Why did some ancient cultures drink urine?

Curiosity has driven many of humanity’s greatest discoveries. It has also, occasionally, convinced people to taste extremely questionable things.

And perhaps no story illustrates this better than that of some Siberian shamans who, centuries ago, found an unlikely partner in the reindeer to unlock the mind-altering power of a beautiful but toxic mushroom.

Toxic mushroom

Amanita Muscaria, known as fly agaric, is probably the most recognisable mushroom on Earth. You have seen it in Super Mario, Alice in Wonderland and The Smurfs – a bright red cap covered in white spots. But behind its friendly appearance lies two powerful compounds: ibotenic acid and muscimol. 

Their toxicity was serious enough for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the mushroom as a food ingredient in 2024.

Ibotenic acid damages certain brain cells, causing memory loss, confusion, and reduced attention. Muscimol, on the other hand slows brain activity down, triggering feelings of euphoria, sensory distortion, lightheadedness, and hallucinations.

Together, they make for a highly unpredictable and risky experience.

Reindeer, it turns out, love them as well. These animals are known to actively seek out Amanita muscaria and show similar symptoms from eating the mushrooms.

Why reindeer make better cooks

Here is where things get interesting. When a human eats the mushroom, their body slowly converts the ibotenic acid into muscimol. So, the main toxic compound gradually transforms into a psychoactive substance inside you. 

The problem is that humans are not great at this conversion, leading to a reduced but still toxic concentration of ibotenic acid in our urine. Muscimol, meanwhile, passes through the body largely unchanged, and ends up in urine almost intact.

Why people drank urine

Indigenous tribes in Siberia, including the Koryak in east Russia, figured out (we don’t even want to know how) that by drinking the urine of someone who had eaten the mushroom previously, you could produce the same mind-altering effects but with far less discomfort. 

The body had already done most of the hard work of filtering it out.

It actually became a tradition in some rituals: a Shaman would eat the mushroom and then share his urine for the other participants to drink. This allowed multiple people to get hallucinogenic effects from a single mushroom. 

The tradition, although it might sound strange to modern ears, was rooted in a myth. The Koryak people believed that the mushroom’s spirit could temporarily replace a person’s soul, grant unusual abilities like climbing trees with unusual ease, walking on hot coals, “flying” or seeing distant places and times.

In some Siberian tribes, as the Saami reindeer herders, it's common practice to use reindeer as a means of transport, food, and clothing material. At some point, they noticed that reindeer urine after mushroom consumption had similar effects as in humans. 

There are claims — though no peer-reviewed research confirms it — that reindeer convert ibotenic acid into muscimol more efficiently than humans do. If true, that would make reindeer rather impressive natural chemists.

From ritual to Reddit

But many indigenous people have stopped practicing these rites out. Modernisation and stigma have pushed many of these indigenous practices into the shadows.

Now centuries after Siberian shamans first passed their urine-filled cups around the fire, this mushroom has found a new audience: the internet. Since the mid-2000s, online communities have driven a surge of interest in the mushroom, with people turning to it as an alternative way to get high or as a self-described natural remedy for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain. 

What was once a carefully mediated ritual, embedded in centuries of cultural knowledge administered by a shaman, has become something people experiment with alone guided by strangers on forums and YouTube. Given what we know about ibotenic acid, that is a significant risk.

The effects of Amanita muscaria remain highly unpredictable, varying significantly depending on the preparation method, mushroom origin, dosage, and the individual. 

Could it actually be medicine?

Although muscimol is found in the toxic mushroom Amanita muscaria, it turns out that it might actually be useful. It works by binding to a type of receptor in the brain, called GABA-A receptors, that calms neural activity.

This is why muscimol is being studied for its potential to help with conditions like anxiety, and sleep disorders. Some studies also suggest it may protect against diseases like Parkinson’s by influencing dopamine levels. Not bad for a “poisonous” mushroom.

But before anyone gets ideas… This does not mean it is safe to try at home. The effects of muscimol are still not fully understood, and using mushrooms without medical supervision can be dangerous. 

Amanita muscaria shows us that in science, “toxic” doesn’t always mean useless, it may mean we need to understand it better and use it wisely. 

And that sometimes, the most important discoveries come from asking deeply strange questions. Like: what happens if I drink that?