The Mushroom That Brings Fairy Tales to Life
Based on research and writing by Colin Domnauer, doctoral student, School of Biological Sciences, Natural History Museum of Utah
“Picture this: You’re enjoying a delicious bowl of mushroom soup, when suddenly you notice hundreds of tiny people dressed in cartoonish clothing marching across your tablecloth, jumping into your bowl, swimming around, and clinging to your spoon as you lift it for another taste.
You’re not dreaming — you’ve just experienced the effects of a mushroom known scientifically as Lanmaoa asiatica. It belongs to an entirely different class of fungi than the more commonly known “magic mushrooms” and remains far more mysterious.” — Colin Domnauer
Drawing on years of fieldwork, cultural investigation, and laboratory analysis, Domnauer’s research explores one of the strangest and most consistent hallucinogenic phenomena ever linked to a mushroom. At its centre is Lanmaoa asiatica, a wild edible fungus capable of producing wacky hallucinations — vivid visions of tiny people rampaging through the real world.
Unlike classic psychedelic mushrooms, Lanmaoa asiatica belongs to a completely different branch of the fungal family tree. And despite being consumed for generations, its psychoactive effects have remained largely unexplained — until now.
A Century-Old Mystery from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
The earliest written accounts of this phenomenon date back to 1934, when Western explorers entered the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. There, they observed local communities consuming a mushroom known as “nonda.” After eating it, some individuals appeared to undergo sudden and dramatic shifts in mood and behaviour — a phenomenon outsiders described as “mushroom madness.”
Later ethnographic reports provided a more precise description. Those affected often experienced lilliputian hallucinations, a rare psychiatric syndrome named after the tiny inhabitants of Gulliver’s Travels. One elder recalled seeing “tiny people with mushrooms around their faces… teasing him,” as he tried unsuccessfully to chase them away.
For decades, scientists struggled to identify the mushroom species involved or the chemical mechanisms behind its effects. These unresolved questions form the foundation of Domnauer’s doctoral research.
Yunnan, China: Where the Little People Are Well Known
In southwest China’s Yunnan Province, one of the world’s most mushroom-rich regions, these experiences are far from obscure. Yunnan is home to roughly 40% of all wild edible fungi, and mushroom markets — from street stalls to the largest wild mushroom market on Earth — are a daily part of life.
Here, a mushroom known locally as “Jian shou qing” is both beloved and cautiously respected. When undercooked, it frequently causes hallucinations, most famously visions of “xiao ren ren,” or little people.
In his article, Domnauer recounts a story shared by a professor in Yunnan who, after eating stir-fried mushrooms, noticed swirling colours and shapes. Expecting the familiar phenomenon, he lifted the tablecloth and discovered “hundreds of xiao ren ren, marching like soldiers.”
Even more astonishingly, he described how:
“When I lifted the tablecloth higher, the heads came off and stuck to the bottom of the cloth and the bodies kept marching in place… I measured them too… they were 2 cm high.”
Hospital records in Yunnan support these anecdotes. According to Domnauer’s reporting, 96% of patients affected by Jian shou qing describe seeing little people or elves, often dancing, jumping, or marching through their surroundings.
A Mushroom New to Science — but Ancient to Culture
Despite its long presence in markets, the scientific identity of Jian shou qing remained unknown until 2014. As Domnauer explains, mycologists finally sequenced specimens purchased from open-air markets and discovered the mushroom was new to science. It was formally named Lanmaoa asiatica.
Intriguingly, it is not closely related to known hallucinogenic mushrooms. Instead, it shares closer evolutionary ties with porcini mushrooms, which is Utah’s state mushroom.
Yet cultural references to its effects may stretch back far beyond modern science. Domnauer points to a 3rd-century Daoist text describing a “flesh spirit mushroom” which, when eaten raw, allows one to “see a little person” and “attain transcendence immediately” — an uncanny echo of contemporary accounts.
The Philippines: A Breakthrough Moment
One of the most important contributions of Domnauer’s research comes from the Northern Cordillera of the Philippines, where Indigenous communities collect a mushroom called “Sedesdem.” Esteemed as a food source, it is also known to sometimes produce visions of small beings called the “ansisit.”
Until recently, no scientific surveys had been conducted in this region. In 2024, Domnauer travelled there, working with local guides to collect fungal samples now preserved at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
The result was pivotal: DNA sequencing revealed that Sedesdem is genetically identical to Lanmaoa asiatica — the same species found in Yunnan.
This discovery tied together reports from Papua New Guinea, China, and the Philippines, transforming scattered folklore into a coherent mycological story.
Beyond Myth: A New Frontier in Neurochemistry
As Domnauer emphasises, the consistency of these hallucinations across cultures indicates a shared chemical and neurological basis, not coincidence or exaggeration.
Chemical analyses conducted at the Natural History Museum of Utah have found no known psychoactive compounds in Lanmaoa asiatica. This suggests the mushroom contains an entirely undiscovered hallucinogenic molecule — one capable of reliably producing lilliputian hallucinations.
Animal studies reinforce this conclusion. Mice given extracts of the mushroom show clear behavioural changes, and ongoing research is steadily narrowing down the specific bioactive compounds involved.
Mapping the Evolution of a Psychedelic Lineage
Alongside chemical research, Domnauer is also building a global genomic database of the genus Lanmaoa. This work has already led to the discovery of four new species previously unknown to science and the first clear evolutionary map of the group.
One surprising finding is that L. asiatica’s closest relative grows in North America. While it is rarely eaten and not known to be psychoactive, Domnauer suggests its effects may simply have gone unnoticed.
A Story Still Unfolding
At its heart, this research reveals how deeply intertwined human culture and fungi truly are. From ancient Daoist texts to modern hospital records, from remote forests to cutting-edge genomics, Lanmaoa asiatica bridges folklore and biology in extraordinary ways.
As Domnauer’s work continues, new questions emerge. How many more cultures know this mushroom by other names? How far back does humanity’s relationship with it extend? What might its chemistry reveal about the human mind itself? And who the heck are those elves?!
One thing is certain: as Colin Domnauer’s research shows, even the most familiar foods can hide profound mysteries. Somewhere between the forest floor and the laboratory bench, between fairy tales and neuroscience, the story of this remarkable mushroom is still being written. 🍄✨
