Medicinal Mushrooms in Guatemala.

Guatemala, located in Central America, has a long and rich history in the traditional use of edible, medicinal, and hallucinogenic mushrooms. This article describes the use of these mushrooms and presents studies on the scientific validation of native and foreign species.

New Studies on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: History, Diversity, and Applications in Psychiatry.

This paper is a review of the new studies or new explanations of the hallucinogenic mushrooms, regarding their diversity, history, traditions, and problems in their recreational use, new taxonomic studies, and their modern applications in medicine, all of them since the 1970s to the present.

The Japanese hallucinogenic mushrooms Psilocybe and a new synonym of P. subcaerulipes with three asiatic species belong to section Zapotecorum (Higher Basidiomycetes).

The subtropical Japanese bluing mushroom Psilocybe subcaerulipes, described by Hongo, has several synonyms: P. argentipes by Yokoyama (also from Japan), P. taiwanensis by Guzman and Yang (from Taiwan), and P. thaizapoteca by Guzman, Ramirez-Guillen, and Karunaratna (from Thailand). The study of the holotypes and others specimens of these mushrooms shows that they have basidiospores, pleurocystidia, cheilocystidia, and several other important taxonomic features in common, as well as habitat. Recent discussions of all Japanese hallucinogenic species of Psilocybe and their neurotropic effects are also considered.

Pleurotus opuntiae (Durieu et Lév.) Sacc. (higher Basidiomycetes) and other species related to Agave and Opuntia plants in Mexico-taxonomy, distribution, and applications.

Pleurotus opuntiae is an important mushroom from xerophytic temperate regions of Mexico, as parasite or saprobe on Agave and Opuntia. Discussions on the taxonomic relationships of P opuntiae with P djamor, P. agaves, P. levis, and P. yuccae are presented, of which P. agaves is a synonym of P. opuntiae, and P. yuccae is a synonym of P. djamor. This latter and P levis are close species of P. opuntiae. The traditional uses of P opuntiae and P. djamor as food and remedy for several health problems, and also to get a traditional alcoholic drink from the Agave, are also considered.

Ganoderma oerstedii (Fr.) murrill (higher Basidiomycetes), a tree parasite species in Mexico: taxonomic description, rDNA study, and review of its medical applications.

We present a description of macro- and microscopic taxonomical features of a medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma oerstedii, based on Mexican specimens from the states of Chiapas, Morelos, Sinaloa, and Veracruz, and discuss its relationships with species of the G. lucidum complex. A phylogenetic study based in rDNA sequences of a specimen of G. oerstedii from Veracruz is presented, as well as a review of traditional and modern uses in medicine.