Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in mushrooms of this genus, causes geometric visual hallucinations, perceived time distortion, enhanced introspection, and ego loss when taken. It offers huge potential for personal growth, healing and exploring of one's own consciousness. Psilocybe grow on every continent and have been consumed by indigenous people for thousands of years in ritual ceremonies to explore altered mind states and connect with their own spirituality. In southern Mexico they were called 'flesh of the gods' by the Mazatec. After the spanish conquest of the Americas the use of hallucinogenic plants was purposefully hidden from the Spanish and driven underground