Today, I researched…AMANITA MUSCARIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a basidiomycete of the genus Amanita. It is also a muscimol mushroom. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
Arguably the most iconic toadstool species, the fly agaric is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, and is one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
The fungi are known to grow near evergreen trees. They can also grow under deciduous trees, such as birch, said Donald Pfister, a biologist at Harvard University who studies fungi. The species is native to temperate and subarctic regions in the Northern Hemisphere, but it has also been introduced to the Southern Hemisphere. [Trippy Tales: The History of 8 Hallucinogens]
The 'shrooms are considered toxic to humans, but they have been used in religious practices for their hallucinogenic properties, especially in Siberia, according to the book "Hallucinogens and Culture" (Chandler & Sharp, 1976) by Peter T. Furst. The main psychoactive ingredient is the compound muscimol, which mimics the brain signaling chemical GABA, which inhibits neuronal activity. This results in feelings of relaxation and lessened anxiety.
Some scientists, including Pfister, think these mushrooms were the inspiration for Santa Claus and other Christmas traditions, because Siberian shamans would give out bags of hallucinatory fungi as presents in late December. Growing under an evergreen tree, the red-and-white fungi could look like Santa's presents.
In addition, some folklorists claim that the Christmas story about flying reindeer may have been a hallucination, since reindeer — which also consume the mushrooms — are common in Siberia.
However, not all experts agree with the Santa-shamanism theory.
https://www.livescience.com/49118-magic-mushrooms-royal-gardens.html
Viktoria Reisz with Amanita muscaria mushrooms in a forest near Pécs, Hungary. Photo credit: Csaba Reisz
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/science/mushrooms-fly-agaric.html
The fly agaric is the quintessential mushroom of fairy tales.
Its big, bright fruiting bodies scatter in great numbers across mossy forests of North America and Europe. They emerge from the soil first like white eggs, abandoned by some mysterious creature of the woods. They can grow up to a foot tall, as warts appear on the cap. The mushroom often blushes red in the process.
Finally, they crack open and flatten into a polka-dot disc that would make a gnome’s perfect dinner plate.
By JoAnna Klein
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/science/mushrooms-fly-agaric.html