 Amanita muscaria was widely used as an <unk> by many of the indigenous peoples of Siberia . Its use was known among almost all of the <unk> @-@ speaking peoples of western Siberia and the <unk> @-@ speaking peoples of the Russian Far East . There are only isolated reports of A. muscaria use among the <unk> and <unk> peoples of central Siberia and it is believed that on the whole <unk> 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 <unk> alike , and was used <unk> as well as religiously . In eastern Siberia , the <unk> would take the mushrooms , and others would drink his urine . This urine , still containing psychoactive elements , may be more potent than the A. muscaria mushrooms 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 . 
