Intoxications hy hallucinogenic mushrooms.

In the context of excessive use of natural or synthetic psychoactive substa nces, with stimulating, psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects, an increase , if not a recurrence, in consumption of Psilocybe semilanceata has been ob served in France over some fifteen years, Psilocybin and psilocin are the active compounds, responsible for the hallu cinogenic effects and are a part of the substance group, derived from trypt amine and characterized by an indole nucleus. We report a clinical case observed in an emergency unit and review the hist orical, epidemiological and pharmacological data now available for these in toxications. Of particular interests in hallucinogenic mushroom abuse are: increased consumption in the context of South cultural and entertainment mo vements; possible difficulties in the diagnosis in emergency conditions; po ssibility of severe and fatal complications.