Psilocybin Mushrooms
Also known As:
Shrooms, Boomers, Flower Flipping, God’s Flesh, Hippieflip, Lemon tek, Little Smoke, Magic Mushroom, Mexican Mushrooms, Mushrooms, Musk, Sherm, Silly Putty, and Simple Simon.
What is it?
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring prodrug present in more than 180 species of fungi, mainly in the Psilocybe, Panaeolus, and Copelandia. Psilocybin belongs to a class of drugs called tryptamines. This group also includes some neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin, melatonin, and bufotenin) and other naturally occurring psychedelics found in plants, fungi and animals (e.g. N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and 40methoxy,-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT).
How does it work?
Psilocybin mushrooms cause hallucinations because they contain the psychotropic tryptamines. Psilocybin is rapidly dephosphorylated in the body to produce psilocin, the main active metabolite of psilocybin. Psilocin stimulates serotonin receptors in the brain, and specifically binds to 5-HT1A, 5-Ht2A, and 5-HT2C receptors.
Psilocin produces transient hypofrontality in the prefrontal cortex and default mode network (DMN)—a network of brain regions responsible for meta-cognitive processes such as introspection, daydreaming, and time travel (the ability to reflect on one’s past and project into the future), among others. The reduction of DMN activity caused by psilocybin ingestion is what contributes to much of its effects on ego-dissolution, and its potential to relieve anxiety and depression.
What does it look like?
Psylocibin mushrooms are available in a number of forms. Treated/preserved (e.g. deliberately dried, cooked, frozen) or even as capsules or dry powders (EMCDDA, 2011a).
Most mushrooms containing psilocybin are small, brown or tan. In nature, these mushrooms are often mistaken for other non-psychoactive, inedible or poisonous mushrooms (EMCDDA, 2011a). This mis-categorization makes it potentially hazardous because it’s difficult to distinguish non-psilocybin species from the hallucinogenic species by morphological observation in nature (EMCDDA, 2011a).
Hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms resemble the store-bought mushroom Agaricus bisporus, although the flesh of Psilocybe mushrooms characteristically turns blue or green when bruised or cut (EMCDDA, 2011a).
Is there a safe dose?
Under prohibition, psilocybin is typically sold on the illicit market. With illicit psilocybin, there is no guaranteed safe dose because you may not know if the drug is contaminated with other substances. Importantly, every person responds differently to psilocybin mushrooms, depending on the setting, previous experiences, dose, body weight, physical health, and mental health. As such, precaution should always be taken. The following doses are anecdotal based on subjective experiences of people who use psilocybin.
Doses
Microdose 0.1-0.2 g
Threshold 0.25g / Light 0.25 - 1.0 g
Common/Medium 1.0 - 2.5 g
Strong 2.5 - 5 g
Heavy/Hero Dose 5.0+g
Experiences vary depending on the dose, ranging from mild feelings of nausea, giddiness, emotional sensitivity, visual changes, and nervousness with a low dose—to vomiting, open eye visuals, hallucinations, ego-death, spiritual experiences, psychological crises, paranoia, and intense feelings of joy and wonder at higher doses.
Effects
Effects of psilocybin mushrooms will vary between people. A user’s mental state, personality, and the environment all play key roles in the unfolding of the psilocybin experience (Kathleen Davis FNP, 2019).
Effects include:
Euphoria
Peacefulness
Spiritual awakening
Quickly changing emotions
Derealization, or the feeling that your surroundings are not real
Depersonalization: A dream-like sense of being disengaged from environmental surroundings
Visual alteration and distortion, halos of light and vivid colours
Hallucinations and closed-eye visuals
Confusion
Paranoia
Possibility of “thought loops”
Physical effects include:
Muscle weakness
Lack of coordination
Nausea and vomiting
Unusual body sensations
Side effects and cautions
Mental and Physical Health
Psilocybin is contraindicated in people with a family history of schizophrenia or early-onset health problems, in people taking antidepressants, in developing children, and in pregnant and lactating women. Avoid taking psilocybin if you’re feeling nervous, stressed or depressed.
INJURY
Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or engage in risky behaviours either during or after the consumption of psilocybin.
POISONOUS MUSHROOMS
Avoid eating any potential psychedelic mushrooms you collect in the wild, unless they have been identified by an expert. As mentioned before, many lookalike species contain toxic (e.g. muscarine) and deadly poisonous compounds (e.g. amatoxins) (Legislative Services Branch, 2019).
Tolerance
Taking psilocybin is not known to generate physical dependence. However, if taken with certain frequency the user can develop a tolerance. To prevent this, it is recommended that users restrain from use for a couple of days between each session.
Therapeutic Uses?
Psilocybin has shown potential in the treatment of depression, eating disorders, end-of-life-anxiety, mood disorders, and drug dependence, among others. Psilocybin has also shown promise in combination with psychotherapy.
Microdosing
Microdosing is the act of taking sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic substances, such as DMT, LSD, or psilocybin mushrooms. This use may be occasional or may follow a weekly routine (The Third Wave, 2019).
Some individuals who use psilocybin report benefits from microdosing. Benefits of microdosing may include: enhanced mood, improved focus, increased creativity, feelings of self-efficacy, improved energy, social awareness and connection, reduced anxiety, cognitive clarity, and physiological enhancement (Harm Reduction Journal as cited in Anderson et al., 2019).
Harm Reduction Tips
to reduce the possible harms of PSILOCYBIN, the following is suggested:
Consider the “set and setting”: When taking psychedelics, the context in which substances are taken is important. This includes the “set” (mindset) and “setting” (social and physical environment)
Do not use during stressful or negative periods of your life, or in unsafe or uncomfortable environments. Psychedelics can amplify the negative effects of these factors, which can lead to difficult or unpleasant experiences
As with any drug or drug combination, if it’s your first time trying something new, start with a low dose and always have a sober person you trust near you to take care of you during your psychedelic experience (“trip sitter”)
Avoid using alone. If you must use alone, call a trusted friend and ask them to check up on you
Legal Status: Use, Possession, & Distribution
Psilocin and psilocybin are classified as scheule III substances in Canada under the Controlled Drugs and substances Act (Government of Canada, 2019). Possession, production, and trafficking of Schedule III substances are punishable by law (Legislative Services Branch).
References
Anderson, L. (2014, May 18). PCP (Phencyclidine). Retrieved from Drugs.com website: https://www.drugs.com/illicit/pcp.html
EMCDDA. (2011). Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Profile. Retrieved from www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-profiles/mushrooms.
Erowid. (2019). Psilocybin Mushroom (Magic Mushrooms). Retrieved from www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2019.
Government of Canada. (2019). Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Retrieved from laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/.
Kathleen Davis FNP. (2019). What are magic mushrooms and psilocybin?. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850.php#effects
The Third Wave. (2019). Legal Status Of LSD And 1P-LSD. Retrieved from https://thethirdwave.co/legal-lsd-substitute
Winkelman, Michael J. (2017). The mechanisms of psychedelic visionary experiences: Hypotheses from evolutionary psychology. Frontiers in neuroscience 11 (2017): 539.
Image Sources
Fresh picked psilocybin mushrooms. (2019). Andy Paradise/REX/Shutterstock. Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/denver-psychedelic-mushroom-decriminalize-ballot-832414/