Psilocybin Mushrooms

Psilocybin mushrooms known as magic mushrooms or shrooms are a psychedelic fungus that cause visual distortions and altered thinking and perception very similarly to LSD. Psychedelic mushrooms are a long lasting hallucinogenic drug that is grown, dried, then consumed by eating them straight or putting the mushrooms into tea, chocolate, or capsule pills. Shrooms are believed to be non-addictive in the same way as LSD and DMT.

Shrooms are believed to be non-addictive in the same way as LSD and DMT.

There are two types of “addiction” which are psychological dependence and physical dependence. Magic mushrooms are a drug that CAN cause psychological dependence and CANNOT CAUSE physical dependence.

Psychological addiction

Psychological addiction happens when someone really enjoys the feeling of a drug. The enjoyable feelings causes them to continue using the drug to recreate the same feeling. Someone who enjoys tripping on mushrooms may continue to take mushrooms because they enjoy those feelings.

Repetitive use of mushrooms can be considered psychological addiction if the drug use becomes excessive and negatively effects the person's health, work, school, or social life. Psychological addiction is also common in those suffering with depression, anxiety, and many other mental or emotional issues. Using a drug over and over to escape reality or run away from life issues can be considered psychological dependence.

Physical addiction

physical dependence Is when a drug is taken so often that the body sees the drug’s presence in the body as normal. The body believes the drug is needed all the time so you function normally. Once the drug use is stopped the body reacts as if something critical is missing.

The negative withdrawal symptoms are the body's response to the drug missing. Intense cravings, physical symptoms such as anxiety, sweating, restlessness, and other feelings similar to the flu are common. Someone who takes magic mushrooms very frequently will need to keep increasing the dose for the trip to be as strong as the first few times. When heavy mushroom use is stopped there may be some desire or low level cravings to use the drug again but mushrooms are not able to cause physical withdrawal like feelings of being sick including sweating, anxiety, restlessness, etc.

Onset – occurs in an hour and continues for 2 hours after ingestion
Peak (strongest effects) – 3 hours after ingestion
Come down (effects slowly waring off) hour 4 to 5
“afterglow” (lingering positive mood) – can last for 2 to 3 hours after effects have worn off

Microdosing (0.1 to 0.25 grams)

no psychedelic effects (visual) and only minor mood lifting occurs. The microdose level only influences subconscious emotion, thinking, and perception. Many believe microdosing often increases both productivity and creativity and may have anti-depressent effects. The benefits are being researched but no definitive conclusions about risk and reward can be given without thorough research.

Very low dose (0.5 to 1 grams)

Minor effects (visual) may occur. Colors may seem brighter and mood heightens. This dose is low and it is possible that psychedelic effects are not noticed depending on the person.

It is very recommended to start at this dose if you are new to mushrooms or psychedelics in general.

Low to moderate dose (1 to 2 grams)

above 1 gram the effects will become noticeable visual hallucinations like colors and patters will become apparent and increase in intensity as the dose increases after 1 gram. Wonder filled thoughts and feelings of stimulation begin to intensify at this dose.

average dose (2.5 to 3.5 grams)

3.5 grams is believed to be the perfect dose for full effects while remaining controllable and not too intense for most people. At 3.5 grams, colors and patterns are very noticeable and occur when eyes are both open and closed. Objects can “breath” which means swaying and bending in a magical type way. Vibrancy of colors is heightened and colors of the rainbow create complex shapes when eyes are closed. Intense feelings of stimulation and alertness. Thoughts and perception are extremely altered compared to sober. Anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed are definitely possible but this dose cannot cause any physical harm and will not last forever.

Very heavy dose (4.5 grams and above)

heavy dose often called “heroic dose” – 4.5 grams and over is very potent and marks the point where overly intense become more likely. The effects of 5 grams may be much too intense for any beginner or even lightly experienced tripper. At this dose the psychedelic visuals may distort and fill vision so intensely that it is difficult to see straight and identify things around you which is very dangerous. Thought loops are very common at this dose and negative loops including terror, paranoia, and detachment from reality may be overwhelming and cause outbursts or irrational actions. It is critical to have someone you trust who remains sober to keep you safe on a dose that large. Having an accurate gram scale and a trip sitter is very important for any mushroom trip especially a stronger one.

How to test dose Mushrooms

It is crucial to test dose (take 0.1 to 0.5 grams) every batch of mushrooms to test their strength. It is possible that 1 species of mushroom can be 10 times stronger than a different species. While 3.5 grams is the average, it is highly recommended to treat every type of mushrooms as if they are extremely potent and slowly increase the dose. The mushroom trip experience is very profound and intense even at normal dosages of 3.5 grams with average potency mushrooms. A normal dose takes between 15 minutes and an hour to start kicking in. The come up process occurs for about 2 hours since ingestion and the strongest effects occur from about hour 3 to hour 4 after ingestion. The peak of effects lasts about an hour and can cause strong time distortion, speeding up or slowing down perception of time. Fluid colors and object distortion can occur where objects seem to be swaying or “breathing.” Mushroom effects will start fading an hour after the peak occurs and will be mostly gone In about 6 hours.

Psychedelic mushrooms are a illegal schedule 1 drug in the United States. Schedule 1 drugs are considered to have no medical benefits and high potential for abuse. The scheduling of a drug is determined by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in America.

Other schedule 1 drugs include heroin, marijuana, LSD, and ecstasy (MDMA). The scheduling of drugs in America is very controversial and the scheduling does not always align with the current scientific research regarding the danger and abuse potential of the substances.

Mushroom Pharmacology
How psychedelics effect the brain

Mushrooms are a monoaminergic psychedelic that has a chemical structure very similar to the neurotransmitter (brain chemical) serotonin. This fungus is called “psilocybin” mushrooms because the chemical psilocybin is present in high concentrations.

Mushrooms are not able to be injected, snorted, or dissolved in the mouth. The stems and caps of Mushrooms can only be eaten to be effective because of the metabolizing action necessary for the drug to work. Psilocybin present in mushrooms needs to be digested and metabolized into the chemical “psilocin” which is the actual molecule responsible for the psychedelic effects.

Psilocybin is 4-phosphoryloxy-dimethyltryptamine. When ingested, the liver breaks off the phosphate group and the molecule Psilocin is created (4-hydroxy-dimethyltryptamine). Psilocin crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to different serotonin receptors mainly the 5HT2A receptor. Psychedelic mushrooms function very similarly to LSD in the brain but mushrooms have a shorter duration compared to LSD because Psilocin molecules spend less time activating the serotonin receptors and are broken down faster than LSD. The most notable difference between LSD and Psilocybin mushrooms is the length of trip and subjective visual distortion differences. LSD visuals are often explained as geometric and rainbow whereas mushroom visuals are often described as more fluid and wavy. LSD is more straight lines and geometric shapes and mushrooms are more wavy lines and melting/flowing colors. But the mechanism of action in the brain between LSD and Mushrooms are very similar pharmacology wise.

Chemical reaction in the liver

Dihydrogen Phosphate group is removed and psilocin is formed. Psilocin is the active ingredient that activate serotonin receptors in the brain

Psilocybin Mushrooms

Mushroom Pharmacology How psychedelics effect the brain

Mushroom Pharmacology
How psychedelics effect the brain