Researchers say psilocybin is one of the safest psychedelic drugs thanks to its low toxicity, low abuse potential, lack of long-term adverse effects, seemingly no physical dependence potential and rarity of overdose. Learn more about psilocybin, how it’s gaining popularity for use in mental health, its potential risks and side effects and where experts see its future as a medical treatment. Psilocybin is a psychedelic chemical found in over 100 species of mushrooms. This psychedelic chemical found in these “magic mushrooms” has been used for religious and spiritual purposes over a millennia by indigenous peoples worldwide. In terms of potency, fresh shrooms are often reported to provide a more intense trip compared to dried ones. The active compounds in shrooms, such as psilocybin and Psilocin, can degrade upon exposure to heat and oxygen, and drying shrooms accelerates this process.
The use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in America was partially stamped out by Catholic missionaries during the Spanish conquest, but continued to be used in indigenous ceremonies in Mexico. In 1957, Life magazine published the account of two ethnomycologists, who participated in just such a ceremony (it was revealed in 2016 that their expedition was funded by the CIA’s Project MKUltra). A year later, Albert Hoffman, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, isolated the psychedelic compound psilocybin. Magic mushroom was popularized through the 1960s by researchers and psychedelic gurus, including Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna and Robert Anton Wilson. Of the nearly 200 species of psychedelic mushrooms that have been identified worldwide, only one – Psilocybe semilanceata – grows in any abundance in northern Europe. Like many mushrooms, Psilocybe semilanceata is generally known not by its scientific designation, but by its common or folk name, the “liberty cap” mushroom. To ensure the effective use of desiccants for drying magic mushrooms, start by choosing a suitable desiccant such as silica gel or calcium chloride.
Some scientists think that fungi can occasionally fuse together, giving them a chance to share their DNA, while Slot prefers the idea that in times of stress, fungi can soak up DNA from their environment. After mapping the presence of these five genes in the fungal family tree, Slot’s team confirmed that they most likely spread by jumping around as a unit. That’s why they’re in the same order relative to each other across the various hallucinogenic mushrooms. It’s possible that these mushrooms evolved the ability to make psilocybin independently.
Utilizing desiccants for optimal dryness
While some persons may use shrooms recreationally, others may develop an addiction to the chemical. A mix of medical, psychological, and behavioral adjustments is necessary for recovery from a mushroom addiction. However, this danger is generally seen as being lower than that of other drugs like opiates or stimulants. However, regular or excessive use of mushrooms can result in various medical, psychological, and social symptoms that could be signs of addiction. The active constituents in mushrooms interact with serotonin receptors in the brain to change how people perceive time, space, and reality. Depending on the dosage and person’s mentality, these effects range from slight sensory distortions to profound spiritual experiences. A typical, perceptual dose of psilocybin is anywhere from one to five grams of dried mushrooms.
Shroom effects
Another common mushroom is the Mexican mushroom, commonly known as psilocybe Mexicana. This mushroom grows in Central and South America and tends to develop a brown cap of a diameter 0.5-2 cm. An injured mushroom can be differentiated from a healthy one by its cap color, while a healthy full-grown cap appears to be brown, an injured mushroom tends to turn blue. In general, psychedelic mushrooms are dark-spored, gilled mushrooms which grow in meadows and woods of the subtropics and tropic regions, where the soil is usually rich in humus and plant debris. Mexico has the most types of psychedelic mushrooms (53), while more species are spread out in Canada and the US (22), Europe (16), Asia (15), Africa (4), and Australia and surrounding islands (19). However, it’s unlikely that anyone would die from taking too many mushrooms, even if they feel like it, meaning you can’t overdose on psilocybin in the traditional sense.
Read more about magic mushroom kits uk here.
It is unwise to purchase shrooms from Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace or from a stranger without an introduction. Foraging for wild shrooms is also an option, but please seek help from someone who’s done it before. It can take hours to feel the effects of eating the wrong kind of wild mushroom, by which point it will likely have damaged your kidneys and liver. Back in the 1990s, a guy—referred to as Mr. A—self-medicated his debilitating body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) with magic mushrooms, a substance better known as psilocybin among scientists1. During the acute effects of psilocybin, Mr. A no longer perceived himself as deformed or disgusting. Psilocybin appeared to help him correct his distorted body image, and after having self-medicated like this thrice, he started questioning whether he might not be as deformed and disgusting as his BDD led him to believe.
If you do decide to take shrooms, make sure that you know exactly what you are taking, and only do so in an environment where you feel safe. If you store shrooms, remember that they can last for close to a year when they are properly dried and stored in a cool dark location.
