You've seen it in Mario, fairy tales, and weird Christmas merch - the iconic red mushroom with white spots. But did you know it's a real thing? And also a psychedelic? And possibly a religious relic? Oh, and people used to drink shaman pee to get high off it? Yeah.
In this episode, we deep-dive into the strange world of Amanita muscaria (aka fly agaric), the real mushroom that inspired Mario's power-up. From Viking berserker legends to Siberian funeral rituals, Santa conspiracy theories, and shoutouts in the Rig Veda, this mushroom has… range.
Also featuring: Bear Grylls slander, psychedelic etiquette, and the sentence "please pee on this mushroom for flavour."
Important links:
1. Super Mushroom in Super Mario — https://mario.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mushroom
2. Trees for Life on Fly Agaric in the Koryak Tribe — https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/others/fly-agaric/fly-agaric-mythology-and-folklore/
3. Rituals of the Koryak Tribe — https://cosmovisions.shop/blogs/psychedelic-plants/fly-agaric-and-the-path-to-the-spirit-world-inside-the-koryak-people-s-sacred-mushroom-rituals
4. "Harvard Divinity School" article — https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/publications/psychedelic-intersections/soma-question-gerety#section1
5. Wikipedia on Rig Veda — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)
6. Harvard Law School article on theft of psychedelic knowledge by the West — https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2024/02/27/psychedelic-inequities-and-unexplored-risk-colonization-commercialization-and-regulation/
Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.
Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week.
Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!
