Amanita muscaria was widely used as an entheogen by many of the indigenous peoples of Siberia . Its use was known among almost all of the Uralic @-@ speaking peoples of western Siberia and the Paleosiberian @-@ speaking peoples of the Russian Far East . There are only isolated reports of A. muscaria use among the Tungusic and Turkic peoples of central Siberia and it is believed that on the whole entheogenic use of A. muscaria was not practised by these peoples . In western Siberia , the use of A. muscaria was restricted to shamans , who used it as an alternative method of achieving a trance state . ( Normally , Siberian shamans achieve trance by prolonged drumming and dancing . ) In eastern Siberia , A. muscaria was used by both shamans and laypeople alike , and was used recreationally as well as religiously . In eastern Siberia , the shaman would take the mushrooms , and others would drink his urine . This urine , still containing psychoactive elements , may be more potent than the A. muscaria mushroom with fewer negative effects such as sweating and twitching , suggesting that the initial user may act as a screening filter for other components in the mushroom .