kl-17-mush-M

Comment

Comment by Bruce Grenville on December 10, 2017 at 3:22am

Kemp Land 2017 Mushrooms set, mint. Amanita muscaria, Psilocybin cubensis, etc.

The small Antarctic country of Kemp Land issued this set of five stamps in 2017, as part of its campaign to save the mushrooms of Planet Earth.

Here is the full set.
===

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric (75c stamp), is a basidiomycete mushroom, one of many in the genus Amanita. It is also a muscimol mushroom. Native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, & is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous & coniferous trees.

One of the most iconic toadstool species, the fly agaric is one of the most recognisable & widely encountered in popular culture.

Although classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare. After parboiling—which weakens its toxicity & breaks down the mushroom's psychoactive substances—it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, & North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol.

Psilocybe cubensis (15c stamp) is a species of psychedelic mushroom whose principal active compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. Commonly called shrooms, magic mushrooms, or goldtops, it belongs to the Hymenogastraceae family of fungi. It is the most well known psilocybin mushroom due to its wide distribution & ease of cultivation.

Panaeolus subbalteatus ($3 stamp) is a very common, widely distributed psilocybin mushroom. Psilocybin is similar in structure to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is associated with mood regulation, appetite, sleep, learning & the cardiovascular system among others. Thus psilocybin may disrupt the actions of serotonin, accounting for its effects such as restlessness, increased heart rate, & inability to concentrate.

Like some for your collection?  I am happy to trade.