A 30-year-old Nebraska man suffered multiple organ failure and had mushrooms growing in his blood after injecting himself with tea made from psychedelic mushrooms, according to a case report published in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
The unprecedented medical emergency occurred when the man, who has bipolar disorder type 1, attempted to self-treat his depression by injecting psilocybin mushrooms directly into his bloodstream instead of consuming them orally, the traditional method of ingestion.
Hospital staff discovered the gravity of his condition when blood tests revealed fungal growth in his bloodstream, leading to liver damage, kidney failure, and respiratory complications that required immediate intensive care. The patient spent 22 days in the hospital, during which he required ventilator support and blood filtration treatments.
Dr. Curtis McKnight, who led the medical team treating the patient, documented that the man had been experiencing manic and depressive episodes after discontinuing his prescribed bipolar medication. During this period, the patient researched alternative treatments for depression and opioid use, leading him to articles about psilocybin’s potential therapeutic benefits.
“This case illustrates the dangers of unsupervised experimentation with psychedelic substances, particularly through non-traditional methods of administration,” Dr. McKnight noted in the case report.
The patient’s family brought him to the emergency room after noticing confused behavior. By then, he had developed severe symptoms including fatigue, bloody vomit, jaundice, and diarrhea. Medical tests revealed that the mushroom spores had begun growing in the dark, nutrient-rich environment of his bloodstream.
While recent clinical research at institutions including Johns Hopkins and New York University has shown promising results for psilocybin in treating depression and anxiety, particularly in cancer patients, these studies exclusively use carefully measured oral doses in controlled medical settings.
The medical team treated the patient with a combination of two antibiotics and an antifungal medication, which he was required to continue taking after discharge.
Dr. Brian Murphy, a mycologist not involved in the case, emphasized that fungi’s ability to grow in the bloodstream poses extreme risks. “Mushrooms are designed to grow in dark, moist environments. The human bloodstream unfortunately provides an ideal environment for fungal growth, which can lead to catastrophic medical complications,” he explained.
Dr. Sarah Henderson, a toxicologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who has studied similar cases, emphasizes the growing concern about DIY psychedelic treatments. “We’re seeing an alarming trend of individuals attempting to bypass traditional drug administration routes, often with catastrophic consequences,” she says. “The surge in interest in psychedelic therapy, while promising, has led to dangerous experimentation outside clinical settings.”
Editor’s Note: This report is based on a case study published in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and includes information from clinical research conducted at Johns Hopkins and New York University regarding psilocybin therapy. The patient’s name has been withheld for privacy reasons.