DNA sequencing links Lanmaoa asiatica to vivid Lilliputian hallucinations and suggests an unknown psychoactive compound

Researchers at the University of Utah used field interviews, mushroom collections, chemical testing, and DNA sequencing to link Lanmaoa asiatica to reports from Southwest China and the northern Philippines of vivid Lilliputian hallucinations: dozens or hundreds of colorful miniature people that move through the physical environment and obey apparent physical rules. The mushroom is traditionally eaten in these regions, but insufficient cooking can trigger the visions. Testing found no psilocybin or other known psychoactive mushroom compounds, leading researchers to suspect an unidentified hallucinogen whose chemical structure and neurological mechanism remain unknown. Identifying it could help explain unusually detailed visual hallucinations and inform research into similar experiences associated with neurological conditions. A genomic survey of 53 specimens also identified 17 Lanmaoa species, including four new to science, while Papua New Guinea reports remain genetically unverified.