Muscimol (also known as agarine, pantherine, and 5-(aminomethyl)-1,2-oxazol-3(2H)-one) is a psychoactive compound present in various Amanita mushrooms. It is structurally related to GABA and acts as a GABAA agonist with great affinity. In other words, muscimol is a potent and selective agonist for the GABAA receptor.
Muscimol use dates back to Siberian shamanic cultures as an entheogen, where it was ingested orally to exert psychoactive effects. Currently, muscimol is in the spotlight of medicinal chemists and physicians because of its multiple beneficial and curative effects [ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2024, 15, 3257−3269].
Among the often mentioned therapeutic effects of muscimol are:
• Treating stress and anxiety [Experientia 1980, 36, 1312–1313];
• Relieving inflammation and pain [Emergency 2014, 2, 151‒157];
• Improving memory and brain function [Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2018, 818, 381‒399 and Ann. Neurol. 1999, 46, 249‒252];
• Promoting restorative sleep [Neuropsychopharmacology 1996, 15, 63‒74].
Unlike naturally occurring specimens, synthetic muscimol is highly pure and does not contain toxic impurities such as ibotenic acid and muscarine, which are found in the original raw material.
