Psychedelic mushroom

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A handful of freshly picked Psilocybe semilanceata, sometimes referred to as Liberty Caps.

Psychedelic mushrooms are fungi that contain psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin, psilocin, or muscimol. The most common colloquial terms for psychedelic mushrooms are magic mushrooms, boomers,^[1] or just 'shrooms, though there are many more.

[edit] Categorization

Psilocybe cyanescens, referred to sometimes as Wavy Caps.

Psychedelic mushrooms can be divided into two groups: the psilocybin-bearing mushrooms, found primarily in the Psilocybe genus, and the muscimol-containing mushroom Amanita muscaria.

Psilocybe mushrooms contain psilocybin and/or psilocin, psychedelic tryptamines that are structurally similar to serotonin, a strong regulator of mood, state of mind, and consciousness. Several species of Psilocybe also contain the alkaloid baeocystin, which is a demethylated derivative of psilocybin. Other genera that contain psilocybin include Conocybe, Copelandia, Gymnopilus, Inocybe and Panaeolus.

Amanita muscaria, or Fly Agaric, contains many entheogenic elements, most notably muscimol, but also including muscazone, ibotenic acid and muscarine. It produces a much different experience compared to a Psilocybe mushroom. This mushroom is toxic in large doses, as ibotenic acid and muscazone can cause unpleasant side-effects such as nausea or even permanent damage, although there are very few fatalities caused by Amanita muscaria. Recreational users who wish to consume the Amanita muscaria often heat dry or cook the mushrooms, as the high temperature is believed to reduce negative effects by converting ibotenic acid into muscimol.

[edit] History

Various cultures throughout the ages have used psychedelic fungi for shamanistic and other purposes; rock paintings in the Sahara of mushroom effigies date back to 7000 BCE.

Mesoamerican mushroom stones of the pre-classic Mayans representing deified mushrooms date back to approximately 500 BCE, Psilocybin mushrooms were a revered tradition in native Central American cultures at the time of the European invasion, and have been in continuous use up to the present. Named teonanácatl (literally "god mushroom" - agglutinative form of teo(ti) (god) and nanácatl (mushroom) in Nahuatl), they may have been employed for healing, divination and for intercession with spirits. Since the beginning of the Latin American colonial era, their use has been hidden due to persecution by the Christian church, which branded all native religious practices, especially those employing entheogenic sacraments, as "pagan".

A mushroom of the Amanita muscaria variety, colloquially known as Fly Agaric. A quizzical strain, it has been known to cause delirious effects when taken in high doses.

Some scholars believe that Soma, the drink mentioned in Vedic literature, was derived from psychedelic mushrooms; R. Gordon Wasson suggests that this was amanita muscaria, which is known to have been used in Siberian shamanism. That Nordic Vikings may have used fly-agaric to produce their berserker rages was first suggested by the Swedish professor Samual Ödman in 1784. Ödman based his theory on reports about the use of fly-agaric among Siberian shamans. The notion has become widespread since the 19th century, but no contemporary sources mention this use or anything similar in their description of berserkers. Today, it is generally considered an unproven speculation.

According to the BBC, the first documented use of psychedelic mushrooms was in the Medical and Physical Journal: In 1799, a man who had been picking mushrooms for breakfast in London's Green Park included them in his harvest, accidentally sending his entire family on a trip. The doctor who treated them later described how the youngest child "was attacked with fits of immoderate laughter, nor could the threats of his father or mother refrain him."

In 1957, amateur mycologist R. Gordon Wasson published an article for Life describing his experiences with psilocybin mushrooms while a guest in the rituals of the Mazatec shaman Maria Sabina in a mountain village in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. His account triggered a wave of experimentation with these mushrooms which resulted in their eventual classification in the United States as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

The introduction of westerners into the previously secret rites was later rued by Maria Sabina: "From the moment the foreigners arrived, the 'holy children' (a Mazatec euphemism for the mushrooms, which are otherwise not named directly) lost their purity. They lost their force, they ruined them. Henceforth they will no longer work. There is no remedy for it."

[edit] Effects

As with many psychoactive substances, the effects of any mushrooms consumed are subjective and unpredictable. Generally speaking, the effects of psilocybin containing mushrooms lasts four to six hours or more. The effect is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components. Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating to distraught. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large doses.

A single dried mushroom of one of the common Psilocybe cubensis variety. When bruised, it will often turn a bluish or purplish color; however, this does not mean a foolproof identification for psychoactivity.

The effects of mushrooms are strongly dependent upon set and setting. The Mazatecs purify themselves before a velada (or "vision quest") by abstaining from meat, eggs, alcohol and sex for four days. The veladas are always done in the dark, in a protected and sealed space which no one may enter or leave until all have regained their composure. Modern psychonauts often speak of "packing for the trip", by which is meant a loading of information into the brain prior to "departure", for example, by reading a philosophical writing or watching natural history or science documentaries in the days immediately prior to a planned experience. Experienced users find that there are ways of adjusting their environment to enhance their trip.

There have been calls for medical investigation of the use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms for the treatment of chronic cluster headaches, following numerous anecdotal reports of benefits.^[2]

[edit] Physical

Typical doses exhibit effects like relaxation of the body, a feeling of heaviness or lightness,^[3] and loss of appetite.^[3] Higher doses (typically 2½ grams and above) cause numerous effects such as feelings of coldness,^[4] numbness of the mouth and adjacent features,^[3] nausea, weakness in the limbs (making locomotion difficult),^[3] excessive yawning which usually occurs during the come-up, swollen features, pupil dilation,^[4][3] and stiffness in points of the body, often the result of the users staying in awkward positions because of their inability to accurately judge the flow of time and their level of fatigue.

[edit] Sensory

As with many hallucinogens, the sensory effects are often the most dramatic of the experience. Common doses cause effects such as a noticeable enhancement and contrasting of worldly colors,^[5] strange light phenomena (such as auras around lights sources),^[4] surfaces that seem to ripple, shimmer, or breathe,^[5] and other such visual hallucinations.^[1]

Higher doses elicit a variety of intensified and distinct perceptual changes: complex open and closed eye visuals of form constants or images,^[3] objects that warp, morph, or change solid colors (juxtaposed with the free-flowing colors of LSD), a sense of melting into the environment, trails behind moving objects, and auditory hallucinations.

Natural and artificial sounds seem to be heard with increased clarity; music, for example, can often take on a profound sense of cadence and depth.^[5][3] Intriguingly, some users speak about the feeling of their senses overlapping or synesthesia, a rather interesting experience wherein the user perceives, for example, a visualization of color upon hearing a particular sound. The surface detail of everyday objects is viewed with increased acuity.^[5] Unusual natural designs, such as wood grain, flow like rivers. Interesting textures can be quite stimulating to some users. A simple action such as pouring water into a glass can be extremely visually stimulating.

[edit] Emotional

Feelings of bliss, relaxation, wonder, anxiety, or fear have all been reported.^[4] Some users may experience intense episodes of hilarity, such as laughing for the duration of the psychedelic experience.^[1][3] Emotions can be experienced with increased sensitivity.^[4]

Higher doses carry the increased possibility of a surreal event known as ego death,^[5] whereby the user loses the sense of boundaries between their self and the environment, creating a sort of perceived universal unity. Users may experience intense feelings of connectivity with a higher power. Contradictory emotions, such as euphoria and despair, can be experienced simultaneously.^[5] A sense of paranoia may be present,^[4] and if provoked enough, could culminate into a bad trip. However, the possibly of a bad trip happening can be easily offset with a comfortable set and setting.

[edit] Psychological

Mushrooms cause the mind to conduct itself in an unusual manner. Common doses typically exhibit things such as an increased ability to concentrate on memories,^[4] feelings of time dilation,^[4][5] abstract and distractive thought patterns (can cause indecisiveness),^[5] phonetic experimentation with vowels, consonants, or click consonants (known as glossolalia), and epiphanies about life.^[4] The natural filters of the brain are bypassed causing increased mental stimulation and ideas to flow easier in the mind; randomization and improvisational abilities can be heightened.

Higher doses can cause radically altered states of consciousness. Significant amounts of time can be spent in deep philosophical or introspective silence.^[1] This introspective mindset, if negative, can often be painful and uncomfortable for the user to experience^[4] and can last minutes to hours. Repressed and otherwise subconscious memories can be recalled.^[4][5] Users can lose touch with reality in varying degrees, and their egos may undergo a number of separations.^[5] The loss of reality can be quite intense if a large amount has been taken; often users will attempt to describe the experience, but will be faltered by the lack of proper words.^[5]

[edit] Dosage

Dosage of mushrooms containing psilocybin depends on the potency of the mushroom (the total psilocybin and psilocin content of the mushrooms), which varies significantly both between species and within the same species, but is typically around 0.5-2% of the dried weight of the mushroom. A typical dose of the rather common species, Psilocybe cubensis, is approximately 1 to 2 grams,^[6] corresponding with 10 to 25 milligrams psilocybin and psilocin, while about 2½ to 5 grams,^[6] dried material or 25 to 50 milligrams of psilocybin/psilocin is considered a heavy dose. Fresh mushrooms are approximately 90% water. Drying the mushrooms breaks down the psilocin much faster, thus shifting the psilocybin/psilocin ratio. Exposure to heat generally breaks down the psychoactive ingredients.

[edit] Legal status

In many countries, psilocybin and psilocin containing mushrooms are illegal. This is because these substances are controlled by the UN convention on psychotropic substances of 1971. The mushrooms themselves are not listed as a controlled substance. Nonetheless, there is an active international trade both in mushrooms and in spores, which can be grown in sterile medium. Fly Agaric is not a controlled substance in most countries.

[edit] The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, magic mushrooms can be obtained in "smart shops" which specialise in ethnobotanicals. Magic mushrooms, whether dried or fresh were legal until 2001, when the Supreme Court of The Netherlands ruled dry mushrooms to be an illegal preparation of psilocybin and psilocin. The limitation to fresh mushrooms (which go bad quite fast) is severely reducing the export of magic mushrooms. In a series of court cases during 2003-2005 this was challenged by De Sjamaan, a Dutch mushroom wholesaler. The vice president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) of the UN testified to the court that the UN does not see dried or prepared psilocybe mushrooms as a controlled substance. Explanation: Psilocybe mushrooms are not listed as controlled substances, therefore preparations are also not controlled. Preparations of the controlled substances psilocybin and psilocin (i.e. tablets, etc) are controlled. Various mushroom experts have testified that there is no way to see the difference between passively and actively dried mushrooms. The court decided to agree to other viewpoints of De Sjamaan in order not to touch the subject of the UN's stance. The court also decided not to publish the testimony of the vice president of the INCB. The high court ruled that:

• There is no definition in regards to water content, which differentiates between a dry mushroom and a fresh mushroom.
• Passively dried mushrooms (natural desiccation) are legal.
• A police officer is not skilled to differentiate between a fresh and dry mushroom.

(see Drug policy of the Netherlands).

[edit] Canada

Mushroom spore kits are legal and are sold openly in stores as the spores themselves are not illegal. Production, sale and possession of psilocybin mushrooms is illegal.

A large batch of the Psilocybe semilanceata (Liberty Cap) variety.

[edit] Japan

Before 2002, psilocybin mushrooms were widely available in Japan, often sold in mail-order shop, online vendor and "smart shops" similar to those of the Netherlands. In June 2002, Japan Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry added psilocybin mushrooms to Schedule Narcotics (similar to U.S. Schedule I of Controlled Substances Act) of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drug Control Law (similar to U.S. Controlled Substances Act). Use, production, trafficking, growing, possession, botanizing of psilocybin mushrooms is now illegal in Japan. However, muscimol-containing mushrooms such as Amanita muscaria are still not controlled in Japan, probably due to its notorious difficulty in obtaining a psychedelic experience.

[edit] New Zealand

In New Zealand, psilocybin mushrooms are class A drugs, putting them in the highest class of illicit compounds along with heroin and LSD. They do not have to be prepared in any way for possession to be illegal.

[edit] Republic of Ireland

Until 31 January, 2006, unprepared psilocybin mushrooms were legal in the Republic of Ireland. On that date they were made illegal by a ministerial order. This decision was partly based on the death of well-known Dubliner Colm Hodkinson, age 33, at a Halloween party on 30th October 2005, who died after jumping off of a balcony after consuming legally purchased magic mushrooms.^[7]

[edit] United Kingdom

As of 18 July 2005, both dried and "prepared" (that is, made into a tea) psilocybin mushrooms were made illegal in the United Kingdom. Prior to this date, fresh mushrooms were widely available (even in city centre shops), but Clause 21 of the Drugs Bill 2005 made fresh psychedelic mushrooms ("fungi containing psilocin"), a Class A drug. However, mushrooms spores are not illegal, due to the fact they do not carry psilocin until they are cultivated.

[edit] United States of America

In the United States, possession of psilocybin-containing mushrooms is illegal because they contain the Schedule I drugs psilocin and psilocybin. Spores, however, which do not contain psychoactive chemicals, are only explicitly illegal in California, Idaho, and Georgia. In the state of Florida^{[citation needed]}, fresh or unprepared psilocybin mushrooms that grow wild are legal to possess.

In all states, except possibly New Mexico, growing psilocybin-containing mushrooms from spores is considered manufacture of a controlled substance. In New Mexico, on June 15, 2005, the New Mexico appeals court ruled that growing psilocybin mushrooms for personal use is not manufacture of a controlled substance.^[8]

[edit] Drug trade

[edit] Production

It is not difficult to cultivate Psilocybe mushrooms (esp. Psilocybe cubensis). The legal availability of spores and mycelium varies by country and state. Most of the other supplies needed for mushroom cultivation (mason jars, potting supplements, rye, brown rice flour) are easily obtained. One can also purchase kits through the mail or Internet that include everything one needs for personal growing. These grow kits are often used by amateur growers, with varying rates of success and yields; contamination of the supplies is a common problem.

[edit] Trafficking

Because mushrooms can be grown indoors (namely Psilocybe cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens), they are generally grown within the same national borders as they are sold. There have been few high-profile cases of mushroom producers and traffickers being caught or prosecuted.

While mushrooms may be distributed by organized crime, more often they are moved by informal affiliations of acquaintances and fellow users, and do not often travel long distances. They are sold in plastic bags containing either whole dried or powdered, sometimes crushed, fungi, and are generally sold by weight. They are sometimes incorporated into chocolate or baked into brownies, cakes, or muffins. The typical price for an ounce of dried mushrooms can range from as little as $70 to $400 depending on the quality of the product, as well as their availability in the area. The quality of the product is generally about the same, varying only as can be expected with a non-synthetic psychedelics. The major factor in the quality of this drug is how well they have been stored, with well dried whole mushrooms kept in cool dark places being ideal. Contaminated grows yield poor quality, possibly toxic mushrooms. One should be extremely cautious of any mushrooms which have unusual growths or mold, as well as any mushrooms which may have been harvested from the same grow as mushrooms with these growths.

The potency of mushrooms can vary greatly depending on the growing conditions, and buyers of this and any other drug run the risk of ingesting a poisonous, mis-identified species, or being cheated by substitutions or cutting of the mushrooms with other, non-psychedelic varieties, or by non-psychedelic varieties laced with other psychedelics, most often LSD.

[edit] Identification

While growing psychedelic mushrooms in a controlled environment is generally considered easier and safer than searching for them in the wild, such mushrooms can be found in places like farms, parks, and stables.

Amanita muscaria can be easily confused by the layperson with Amanita pantherina as well as other toxic Amanitas. Misidentified Amanitas are the cause of 95% of fatal mushroom poisonings.^{[citation needed]} For this reason, extreme caution should be used when attempting to identify an Amanita muscaria for ingestion.

[edit] See also

• Ergot, another form of psychoactive fungus

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• R. Gordon Wasson, The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica
• Alvaro Estrada, Maria Sabina: Her Life and Chants
• Terence McKenna, Food of the Gods
• Ole Högberg, Flugsvampen och människan. Section concerning the berserker myth is published online [1] (In Swedish and PDF format) ISBN 91-7203-555-2

[edit] Further reading

• Allen, John W. (1997). Magic Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle: Raver Books and John W. Allen. ISBN 1-58214-026-X.
• Nicholas, L. G, Ogame, Kerry (2006). Psilocybin Mushroom Handbook: Easy Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation. Quick American Archives. ISBN 0-932551-71-8.
• Stamets, Paul (1993). Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 1-58008-175-4.
• Stamets, Paul, Chilton, J.S. (1983). Mushroom Cultivator, The. Olympia: Agarikon Press. ISBN 0-9610798-0-0.
• Stamets, Paul (1996). Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 0-9610798-0-0.
• Kuhn, Cynthia, Swartzwelder, Scott; Wilson, Wilkie (1998 & 2003). Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc. ISBN 0-393-32493-1.

[edit] External links

• The Shroomery Detailed information about psychedelic mushrooms including identification, cultivation and spores, psychedelic images, trip reports, a dosage calculator, and an active community.
• Psilocybe mushrooms from The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances (1998) ISBN 0-349-11127-8
• Drug Factfile all you really need to know
• Magic Mushrooms.net
• The Vaults of Erowid - Psilocybin Mushrooms
• Drugs Forum: Magic Mushroom Section
• Mycotopia Information on Ayahuasca, Psilocybe Mushrooms, Cactis and Cannabis, including research, legislation, media coverage, bibliography and lots of links
• Mushroom John's Shroom World More than 13,000 images plus enlargements, dozens of shroom articles, books, shroom art, cultivation and species Identification and lots more.
• TCCWiki A free collaborative drug information project that anyone can edit
• The Good Drugs Guide - The Good Drugs Guide - Mushrooms
• Terence McKenna Psychedelics in the Age of Intelligent Machines.
• Shroom safety tips A community dedicated to safe drug use.
• Mushplanet Everything you need to know about cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms.
• Psilocybin Mushrooms All about psilocybin mushrooms.
• Zauberpilz.com- Comprehensive Psilocybe Mushroom Information
• 020 London - London's love of mushrooms
• How UK's love of mushrooms grew
• Illegal in UK as of 18 July 2005
• Illegal in Ireland as of 31 Jan 2006
• EMCDDA Thematic Paper: Hallucinogenic mushrooms - an emerging trend case study , June 26, 2006
• Magic Mushrooms news page - Alcohol and Drugs History Society