The psilocybin in psilocybin or magic mushrooms is a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S., while the muscimol and ibotenic acid in Amanita muscaria are generally unregulated.

Muscimol is a potent and selective orthosteric agonist for the GABA receptors. While it displays sedative-hypnotic, depressant, and hallucinogenic psychoactivity, it is not considered psychedelic. It is considered a deliriant.

“Fly agaric” is a nick name for the Amanita muscaria mushroom because it attracts and kills flies.

The Amanita muscaria does not contain psilocybin or psilocin. Rather, the active chemicals this mushroom contains are muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine.

The federal government designates psilocybin mushrooms to be a Schedule 1 controlled substance that has no medicinal value and therefore there are no federal regulations designed for testing mushrooms. Because psilocybin and psilocin are Schedule 1 substances, handling or possessing them without DEA authorization is a federal crime and punishable under law. However, the DEA does afford companies the ability to apply for federal psilocybin registration. Under this regulation, a company can be allowed to conduct any of seven activities, including manufacturing, distribution, reverse distribution, research, import, export, and chemical analyses.

Yes, to grow psychedelic mushrooms in the United States, the company must be approved for federal psilocybin regulation with the DEA or in a state with a regulatory agency set up to govern the use of mushrooms, such as Oregon. In order to grow functional mushrooms, cultivators do not typically need a license.