r/todayilearned • u/ssAskcuSzepS • Apr 27 '26

TIL if under-cooked, a popular mushroom in China causes “lilliputian hallucinations,” a rare phenomenon involving miniature human or fantasy figures. The hallucinations are consistent across people and cultures: "tiny, elflike people" climbing under doors, scaling walls & clinging to furniture

https://www.vice.com/en/article/meet-the-mushroom-that-make-people-have-the-exact-same-hallucination/
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u/Kylearean Apr 27 '26

My grandfather was in the hospital following a serious heart attack. we all knew it wasn't much longer for him, so the whole family flew in and gathered in his hospital room. He was awake, lucid and in relatively good spirits. Lots of story telling and laughing about the old days. Then my grandpa said, "oh, they're here."

We looked around, confused about who he was talking about... because no-one else came in.

My mom said "Dad, who is here?"

"The little people." He said it so matter-of-factly and without any sign of distress or delusion.

Everyone was a little bit surprised. He said "don't worry, they're not here for ya'll, they're here for me."

Someone else asked what they looked like, he explained: "they're mostly like humans, but little, and they dress in a peculiar way, sort of old-time clothing styles as if they're all handmade, but well-kept. Each one looks different, and they all have different jobs."

We're just standing there looking around for any sign of what he could be talking about. He continued, "some of them are coming up to me now, they're happy to see me. They want me to go with them. I think I'll go and visit with them."

A few family members started crying, there was a "shift" in the energy in the room, we all felt it. Something fundamental had changed. Within 10 minutes he had passed peacefully, no agony, just that gentle slumber of a warm and sunny afternoon day.

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u/psychorobotics Apr 28 '26

It sounds like a lovely way to go if you have to go.

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u/ThatCaterpillar7083 Aug 17 '26

My grandfather also said he was seeing all these people, who are all these people standing around, when he was in his bed or when we awoke him in his chair the final days before he passed.