shrooms and nutritional value?

January 10, 2009 9:54 PM

Do shrooms have any nutritional value?

Do mushrooms, as in the hallucenogenic variety, have any nutritional value whatsoever?

posted by assasinatdbeauty to food & drink (8 answers total)

I would believe it to be quite minimal relative to how much you are ingesting for the common effects...
posted by strangelove at 10:07 PM on January 10, 2009

I wouldn't expect anything more than marginal nutritional value from the psilo- class, maybe some of those antioxidants that pop up in that part of the plant kingdom. Why, is someone stuck in wonderland the woods?
posted by daksya at 10:08 PM on January 10, 2009

Probably fiber, but if you only eat a few grams then there's only so much nutritional value you can have.
posted by Pants! at 10:30 PM on January 10, 2009

Fiber and some minerals, but you won't get much benefit for the quantities you're ingesting.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:50 PM on January 10, 2009

This seems to be the best summary of what is in your typical P. cubensis, although it focuses on the psychoactive components of the mushroom. There's bound to be a couple of vitamins in there, but it all depends on the specific species and growth setting.
posted by caminovereda at 10:53 PM on January 10, 2009

Given how rough their are on your digestive system, I think it'd be safe to assume that they'll do more harm than good, looking at purely physical effects.

Of course, the physical effects aren't really the point, are they?
posted by Dysk at 4:44 AM on January 11, 2009

Different ps. species differ in gastro effects, I've found. The issue here is mass, of which you are not eating much when eating ps. mushrooms, neglecting for now those rarer heroic doses. It's not not food, if that's what you're asking.
posted by telstar at 6:20 AM on January 11, 2009

Many mushrooms are high in easily-digestible proteins, and some are fairly rich in vitamins A, D, and some B-complex (IIRC).

That being said, you're asking the equivalent question of "What nutritional benefits can I get from drinking my bourbon neat?".
posted by IAmBroom at 7:40 AM on January 11, 2009