Why do mushrooms produce pleasant hallucinogens instead of deadly poisons?
The pleasant (or unpleasant) psylocibene molecules produced by some mushrooms (Psylocibe) do create some interesting effects as do many other plant compounds. However, many mushrooms do produce toxins that even in small amounts can be fatal. DO NOT eat any wild mushroom unless you are or with an expert in fungus identification. You may only get sick but you may die from kidney failure or any other number of horrible painful deaths. As to why hallucinogens are produced at all may depend on propagation of that particular species. One animal’s euphoria may be another animal’s pleasant taste. Ruminants eat shrooms all the time with no ill effects but their metabolism and digestive tracts are far different than ours.
