Austrian man amputated his penis with an axe after eating psilocybin psychedelic mushrooms

An Austrian man amputated his penis with a blunt axe after consuming a large dose of psilocybin mushrooms, storing its fragments in a jar with soil and dirty snow. 

Doctors were mostly able to reattach the penis fragments after disinfecting and debriding them, according to a report of the extreme case in the Mega Journal of Surgery. 

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. 

Once ingested, the body converts it to psilocin, a chemical with psychoactive properties that can cause hallucinations, altering a person’s perceptions of the world and their emotional states. 

While often used recreationally, psilocybin has become a popular subject in medical research as a potential treatment for mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 20 studies currently complete or under way to test it in the European Union.  

A recent study published in Translational Psychiatry found that the drug showed promise in treating depression by increasing positive mood and alleviating negative thought patterns, while another study by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis documented how psilocybin could impact peoples’ perceptions of space and time, making them more open and flexible. 

However, outside of the controlled environments of clinical laboratories, psilocybin can be potentially dangerous - especially in those with pre-existing mental health disorders that cause psychosis. 

The report, conducted by the department of Academic Teaching at the Hospital Feldkirch in Austria, details how the caucasian man, 37, who had a history of depression and "occasional excessive alcohol abuse," consumed four or five dried magic mushrooms while