What do Santa Claus and Alice in Wonderland have in common? The surprising answer: mushrooms.
The canonical, almost cartoonish image of red-and-white mushrooms conjured when thinking of Alice’s adventures may have inspired Santa Claus’ sleigh ride. But they aren’t fiction—these speckled mushrooms, called Amanita muscaria, actually exist. Often poisonous in the wild, they have become a popular ingredient in many edible mushroom-infused products. But it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a magic mushroom—or a healthy one, for that matter. Recent recalls have brought the safety and legality of these products into question. Here, we get into it.
Why are people selling these?
In the past few years, interest…
