between the fly agaric and the Mithraic Mysteries.
Written tradition
The earliest written reference to the consumption of Amanita muscaria as medicine is probably found in the Sanskrit hymns of the Rigveda 1 (also known as the Rig Veda), one of the four parts of the Vedas. They are known as the oldest sacred scriptures of Hinduism and date from 1500-500 B.C. There, "soma" is described as an intoxicating drink that was used for certain rites. It is assumed that this drink, probably based on Amanita Muscaria, gave those who consumed it supernatural, even divine powers. It can be assumed that soma was used thousands of years before it was written down. In Book 8, Hymn 4, stanza
3 it states:
"We have drunk Soma and have become immortal;
We have attained the light that the gods have discovered.
What harm can the malice of the enemy do us now?
What, O immortal one, is the deception of mortal man?"
Further mentions in writing - Amanita Muscaria remedy for pain and sleeping problems
According to other references, the Amanita muscaria was also used by ancient Indian cultures in Central America. Amanita muscaria is actually mentioned by name for the first time in writing in the 13th century, as far as is known. In his work "De vegetabilibus", Albertus Magnus refers to Amanita Muscaria as a "fly killer".
Reports on the consumption and effects of Amanita Muscaria, which are still documented today, really took off between the 17th and 18th centuries! Numerous diaries and complete works by a wide range of authors give a deep and very detailed impression of the customs and uses of fly agarics at the time.
But oops, now we've talked so much that we've already reached the capacity of this blog article! Now what? Just follow us here to part 2 of; "The all-rounder Amanita muscaria" - a thousand year old remedy - the interesting and revealing history of the Amanita muscaria and its uses! Here is Part 2 of this Blog.
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