Ayahuasca vs magic mushrooms: a brew and a fungus, compared

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People comparing ayahuasca and mushrooms are often asking which is which, and whether they are related. They are not the same kind of thing: one is a brew made from plants, the other is a fungus. This page compares what each contains, how long effects lasted in studies, what the clinical research found, their religious histories, their risks and Canadian law.

Ayahuasca vs mushrooms: how do they compare at a glance?

The table sums up what studies have measured. Each row is explained, with sources, below.

Is ayahuasca a mushroom?

No. Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive plant beverage. It contains DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine), which acts on the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, together with alkaloids that inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and so make it active when swallowed (Bouso et al., 2012). No fungus is involved. For the brew’s history and research, see what is ayahuasca. Evidence: established.

Magic mushrooms are fungi. A review notes that fungi, particularly mushrooms, are the main natural source of psychedelics, and that psilocybin is considered a prodrug of psilocin: the body converts it into the compound that acts (Lowe et al., 2021). Mushrooms do not contain N,N-DMT; see is there DMT in magic mushrooms? and what are magic mushrooms. Evidence: established.

Ayahuasca vs psilocybin: how does each one work?

DMT taken by mouth on its own is broken down before it can act; a placebo-controlled study calls it “orally labile”. In ayahuasca, the β-carbolines harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine inhibit MAO (Riba et al., 2003). A pharmacokinetic study adds that harmine and harmaline reversibly inhibit MAO-A, while tetrahydroharmine weakly inhibits serotonin uptake (Callaway et al., 1999). Our MAO article explains the enzyme. Evidence: established in outline.

Psilocybin needs no helper. The body removes its phosphate group to make psilocin (Lowe et al., 2021). Both psilocin and DMT are tryptamines that act mainly at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor; for that shared chemistry, see psilocybin, LSD and DMT. The practical difference is that ayahuasca brings MAO inhibitors with it, and those change how the body handles other drugs. Evidence: established.

How long do ayahuasca and mushrooms last in studies?

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 18 volunteers with previous psychedelic experience, ayahuasca’s effects peaked between 1.5 and 2 hours, matching the peak of DMT in the blood (Riba et al., 2003). A study of 15 volunteers in a ceremonial setting found an average DMT peak of about 107 minutes (Callaway et al., 1999). The authors of the depression trial describe the acute psychological effects as lasting “around 4 h” (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019). Evidence: established for the broad time course.

For psilocybin, a double-blind crossover trial of 28 healthy volunteers measured effects lasting about 5.6 to 6.5 hours on average, depending on the amount given (dose not reproduced here), with individual times from about 2.5 to 12 hours (Holze et al., 2022). These are averages from screened volunteers, not a prediction or guide. More detail is in how long does ayahuasca last and how long do magic mushrooms last. Evidence: established for healthy volunteers.

What does depression research show for each?

Ayahuasca has one randomised, placebo-controlled depression trial. In 29 people with treatment-resistant depression (depression that has not improved with standard treatments), one session of ayahuasca was followed by lower scores than placebo on a clinician-rated scale at days 1, 2 and 7. At day 7, 64% responded on ayahuasca against 27% on placebo; remission was 36% against 7%, just short of statistical significance (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019). Evidence: preliminary.

The same trial shows the costs. Vomiting occurred in 57% on ayahuasca and 0% on placebo, and nausea in 71% against 26%. The authors note that vomiting is traditionally seen as part of a purging process rather than a side effect, and that for some the session came with much psychological distress (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019). One small trial, followed for a week, is a signal, not proof. Evidence: preliminary.

Psilocybin has larger trials. In a phase 2 trial of 233 adults with treatment-resistant depression, the highest of three single doses reduced depression scores more than the lowest, control dose at 3 weeks, and the middle dose did not. Adverse events occurred in 77% of participants, and suicidal ideation, suicidal behaviour or self-injury occurred in all groups (Goodwin et al., 2022). The authors say larger and longer trials are needed. Evidence: preliminary.

Another trial compared psilocybin with escitalopram, a standard SSRI antidepressant, in 59 people over 6 weeks. The difference on the main depression measure was not statistically significant (Carhart-Harris et al., 2021). For the full picture, see ayahuasca: what research shows and psilocybin: what research shows. Evidence: preliminary.

How have ayahuasca and mushrooms been used in religion?

Ayahuasca drinking is central to several Brazilian syncretic churches (churches that blend Christian and other traditions), which have spread to cities in Brazil, Europe and North America; members typically take part at least twice a month (Bouso et al., 2012). For the two best-known churches, see Santo Daime and the UDV. In 2006 the US Supreme Court ruled on the UDV’s sacramental use of hoasca, which it described as a tea that contains DMT (Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita, 2006). That is US law. Evidence: established.

Mushrooms have their own long history among Indigenous peoples of Mexico and elsewhere; an annotated bibliography gathers 49 texts on these practices (Spiers et al., 2024). The best-known is the Mazatec velada, a night vigil. In 1955 the banker R. Gordon Wasson and the photographer Allan Richardson took part in one led by the Mazatec healer María Sabina in Huautla, Oaxaca (García de Teresa, 2022). See María Sabina. Evidence: established.

These are living religious and cultural practices. We describe their history, not how to take part, and neither tradition is a guide for anyone outside it.

What are the risks and drug interactions?

The biggest difference in risk is the MAO inhibition. Researchers warn that combining ayahuasca’s MAO-inhibiting harmala alkaloids with SSRI antidepressants “may induce a serotonin syndrome with potentially grave outcome” (Callaway and Grob, 1998). Serotonin syndrome is a dangerous excess of serotonin activity. A 2024 review adds a theoretical risk with tyramine, a substance in some foods, and describes case reports of serotonin syndrome with psychiatric drugs as extremely rare, with no confirmed cases (White et al., 2024). Evidence: established for the mechanism; unresolved for how often it happens.

That review also found animal studies at high amounts showing harm to pregnancy, and the most problems in lab models with harmaline; it notes these may not carry over to people (White et al., 2024). Psilocybin trials report their own adverse events, listed above (Goodwin et al., 2022). For psilocybin and medication, see magic mushrooms and antidepressants. Do not stop or change prescribed medication on your own; talk to a prescriber or pharmacist. Evidence: preliminary.

Are ayahuasca and magic mushrooms legal in Canada?

Both are controlled through their ingredients. The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) lists DMT as item 7 and harmaline as item 9 of Schedule III, and psilocin and psilocybin as items 11 and 12. The consolidation we read was current to 30 September 2026 (Justice Laws, CDSA). Except as authorised under the regulations, the Act prohibits possessing or producing a Schedule III substance, and it prohibits trafficking in one. Evidence: established.

Section 56 of the Act lets the Minister of Health grant exemptions for medical, scientific or public-interest purposes (Justice Laws, CDSA), the route reported for a few ayahuasca churches; we cover that history in ayahuasca vs DMT. For mushrooms, see are magic mushrooms legal in Canada?. This is general information, not legal advice. Evidence: established for the text of section 56.

What we still don’t know

• How the two compare in the same people. We found no study that tested ayahuasca and psilocybin side by side (unresolved).
• Whether either has lasting effects on depression. Ayahuasca’s trial had 29 people and one week of follow-up; psilocybin trials are larger but mixed (preliminary).
• How common serious interactions with ayahuasca are. The mechanism is clear, confirmed cases are not (unresolved).
• Effects in people the trials leave out, such as those with heart disease, psychiatric histories or pregnancy (unresolved).

The honest summary: ayahuasca is a plant brew built around DMT and MAO inhibitors; magic mushrooms are fungi built around psilocybin. They differ in timing, research record, religious history and, through the MAO inhibitors, in interaction risk. For the DMT side, start with what is DMT.

Shroomverse sells mushroom products. This article is general information about ayahuasca and magic mushroom research and Canadian law. It is not medical, legal or purchasing advice, and it does not recommend any product.