I found this write up that describes the aurgument that MANNA was a tryptamine containing mushroom. A good way to get familar with it.( maybe not a 'chemistry" topic, but interesting indeed)
"Arguments that "manna" was a Psilocybe mushroom."
There are a great many people who would never consider the
use of visionary plants to be a spiritual experience. These
people believe that spiritual experiences must come
directly from God and that the use of visionary plants goes
against the teachings of the Bible. Contrary to this
notion, the Bible never explicitly prohibits the use of
visionary plants or potions. What you will find however, is
many curious references to a spiritual food sent down from
heaven by God, called manna.
The Bible never tells us exactly what manna was and where
it came from, but there are many Old Testament passages
which describe its physical qualities and conditions
associated with its appearance. The Bible's first reference
to manna is in the Book of Exodus as the children of Israel
are fleeing from Egypt and following Moses into the
wilderness. After six weeks of wandering, they began
complaining to Moses that they are tired and hungry. What
happens next is truly extraordinary:
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will vain bread
from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather
a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether
they will walk in my law or no (16:4). And when the dew
that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the
wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the
hoar frost on the ground (16: 14). And when the children of
Israel saw it, they said one to another It is manna: for
they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This
is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.
When I read this passage, I was struck by the fact that
manna easily fits the description of psilocybe mushrooms.
For one thing magic mushrooms are small and round, and
since they sprout so rapidly they would seem to appear
overnight, as if out of the sky. Also, anyone harvesting
them would immediately notice that they turn blue where
torn and had no roots, giving more reason to believe that
the mushrooms were of celestial origin. Note
that manna does not just fall from heaven, but instead it
is described as coming with the frost and dew, during the
wet seasons. These are the precise weather conditions for
mushrooms to thrive. And finally, manna is described as a
bread.
Although translations have obscured the intent of this
passage, it seems to be description of how to find and
identify manna and distinguish it from other non-
psychoactive (or possibly lethal) mushrooms. Look for the
small round things which are like bread, come with the
rain, and seem to have heavenly (bluish) coloring.
Psilocybe mushrooms also sprout in tiny pin heads which
branch out in all directions and bear a resemblance to hear
frost.
It is also interesting to note that Moses tells the
children of Israel that manna comes directly from Heaven to
test them on whether or not they will walk in God's law.
Here is evidence that manna was endowed with unusual
spiritual powers, like those of magic mushrooms. However,
manna does not automatically confer spiritual power.
Instead, it serves as a test. Magic mushrooms would provide
visionary experiences that would certainly test all who
ingested them. Moses also said that the manna is literally
the "bread of the lord" which is remarkably similar to the
literal Aztec name for psilocybe mushrooms, "flesh of the
gods."
But how and why did the manna suddenly appear? Again
referring to the Bible, it is clear that the children of
Israel had journeyed to a land where there was dew in the
morning. As a large, nomadic tribe, the Israelites brought
a lot of cattle and sheep together in the area. That meant
a great deal of manure. The change of climate from the arid
lands of Egypt to the dewy climate of the wilderness
created ideal conditions for the propagation and spread of
psilocybe mushrooms in livestock dung.
In Exodus 12: 19-20, we find more references to manna.
And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning
(16:19). Notwithstanding they harkened not unto Moses. but
some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred
worms and stank: and Moses was wroth with them(16.20). And
they gathered it every morning, every man according to his
eating. and when the sun waxed hot it melted...(16:21).
Anyone familiar with wild mushrooms knows that they go bad
very quickly and shrivel up under the heat of the sun,
exactly like manna.
It seems curious that Moses recognized the manna instantly
when the children of Israel showed it to him. He knew that
the manna would spoil if it was not picked and eaten in the
morning. But how did Moses know about manna? Perhaps Moses
knew about manna because he had already encountered the
mushroom at the time he saw the burning bush. Referring to
art earlier period of his life, we find that Moses:
...kept a flock of Jethro, his father in-law the priest of
Midiam: and he led the flock to the back side of the
desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb
(3:1). And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked,
and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed (3:2).
Had Moses eaten the sacred mushroom while camped at the
mountain? Here again we can only speculate that manure from
his flock and a change in climate had created the proper
environment for the mushrooms to fruit. Perhaps Moses
ingested the mush- rooms purely by accident, or perhaps his
father in law, who we know was also a priest, had
introduced Moses to the mushroom. Archaeological evidence
of psychedelic mushroom use in Biblical times is well
documented by Terence McKenna, so it is reasonable to
conclude that Moses could have had some experience with
visionary mushrooms. (1)Later, in Numbers 11:6-9, manna is
again described in terms that are remarkably similar to
magic mushrooms:
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all,
beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as
coriander seed, and the color thereof as the color of
bdelliaum. And the people went about and gathered it, and
ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar and baked it in
pans: and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the
taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in
the night, the manna fell upon it.
Here we find manna described as before our eyes, having a
neutral taste like fresh oil, and once again, the Bible
mentions that manna appearing in the morning when the dew
fell. The Old Testament even tells us what manna looks
like, the manna was as coriander seed, and the color
thereof. When psilocybe mushrooms are dried, their range of
colors is virtually identical to dried coriander seed. In
both cases, with mushrooms and coriander seeds, we see
great similarities in the texture, color, tones, contrasts
and general visual appearance. The Children of Israel must
have given great thought about how to transmit the
appearance of manna so as to aid future generations who
might encounter it. However, mushrooms were a mystery to
the Hebrews and they were unable to predict where manna
could be found. Little did they realize that the manure
from their cattle was providing a means for the mushroom to
find its way into their mountain campsites.
Notice that the manna was ground in mills or beat it in a
mortar. That is odd because earlier we are told that manna
was quite delicate and, then the sun wax hot, it melted.
However, if manna was the psilocybe mush- room, then it was
probably dried and then ground in order to be used for
baking. In fact, dried magic mushrooms are quite hard.
Grinding or crushing the dried mushroom and then baking
with the powder would insure that the delicate psychoactive
molecules retained their highest potency.
In the next passage, the Bible describes manna as having
light tan color and texture like a wafer, certainly an
accurate description of the color and texture of a dried
psilocybe mushroom. We also learn that the taste of manna
is no longer that of fresh oil but rather that of honey.
According to McKenna's re- search', honey has long been
used in Mexico as a preserve medium for psilocybin
containing mushrooms. Perhaps the children of Israel had
begun to mix honey with the manna to preserve its potency.
We find that Moses announced that manna must be kept for
future generations:
And the house of Israel called the name there of manna: and
it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was
like wafers made with honey(l6: 31). And Moses said, This
is the thing which the LORD commandeth. Fill an omer of it
to be kept for your generations: that they may see the
bread where with I have fed you in the wilderness, when I
brought you forth from the land of Egypt (16: 32).
Again we are told to fill an omer with manna But how much
is a omer? Isaac Asimov, in his book on the Bible,
concludes that an omer is about four liters, while the King
James version of the Bible estimates an omer to be six
pints. Psilocybe mushrooms are 92% water and only 8%
remains when they are dried. Also, fresh mushroom take up a
lot of space, due to their shape. So four liters of fresh
magic mushrooms would yield less than a tenth of a liter,
or about 1/4 cup of dried, powdered manna This corresponds
closely with the amount of magic mushrooms required for a
moderately strong dose when used for baking This is
important because it clearly shows that not only does manna
have similar qualities to magic mushrooms, it also shows
that it was also used in the same quantity as mushrooms. So
manna matches psilocybe mushroom on both a qualitative and
quantitative analysis providing a compelling argument that
psilocybe mushrooms are in actuality "manna from Heaven."
Of course there are those who will remain eternally
skeptical, but keep in mind that the description of manna
given in the old testament bears an exact resemblance to
mushrooms. Even if psilocybe mushrooms are not manna the
similarities have indicated mushrooms as a possible
candidate, and they certainly fit the bill for a "spiritual
food'. Unfortunately, when the Children of Israel finally
reach the arid land of Canaan, the mysterious manna no
longer appeared.
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of
the old corn of the land: neither had the children of
Israel manna any more.
The children of Israel must have been deeply disappointed
when they ran out of their sacred manna. We can see that
they went to great lengths to preserve their knowledge
about identifying and using manna The Old Testament
contains detailed information about the color, texture,
appearance, and relation- ship to dew, and the Old
Testament even explains how manna is to be ground and then
used in baking cakes. If the Israelites thought that manna
was a magical event caused by God would they have bothered
to note all the details about the identification of manna?
What about the manna that Moses said must be put away for
future generations? Turning to Hebrews 9:3&4 we find:
And after the second vail, the tabernacle which is called
the Holiest of all: Which had the golden censer and the Ark
of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was
the golden pot that had manna...
Here we learn that manna was to be kept in the Holiest of
all, the Ark of the Covenant. Clearly, the manna was
something of great spiritual power since the Hebrews
treated it with such reverence and even went to such great
lengths to see that manna be given to future generations.
We must also consider the covenant that the Jewish people
held with God which was celebrated through the act of
circumcision. Why was this covenant with God associated
with the removal of foreskin from infant males. Why not a
tattoo, scar, article of clothing or jewelry? Perhaps the
answer is that the circumcised penis bears a remarkable
resemblance to psilocybe mushroom just be- fore the partial
veil has broken away from the mushroom caps and they are at
their greatest potency. If the Ark of the Covenant was
specifically built to store manna it is logical was also
tied to manna through the ritual act of circumcision, which
gave each Jewish male his own mushroom-like penis.
The discovery that manna was (and is) psilocybe mushrooms
is not simply an issue of theological or academic debate.
So great was the power conferred by manna, that this small
band of wandering slaves were able to defeat all enemies
who crossed their path even when confronted by armies that
were bigger and better equipped. Jews, Christians and
Moslems can all trace their roots to the children of Israel
who ate manna for forty years and saw themselves as God's
chosen people. Again, we are reminded of McKenna"s thesis
that those who ate psilocybe mushrooms had a survival
advantage due to better visual acuity, heightened senses,
better hunting skills, and for the children of Israel,
better warrior skills. Manna gave the Hebrews their own
covenant with God one that is even recognized today by
Christians who believe that the Jews have already earned a
special place as the Chosen People. Bible scholar Grant R.
Jeffrey explains:
"The covenant which God made with Abraham and the kingdom
promises to David, Solomon and all the prophets will be
finally realized in the Mellennial Kingdom... the Lord
promised a new covenant with Ishmael in which He would give
them a new heart, forgiveness of sin, and the infilling of
the Spirit to the renewed nation. This promised kingdom
will provide the fulfillment of all the hopes and dreams of
the Chosen People forever"'
What is the new covenant? It is the rediscovery of manna.
Across the gulf of thousands of years the Bible transmits
and accurate and detailed description of manna waiting for
the time when the message can be decoded and manna can
again fulfill its role as acelestial messenger. Manna was
the basis of the Jewish covenant with God. Indeed, it is
this covenant and the use of manna which has set the Jews
apart as the Chosen People. The Bible is not the message,
it only points the way. Manna is the holy sacrament that
provides the means for God to "prove them, whether they
will walk in my law, or no."
If manna is indeed the psilocybin mushroom, then this means
that the Koran, Bible, and Torah were all inspired by
psychedelically induced visions. The very foundations upon
which these religions rest were derived from the mushroom
experience. Moses and the children of Israel used the
mushrooms as true sacraments to communicate with a Higher
Power, also known as Allah, God and Yahweh. The discovery
that manna is real and is available to us today means that
like children of Israel we too can use manna to experience
the joy, wisdom and spiritual renewal of the Chosen
people.
taken from;
http://www.mushroomsfmrc.com/final_seal.html