United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly tucked into multiple helpings of a mushroom renowned for its unpredictable psychedelic effects during her recent trip to China.
Yellen, 76, devoured four portions of jian shou qing – a type of wild mushroom that can have psychedelic properties if not cooked properly – at a restaurant in Beijing, Chinese state media has reported. An aide to the treasury secretary confirmed that Yellen did eat at the restaurant and greatly enjoyed the experience, including the mushroom dish, reported CNN.
The fabulous funghi, which are gathered by hand in the majestic mountains of the wild mountains of Yunnan Province, develop blue bruises when picked. This can be a tell-tale sign that mushrooms contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin, which is found in more 200 species of fungi dubbed ‘magic mushrooms’.
However, while Jian shou qing translates literally as ‘see hand blue’, they aren’t part of the pscilocybe genus, which includes the ‘liberty cap’ mushrooms that grow wild in many parts of the UK. Scientifically, the marvellous mushrooms Yellen apparently chowed down on are from the Lanmaoa genus.
But Dr Peter Mortimer, a professor at Kunming Institute of Botany said: “Lanmaoa mushrooms are considered poisonous as they can be hallucinogenic. However, scientists have not, as of yet, identified the compounds responsible for causing the hallucinations.
“It remains a bit of a mystery, and most evidence is anecdotal. I have a friend who mistakenly ate them and hallucinated for three days.”
Nonetheless, jian shou qing mushrooms are considered a delicacy and are a popular dish at Yunnan restaurants throughout China, where the mushrooms are properly prepared to avoid any negative effects. The Yi Zuo Yi Wang restaurant confirmed Yellen had visited – and said it was “an extremely magical day”.
In a post on social media site Wiebo, Yi Zuo Yi Wang – which means ‘In and Out’ – said: “US Treasury Secretary Yellen was here. it was true that she came (to the restaurant) right after landing in China.
“Our staff said she loved mushrooms very much. She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). It was an extremely magical day.”
In 2021, Oregon made ‘magic mushrooms’ legal for mental health treatment in supervised settings from 1 February 2021, and Colorado followed suit in 2022 – with a bill pending in California that would legalize the “possession, obtaining, giving away, or transportation of, specified quantities of” psilocybin, along with other psychedelics such as dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or Ecstasy).
The bill was approved by the California State Senate with 21 votes in favor. It is now currently in committee in the California State Assembly.
It comes after research suggested Psilocybin could help treat depression. A study of 233 people, published in 2022 by King’s College London, suggests that three weeks after people were given a single 25mg dose of psilocybin, they had lower levels of depressive symptoms than people treated with lower doses (1mg or 10mg).
People were given the treatment in specialised rooms designed to provide a non-clinical and calming atmosphere. Researchers say some reported a “dreamlike” state.
