

| During the Past 36 years, North American Ethnomycologist John W. Allen has studied, collected and photographed entheogenic (‘magic') mushrooms from various countries (i.e., North, Central America, Australia and New Zealand, Bali, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam). Additionally Mr. Allen has also photographed mushrooms in some European countries. |
| Mr. Allen is also the author of 10 books including ("Magic Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest" [First published in 1976 and still in print, this small field guide has sold over 100,000 copies] and (Safe-Pik Mushroom Identification Guide) [out of print]. With a forward by Andrew Weil, see above photograph] This latter publication is currently available on the Interent web-site at http://erowid.org |
| Additionally, Mr. Allen also published a mushroom poisoning Identification Poster and is the author of the new journal series Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushroom Studies (Vol. I., María Sabina: Saint Mother of the Sacred Mushrooms; Vol. II., Wasson’s First Voyage: The Rediscovery of the Sacred Mushrooms; Vol. III., Teonanácatl: Ancient and Contemporary Shamanic Mushroom Names of Mesoamerica and Other Regions of the World. Vol. IV., Magic Mushrooms of the Hawaiian Islands; Vol. V., Psilocybian Mushroom Cultivation: A Brief History Regarding the Cultivation, Use and Marketing of Psilocybian Fungi, edited by ethnopharmacognost Jonathan Ott who also wrote a promo for the book which is co-authored by Jochen Gartz; Vol. VI., with Jochen Gartz, Magic Mushrooms In Some Third World Countries; and Volume VII., Mushroom Pioneers: R. Gordon Wasson, Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, Timothy Francis Leary and Others, also edited by Jonathan Ott. Both are available online at Mushroom John's Tales of the Shroom and at Erowid. |
| Mr. Allen was hired as a Research Associate to Dr. Mark D. Merlin of the University of Hawaii where he worked along with Dr. Merlin as a researcher and presented several lectures on entheogenic mushroom use for Dr. Merlin’s Biology 440 [Psychoactive Drug Plants] class. Mr. Allen was also helped Dr. Merlin’s rewrite the first draft for the re-issue and new edition of his book "Man and Marijuana: A History of Hemp" and also wrote and edited two chapters on the use, description and distribution of plants on Chuuk and Yap Islands in Micronesia. |
| Over the past 25 years, Mr. Allen has taken mushroom classes at several schools and Universities and has received degrees from Seattle Community College in mycology and has a degree in graphic arts from the Washington Technical Institute and has presented lectures at numerous mushroom symposiums at Breittenbush, Oregon; Chapman University, Orange Country, California; Myco-media conferences at Orcas Island in Washington State, Botanical Preservation Corp Conference on Maui, Hawaii; Southeast Asian Conference on Biodiversity and Bioactivity in Hua Hin, Thailand; Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand; the Kokopeli Smart Shop in Amsterdam, Holland. Furthermore Mr. Allen has presented numerous lectures at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has conducted private psychoactive mushroom Identification workshops and seminars. |
| Mr. Allen has also published numerous papers in such prestigious journals as The Journal of Ethnopharmacology (3 articles); The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2 articles); Integration: The Journal of Mind Moving Plants and Kultur (in German and English, 3 articles); The Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness (in German and English, 1 article); Anali dei civeci musei, Rovereto (1 article, Italian Journal); The Boston Mycological Society Newsletter (1 article); The Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter (1 article); High Times Magazine (1 Article); Psychedelic Illuminations (4 articles); TRP: The Resonance Project (1 article). |
| Current publications include two items on the internet. At [erowid.org], Mr. Allen has contributed a large volume, "Magic Mushrooms of Australia and New Zealand (over 45 photographs in color)" and has written an article, A Dysphoric Reactions to Psilocybe cubensis for spiritplants.com. |
| Mr. Allen also co-authored an extensive coverage of the known species of entheogenic mushrooms with Dr. Gastón Guzmán and Jochen Gartz, "A Worldwide Geographical Distribution of the Neurotropic Fungi, An Analysis and Discussion." This paper includes a list of over 214 species of mind-altering mushrooms of which 170 contain the alkaloids psilocine and psilocybine. The article also provides a state by state and country by country listing of the locations of the various species described in this paper (over 60 photo images are presented. Furthermore, more than 300 references are provided. |
| Mr. Allen is also preparing for publication, along with Dr. Jochen Gartz, a bibliography of Entheogenic Mushrooms (with a forward by Jonathan Ott) "Teonanácatl: A Bibliography of Entheogenic Fungi." This scholarly research volume covers 2816 references (2417 on psilocybian fungi and 354 on Amanita species related to the Soma complex. 2119 references are annotated and there is a cross reference index covering more than 9621 cross-references. Some of Mr. Allen’s journal publications may also be purchased from Homestead Book Co. of Seattle, Washington and/or from this site. |
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Allen, John W. (Pseud. Mushroom John). 1976. Magic
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. 24p. 16 photographs. Psilly
Publications (the Mushroom Factory). Seattle, Washington. July. A small pocket guide made
from the above mentioned medical poster. Now available online at
http://erowid.org. This paper is an ethnopharmacological report on the ludibund use of entheogenic mushrooms by tourists in several third world countries including India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia and some Pacific Island groups. Formerly listed as. Some Recent Notes and Observations on the Occurrence and Use of Entheogenic Fungi in Third World Countries. Also in: Thomas Lyttle, (Ed.). 1999. Psychedelics re imagined. Autonomedia. Brooklyn, New York. Soon to be online and available at http://www.erowid.org. Allen, John W. and Jochen Gartz. 2001. Psilocybian Mushroom Cultivation: A brief history regarding the contemporary use, cultivation and marketing of psilocybian fungi. Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushroom Studies vol. V:1-184. (CD-ROM). An ethnomycological report on the widespread recreational use of entheogenic fungi and popular history surrounding psilocybian fungi cultivation. 225 photographs of rare cultivation images. 219 Pages. Available for viewing at Psilocybian Mushroom Cultivation. And soon to be made available at http://www.erowid.org. Allen, John W. with Jochen Gartz. 2008 [2001]. Teonanácatl: A Bibliography of Entheogenic Fungi. Psilly Publications and CD-ROM Production. With a forward by Jonathan Ott. More than 2839 psilocybian references, 2225 annotations, more than 1515 photographic images with thumbnails and enlargements and more than 9727 cross references regarding Amanita and Psilocybian mushrooms citations. With newly revised additional up to date listings and new photographs. Also contains the book, Ancient Shamanic Mushroom Names of Mesoamerica and Other Regions of the World. A Further Suggested Reading list. Also A Chapter on "The Worlds Largest three magic mushroom farms in the Nederland.” Winter 2009-2010. ISBN#15821453994. Allen, John W. and Mark D. Merlin. 1989. Copelandia and other psychoactive fungi in Hawai'i. Newsletter Hawaiian Botanical Society vol. 28(2):27-31. A brief history of entheogenic fungi in Hawaii. See Merlin and Allen, 1993. Also in: Psychedelic Illuminations vol. 4:61. Allen, John W. and Mark D. Merlin. 1992a. Psychoactive fungi use in Koh Samui and Koh Pha-Ngan, Thailand. Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol. 35(3):205-228. A detailed narrative on the study of the recreational use of Psilocybe and Copelandia species among tourists in Thailand. Mushroom Omelettes and distribution of species in Southeast Asia is also noted. Also available at mushroom john's Shroom World at http://www.mushroomjohn.org/samui1.htm. Allen, John W. and Mark D. Merlin. 1992b. Psychoactive mushrooms in Thailand: Some aspects of their relationship to human use, law and art. Integration: The Journal For Mind Moving Plants and Culture vol. 2-3:98-108. This paper describes psychoactive mushroom use on Koh Samui Island, dysphoric reactions due to adulterated (LSD-25) fungi, and subsequent laws prohibiting use of such mushrooms, and data on the marketing of handcrafted mushroom motif related items to tourists. 24 photographs. Also available online at Mushroom John's Psilocybe: Tales of the Shrooms, http://www.mushroomjohn.org/samui3.htm. Allen, John W. and Mark D. Merlin. 1992c. Observations regarding the suspected psychoactive properties of Panaeolina foenisecii Maire. In: Christian Rätsch (editor) Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness vol. 1(1):99-115. November. Several accidental intoxications attributed to Panaeolina foenisecii Maire in adolescent children, teenagers, and the elderly are presented. Available online at http://www.mushroomjohn.org/panaeolina1.htm This paper was originally included in Allen, Merlin, and Jansen's 1991 paper, "An Ethnomycological Review of Psychoactive Agarics in Australia and New Zealand, was published separately (see below reference for Allen, Merlin & Jansen, 1991). Allen, John W. and Muraco, Ph.D. 2005. Kratom, The Energetic Thai Opiate. Heads Magazine vol. 5(5):24-26. Discusses the use and history of Kratom (Thom) in Thailand and the Island of Koh Samui, including use of magic mushrooms with three photographs by John W. Allen of Psilocybe cubensis. Allen, John W., Gartz, Jochen and Gastón Guzmán. 1992. Index of the known species of the hallucinogenic fungi. Integration: The Journal for Mind Moving Plants and Culture vol. 2-3:91-97. An Index of the existing literature provides both botanical and chemical references for more than 138 species of mushrooms producing psilocybin and psilocin. See Guzmán, Allen & Gartz,' 2000 study, " A Worldwide Geographical Distribution of the Neurotropic Fungi, An Analysis and Discussion for an up-dated listing of 214 entheogenic mushrooms. Allen, John W., Gartz, Jochen and Gastón Guzmán. 1997. Mapping the mycelial network: a North American distribution of the psychoactive fungi. TRP The Resonance Project vol. 1(2.15):46-49. December. Allen, John W., Mark D. Merlin and Karl L. R. Jansen. 1991. An ethnomycological review of psychoactive agarics in Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs vol. 23(1):39-69. A complete history of entheogenic fungi and their use in Australia and New Zealand. Species identification of over 18 varieties of entheogenic fungi from these two countries and 32 case histories of ingestion are presented, as is a section on treatment for psilocybian intoxication. Allen, John W., Gartz, Jochen, McKenna, Dennis., and Jonathan Ott. 1994.(Video). Mycology, mysticism, mushrooms and magic. Slide presentation of entheogenic mushrooms. Hosted by Victor Cook. Psychedelic Symposium. Chapman University, Orange County, Los Angeles, California. April 28, 1994. Available from Psychedelic Illuminations. 2 hours and 50 minutes. A slide presentation by Allen and Gartz representing over 60 species of psilocybian fungi. A panel is presented after the slide presentation and then the California Mycological Society offers another slide presentation of edible and poisonous fungi. Allen, John W., Gartz, Jochen., Sihanonth, Prakitsin and Dan Molter. 2009. The Occurrence, Cultivation, and Chemistry of Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, a new Bluing Species (Agaricales) from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Unpublished. Cultivation and analysis of Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, a new bluing species from Ohio and Bethany West Virginia is presented. Cultivation of this species was demonstrated on hardwood substrate. Analysis of both caps and stems revealed the presence of psilocybin, in most cases psilocin and always low concentrations of baeocystin. Psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin levels varied in the bluing caps and stems of this new species. The highest concentrations of these alkaloids were found in both naturally grown and cultivated fruiting bodies of Psilocybe ovideocystidiata which, at the present moment is an indigenous species found in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.. The relative alkaloidal content of psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin found in Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata from Ohio was similar to that measured in Psilocybe caerulipes by Leung et al. Allen,John W., Gartz, Jochen., Sihanonth, Prakitsin. and Fulvio Castillo Suarez. 2009. The Occurrence and Detection of Psilocine, Psilocybine and Baeocystine in Psilocybe villarrealiae from Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. In 1998, Guzmán reported, “11 species of Psilocybe from the state of Jalisco of which 55 are now recognized from Mexico.” In that study, Guzmán described two new species, thus describing a total of 8 neurotropic Psilocybes from the State of Jalisco. Small collections of Psilocybe villarrealiae, were harvested by one of the authors (FCS) in Jalisco for herbarium deposit. Chemical analysis of the collected species was performed; including a scanning electron micrograph of basidiospores of Psilocybe villarrealiae is presented along with a photograph of the species analyzed in this study. This is the first report of the chemical analysis of Psilocybe villarrealiae and of new reported locations. John W. Allen, Prakitsin Sihanonth, Jochen Gartz and Gianluca Toro. 2008-2009. An Ethnopharmacological and Ethnomycological Update on the Occurrence, Use, Cultivation, Chemical Analysis of Neurotropic Fungi from Thailand, Cambodia and other Regions of South and Southeast Asia In the continuing studies began by Allen and Merlin in the early 1990s, as well as the recent discoveries of a 2nd bluing Psilocybe from SE Asia (Psilocybe antioquensis) and the presence of Psilocybe samuiensis in Kampuchea (formally Cambodia), the authors of this present study were prompted into presenting an updated report concerning the known species of neurotropic fungi found in certain regions of south and southeast Asia, Oceana and the Pacific Ocean. Previous investigations on the Thai islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha-Ngan, Phuket and in various locales situated in Orissa, India, Kampuchea, Viet-Nam, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bali, as well as in several tourist resort locations in the Philippine Islands, indicate that three species of psilocybian fungi (Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe subcubensis and a complex mixture of several varieties of Copelandia species, consisting primarily of Copelandia cyanescens), are used for ludible purposes amongst foreign tourists vacationing in that region of the world. Includes cultivation, chemical analysis and SEM of SE Asian species of neurotropic fungi (unpublished 148 –page manuscript). Ally. 2006. Psilocybin as medicine in the 21st century. Treating Yourself. Issue 5:64-71. December. A new magazine devoted to specifically to medical marijuana, publishes several articles on the use of psilocybine in cancer patients and for OCD. 6 photographs by John W. Allen. Gartz, Jochen, Allen, John W., and Mark D. Merlin. 1994. The Ethnomycology, biochemistry, and cultivation of Psilocybe samuiensis Guzmán, Bandala and Allen, sp. nov., a new psychoactive fungi from Thailand. Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol. 43(1):73-80. A recent ethnomycological study of Psilocybe samuiensis and other psychoactive related species from Koh Samui Island. Mushroom specimens were collected by Thai native peoples and sold for tourist consumption. Included are several studies on the chemical properties of some of these mushrooms and the cultivation of P. samuiensis, P. semilanceata and some related species. In English. Gloriosis, Shroomius (Pseudo.). 2009. The Greatest Story Ever Told. Private Limited Edition of 250 Copies only. For Free Distribution. Ethnomycological Journals: Sacred Mushroom Studies. Vol. 8. 60 pages. An article subtitles as: Sex, Mushrooms and Rock and Roll by John W. Allen in an exchange of letters which, through Sasha Shulgin and Jochen Gartz, introduce one to another and describe in a lengthy biography how ethnomycologist John W. Allen became interested in magic mushrooms, their euphoric sexual effects and how he came to learn and study drugs and their history, including magic mushrooms throughout his life. 60 pages. Color front and back cover and inside front and back cover, plus 2-sided colored centerfold and numerous illustrations. Also available on a special private 100 copies limited CD-ROM Edition with full color photographs and graphic shroom art by John W. Allen, Adisron Junlawanno (Mr. Samui) of Chewang, Koh Samui, Thailand, Wipaporn of Nathon Koh Samui. Photos include images of John W. Allen, Jochen Gartz, Sasha Shulgin, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, Albert Hofmann and Stanley Krippner. Guzmán, Gastón., Allen, John W. and Jochen Gartz. 2000. A worldwide geographical distribution of the neurotropic fungi, analysis and discussion. Anali dei Civ. Mus. Rovereto vol. 14:189-270. An update of Allen, Gartz & Guzman, (1992) check list of the known species of hallucinogenic fungi and their worldwide geographical distribution. Over 214 species are identified as entheogenic. Included in this list are 44 newly identified psilocybian species plus an additional 30 other entheogenic mushrooms containing compounds other than psilocin and psilocybin and not described in their above noted study. More than 450 References are considered. Italia. In English. Guzmán, Gastón., Allen, John W. and Prakitsin Sihanonth. 2006. Distribution of the Hallucinogenic Mushroom Psilocybe antioquensis Guzmán et al. (Agaricomycetideae) in Colombia, Mexico and Cambodia. International Journal for Medicinal Mushrooms vol. 8(1):85-89. Two new records form Mexico and one from Cambodia of the hallucinogenic mushroom, Psilocybe antioquensis, originally known only from Colombia, are discussed. This fungus grows on soil in subtropical meadows, and is defined by its subumbonate pileus, long pseudorhiza, ovate-subrhomboid thick-walled spores, and for their pleuro- and cheilocystidiata. It belongs to section Mexicanae in the genus Psilocybe. Guzmán, Gastón., Bandala, V. and John W. Allen. 1993. A new bluing Psilocybe from Thailand. Mycotaxon vol. XLVI:155-160. January-March. The Latin description of Psilocybe samuiensis Guzmán, Bandala and Allen is presented. Guzmán, Gastón, Allen, John W., Ramirez-Guillén, Florencia,. and Prakitsin Sihanonth. 2007. A New Record of Psilocybe pegleriana in Asia (Basidiomycotina, Agaricales, Strophariaceae) and its Culture in the Laboratory. Australasian Mycologist vol. 25(3):73-76. Psilocybe pegleriana is for the first time reported from Thailand. It was cultured in the laboratory. This mushroom is a fimicolous pantropical species, that does not stain blue and belongs to section Merdariae. Merlin, Mark D. and John W. Allen. 1993. Species identification and chemical analysis of psychoactive fungi in the Hawaiian Islands. Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol. 40:21-40. October-December. Several species of Copelandia and Panaeolus subbalteatus are reported from Hawaii. Chemical analyses of some of the Hawaii species is described. Copelandia bispora, C. cambodgeniensis, Panaeolus goosensieae, and Amanita muscaria are reported for the first time from the Hawaiian archipelago. Merlin, Mark D. and John W. Allen. 1994. A recent study and survey pertaining to the recreational use of Copelandia species in the Hawaiian Islands. (Unpublished Manuscript). An ethnopharmacological report and survey on the history and recreational use of Copelandia species in the Hawaiian archipelago is presented in detail. Portions of this study were included in Allen, 1998. Pornpakakul, Surachai., Suwancharoen, Sunisa., Petsom, Amorn., Roengsumran, Sophon., Muangsin, Nongnuj., Narongsak, Chaichit., Piapukiew, Jittra., Sihanonth, Prakitsin and John W. Allen. 2009. A new sesquiterpenoid metabolite from Psilocybe samuiensis. Journal of Asian Natural Products Research Vol. 11(1):12-17. January. A novel 2,3,-secoaromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoids, named psilosamuiensis A, was isolated from the broth of Psilocybe samuiensis. |