magic-mushrooms description, production, forms n consumption methods.

Data sheet

• Active Chemical: Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine)
• production: You grow the mushrooms or you go mushroom picking.
• Forms: Eat magic mushrooms fresh or dried.

What is a magic mushroom?

Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a psychedelic alkaloid of the tryptamine family. It is present in many species of fungi, notably Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe semilanceata (Liberty Caps). Psilocybin-containing mushrooms are commonly called magic mushrooms or simply "shrooms".

Common effect

Effects of psilocybin generally resemble a shorter (4-6 hours as opposed to 10-14) LSD trip, though with milder hallucinations and a much bigger emphasis on the spiritual/mystical and incredible trains of thought. Following standard nomenclature rules, the name is Psilocybine, but this is almost never used in practice.

Consumption

It is not unusual to try and neutralize the taste of mushrooms, though. For example, liberty caps are often found growing in big grassy fields where cows graze, growing on dung, making them taste faintly of dung as well. This does not leave much aftertaste when the mushrooms are dried or powdered, but if you're eating them fresh, the taste is unpleasantly strong. Some like to dip fresh mushrooms in honey or chocolate for easier eating.

Dosage varies depending a lot on the individual and on the form of the mushrooms. A rule of thumb to frequent users is to avoid eating much food before a planned trip, as this reduces the potency of the mushrooms. On the day of the trip one should eat a healthy breakfeast or lunch and then abstain from eating anything more.

Drying the mushrooms is recommended, as it eases the taste and makes it easier to measure amount. A light dose of dried mushrooms is 1 gram. Medium doses are between 1.5 - 3 grams and anything exceeding 3-4 g is counted as a heavy dose. Considering eating fresh mushrooms this is most often simply measured in how many one is eating. This isn't a very accurate method, though, as each mushroom varies in size. A recommended amount to eat for starters is ca. 50 (15g) mushrooms, all up to 200 (60g) for a heavy trip.

Strength, concentration of Psilocybin in a magic mushroom

Psilocybin is distributed fairly evenly throughout the entire fruiting body, with the exception of the spores which are completely free of psilocybin and psilocin. The total potency can vary greatly between species and even between batches of the same species. There should be no drastic difference in potency between stems and caps from the same batch. Younger, smaller mushrooms are relatively higher in alkaloids and have a milder taste than larger, mature mushrooms. Mature mycelium contains some psilocybin, though one generally does not eat or otherwise process it. Young mycelium (recently germinated from spores) does not contain appreciable amounts of psilocybin.