Mannitol in Amanita muscaria - An osmotic blood-brain barrier disruptor enhancing its hallucinogenic action?

Hypothesis have been made that relatively high level of mannitol present in the tissues of fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) enables more efficient transportation of these active substances into the brain and thus enhance their total activity. It may have been supported by the fact that hallucinogenic effect after A. muscaria consumption is greater than after ingestion of an active substance quantity which the eaten fungi dose contain. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.