Drug info - Psilocybe Mexicana and Psilocybe Tampanensis (Sclerotia-Forming Species) Info

[WhiteRhino420]

SWIM has heard only about these online, on THIS very good site (drugs forum) and in some mushroom fact sites.
Are these rare? SWIM lives in Colorado and these sound like the way he should go with their amount of psilocybin and abilities from the 'levels' or 'plateaus' SWIM wants.
SWIM also wants to hear what other facts there are about these things...

[Nature Boy]

Philosopher's Stones, I imagine, are extremely rare outside of their country of origin, Holland. Mushrooms used to be legal in Ireland so SWIM was lucky enough to try them a couple of times and they are rather potent. Technically they're not even mushrooms, they're actually truffles. Unlike mushrooms they contain about 50% water as opposed to over 80% water in regular mushrooms. This means they can be stored for longer periods without needed to dry them out completely.

[Psych0naut]

SWIM has tried them once, 15 grams of fresh philosophers stone, and he head a pleasant trip, very nice visuals and a very philosophical mind at the end, thinking about life and stuff.
SWIM has to mind that they're a pain in the ass to consume, they're hard chunks which need to be chewed before one can swallow them, and they're extremely bitter and disgusting, which is a big downside.

[Beeker]

They are not to rare if you just do it yourself. Psilocybe mexicana as well as Psilocybe Atlantis and Psilocybe tampanensis produce or "philosopher's stones" are commonly sold in smart shops in Amsterdam in their fresh form. In the Náhuatl language, the fungus is known as Teonanácatl - agglutinative form of the words teó(ti) (god) and nanácatl (mushroom) - literally "god mushroom". These all produce Sclerotia.

sclerotium is a compact mass of hardened mycelium stored with reserve food material that in some higher fungi becomes detached and remains dormant until a favorable opportunity for growth occurs.

What is it ?

A sclerotium (plural: sclerotia) is a hardened mass of mycelium which is more resistant to adverse environmental conditions than normal mycelium.
Sclerotia form from the mycelium of certain mushroom species as a defense mechanism against dryness, cold, heat, or excessive moisture. Sclerotia contain approximately 30% dry matter. The potency of dry sclerotia is around 2/3 that of dry Psilocybe cubensis fruitbodies.
(As with every mushroom, the potency can vary depending on the mushroom strain, substrate composition and other factors)


What species form sclerotia?
Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe tampanensis both form sclerotia, as well as Psilocybe atlantis. The 'A' strain of P. mexicana in particular is known for its exceptional sclerotia forming abilities.


How are sclerotia grown?
Sclerotia can be grown in vitro on rye grass seed or different grains, or harvested from spent casings of P. mexicana or P. tampanensis.
Growing sclerotia in vitro is very simple and does not require any of the terrariums, air exchanges, or other complexities of fruiting mushrooms, but takes longer. Different grain substrates will work for sclerotia, but PF substrate is not suitable because of its vermiculite content. Any substrate containing materials not fit for human consumption should not be used for growing sclerotia, as it may be difficult during harvesting to separate the sclerotia from the substrate.
Rye grass seed (without fungicides) produces the highest yields of sclerotia, and so is the preferred substrate. In addition, some vendors sell ready made pre-sterilized bags of substrate in which sclerotia can be grown.


Preparing jars for:
Substrate for sclerotia formation for Psilocybe mexicana , Psilocybe tampanensis and Psilocybe atlantis
Substrate for fruits of Psilocybe mexicana, Psilocybe tampanensis,Psilocybe semperviva, Psilocybe atlantis ... Recipe #1: Rye Grass Seed Recipe

• QUART Jar
  300 ml Rye Grass Seed
  150 ml Water
• PINT Jar
  150 ml Rye Grass Seed
  75 ml Water

Recipe: #2 Whole white rice recipe

• QUART jar:
  300 ml whole white rice
  400 ml water
• PINT jar:
  150 ml whole white rice
  200 ml water

1. Fill jars with grain and water
2. Remove and punch an inoculation hole in the lid of each jar.
3. Screw a lid fitted with a Tyvek or polyfill filter on each jar, shake well to distribute the seeds and water.
   In addition an inoculation hole can be made, where you can inoculate the jars with a syringe. Cover the hole with a piece of tape.
4. Sterilize in pressure cooker for 1 hour at 15 PSI.
5. Shake well while the jars are still hot to distribute the wettter and dryer seeds evenly. Place back into the pressure cooker to cool down.
6. When jars have cooled completely, they may be inoculated. Inoculate with a spore syringe containing P. mexicana or P. tampanensis spores (preferably P. mexicana strain %u201CA%u201D, and make sure to flame-sterilize the needle) or liquid inoculate prepared from a actively growing culture on agar.

Incubation
The jars are then left in a dark place between 70 and 80 °F. They should be shaken 1-2 times during the first few weeks to spread the growing mycelium evenly. After they are fully colonized, sclerotia will begin to form in the jars. They should not be shaken after this point. Sclerotia will continue to form for 2 to 3 months after complete colonization. Time from inoculation to harvest is approximately 3 or 4 months.


Harvest
After sufficient time has passed and ample sclerotia have formed, it is time to harvest. This is done by picking through the jars and obtaining all the sclerotia. When first harvested, there will be bits of grain and mycelia sticking to the sclerotia. They can be cleaned with a soft toothbrush and water. Fresh sclerotia should be dried in the same manner as fresh mushrooms. It may be necessary to cut some of it into smaller pieces for this. Sclerotia consist of about 30% dry matter. Yields of more than 30 grams of dry sclerotia per cup of substrate have been reported when growing P. mexicana on rye grass seed. At 2/3 the potency of dry cubensis, this is equivalent to 20 grams of regular dry cubensis per cup of substrate.

How can I consume sclerotia?
Like mushrooms, sclerotia can be eaten dry, fresh, or re-hydrated, but should not be cooked. It has a consistency like peanuts. Good results can be obtained from substituting sclerotia for nuts in any no-cook recipe.
How does the potency of P. mexicana and P. tampanensis sclerotia compare to Psilocybe cubensis fruitbodies?
Sclerotia is roughly 70% water by weight while mushrooms are around 90% water. Dry sclerotia is 2/3 as potent as dry cubensis fruits, while fresh sclerotia is twice as potent as fresh cubensis. This is due to the fact that sclerotia contain 3 times more dry matter per quantity of fresh material.

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Psych0naut

SWIM has tried them once, 15 grams of fresh philosophers stone, and he head a pleasant trip, very nice visuals and a very philosophical mind at the end, thinking about life and stuff.
SWIM has to mind that they're a pain in the ass to consume, they're hard chunks which need to be chewed before one can swallow them, and they're extremely bitter and disgusting, which is a big downside.

Yeah, SWIM agrees with the point about the taste. They can easily be chopped up and brewed in a tea though.

[MadShroomer]

SWIM had the chance to try P.Tampanesis and P.Mexicana truffles back when they were still legal in the UK. SWIM belives they have a tangy, nutty flavor and are quite good fresh. SWIM loves the effects compared to regular "shrooms" and believes this to be a result of differen't alkaloids not found in the same concentrations in regular mushroom fruit bodies. P.Tampanesis is more mellow and less visual than P.Mexicana which can be more speedy and MDA like with its visuals. Fun tastey morsiles SWIM is trying to encase 3 spawn bags from 3 pints of colonized substrate using P.Mexicana. The mixture is going to be a combination of Vermiculite, Perlite, brown rice flower, california brown rice (whole), flax seed, pearled barley, and possibly some "bird seed" but unfortunately this isn't considered a "food" and foodstamps won't pay for it :P

[freaktech]

hello, my favorite mushroom is tampanensis truffles (i like very much his effects mystical and peaceful). I´m thinking about proving mexicana truffles. Their effects are such?
are the same?Thanks

[Alfa]

Similar, but not the same. Psilocybe Mexicana is often stronger (depending on how they where grown) than Psilocybe tampanensis. Mystical, peaceful and joyful.

[freaktech]

Thanks a lot. Surely that is a good election

one question more...the mexicana truffles trip... Is controlable as tampanensis trip? tampanensis trip is very controlable than cubensis for example. Thanks a lot.