muscarine

drug

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July 1, 2026

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Muscarine is a toxic alkaloid base found in certain mushrooms, notably the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). It is biochemically related to acetylcholine and directly affects smooth muscles. Ingesting mushrooms containing muscarine can lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, slowed breathing, confusion, and excitability. While muscarine poisoning can be severe, recovery usually occurs within 12 hours. It is important to distinguish muscarine poisoning from that caused by other, more deadly mushroom toxins, such as those found in the death cap (Amanita phalloides). Muscarine is considered a cholinergic substance because it interacts with the body's cholinergic system, which uses acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter.123

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Autonomic nervous system drugs
…two foreign substances, nicotine and muscarine, could each mimic some, but not all, of the parasympathetic effects of acetylcholine. Nicotine stimulates skeletal muscle and sympathetic ganglia cells. Muscarine, however, stimulates receptor sites located only at the junction between postganglionic parasympathetic neurons and the target organ. Muscarine slows the heart, increases…
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…two foreign substances, nicotine and muscarine, could each mimic some, but not all, of the parasympathetic effects of acetylcholine. Nicotine stimulates skeletal muscle and sympathetic ganglia cells. Muscarine, however, stimulates receptor sites located only at the junction between postganglionic parasympathetic neurons and the target organ. Muscarine slows the heart, increases…
Read More