New Review Appears to Support McKenna’s ‘Stoned Ape Theory’

‘Stoned Ape Theory’ is one of the most famous ideas that psychedelic icon Terence McKenna bequeathed to us. In it, he proposed that the consumption of magic (or psychedelic) mushrooms by early humans played a critical role in the evolution of our consciousness, and the development of language, culture, and higher cognitive functions. 

New Review Appears to Support McKenna’s Theory

This theory has long been disregarded, or worse, regarded as a joke by scientists. An interesting idea, but just too fanciful, too psychedelic. However, this new report, published in June 2024 by the Miguel Lillo Foundation, a research organization based in Argentina, skirts as close to outlining ‘Stoned Ape Theory’ as it’s possible to get without mentioning McKenna or naming the theory itself. The review concludes that psilocybin not only influences our perceptions while under its effects, but also shaped human consciousness as we know it over thousands of magic-mushroom eating generations — so basically, yes, it’s Stoned Ape Theory. 

But lack of acknowledgement aside, the study is fascinating. It finds arguable evidence to support what was once just an intriguing idea. So, let’s explore this scientific monkey business…

How Magic Mushrooms Boost Our Cognitive Functions

Recent studies have demonstrated that psilocybin (from magic mushrooms and truffles) enhances our cognitive functions. This is how our brains understand the world through our experiences, senses, and thoughts. These thoughts include our feelings and emotions, beliefs, intentions and desires. Psilocybin boosts our brain function because it “increases connectivity between networks in the frontal region and raises the level of awareness of states of consciousness,” explained biologist and co-author of the review paper Fatima Calvo. The authors added that psilocybin specifically affects the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex, all of which can affect decision-making and memory. 

The authors wrote* “From an evolutionary perspective, it is proposed that the ingestion of psilocybin could have contributed to the improvement in visual abilities and the reproductive success of communities that made use of these mushrooms,” The review covered a wide range of study fields, from biology, neuroscience, and ethnobotany. 

*Translated from Spanish in the original report

When These Changes Happened is Hard to Pinpoint

When it comes to pinpointing biological mechanisms that could unravel the how and the when the human race changed due to magic mushrooms, things become more complex and difficult to understand. The authors expect that as psychedelic research develops, future studies may be able to answer these sticky questions. However, tracking exactly when the changes to human consciousness could have occurred may have a large question mark floating above it for longer. 

In an email translated from the original Spanish, biologist and co-author Jehoshua Macedo-Bedoya of the University Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru, said;

“To my knowledge, there is no exact evidence or figure specifying the number of years required for a change in consciousness due to the consumption of mushrooms,”  

Early Psychonauts

It is suggested that the earliest hominids first began eating psychedelic mushrooms as soon as they descended from living in trees. This would place us in the Pleistocene Epoch, between about 5 and 6 million years ago, an era that includes the last ice age. Ardipithecus ramidus, our earliest known ancestors, would have been living around this time, on land that today is Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. Mushrooms would have been growing in various environments, from grassland to forests. The dung of the early ancestors of today’s cows would have been an ideal place for psilocybin mushrooms to flourish. 

More Food + More Sex = A Successful Species

Just like in McKenna’s Stoned Ape Theory, the researchers suggest that ingesting psilocybin mushrooms could have had many beneficial effects for the early hominids. These include enhanced visual abilities that would have improved hunting and gathering skills. Additionally, both McKenna and the researchers propose that psilocybin could have also boosted sexual stimulation, thus increasing chances of mating and reproducing. More food and more sex are, in essence, two of the most important elements in the survival of a species. 

It also goes without saying, that due to the psychedelic effects of magic mushrooms, those early humans also must have had some mind-bending experiences. As the authors noted, these shroom experiences may have been “catalysts of mystical experiences or as drivers of cognitive processes, raises profound reflections on the ancestral interaction between human beings and their natural environment,”

How Different Would Humanity Look Without Shrooms?

As millions of years passed by, humans would have continued to be in contact with magic mushrooms, and developed cultural practices, such as religious rituals, healing ceremonies and shamanic traditions. Who knows how different our contemporary culture would be without magic mushrooms? 

Today, magic mushrooms are finally being seen as a viable treatment option for the mental health issues that affect millions of people globally. If Stoned Ape Theory is to be taken seriously, then our special relationship with these magical fungi is part of our very essence as humans — it makes sense that they would be a tool that can truly heal us. As study co-author Macedo-Bedoya wrote; “[Learning] from our ancestors, we can use psilocybin today to connect with parts of ourselves we didn’t know, to face our fears, and to heal our traumas,”

Stoned Ape Theory: What Do You Think?

Whether you go in for Stoned Ape Theory or not (many are still extremely skeptical), it is certainly interesting that institutional researchers are beginning to come up with hypotheses that are markedly similar to ideas advocated for by those who were once thought of as counter cultural, fringe, or even just crazy.

As the culture turns more and more towards psychedelics, it seems we will continue to see the opening of minds.