Please review: Psilocybe Mushroom use basics

[Alfa]

I've written this for a new page in the mushrooms section of the infopages. www.drugs-forum.com/mushrooms.html Please post what you'd like to see added.
Dosing:
To find out the accurate dose, you need to know how much of which species of magic mushrooms you are talking about. Taking unidentified mushrooms can lead to serious injury. Here are some standards per species:

Species	Beginners dose fresh	Beginners dose dry	Full dose fresh	Full dose dry	Massive dose fresh	Massive dose dry
Psilocybe tampanensis	7.5 grams	2.5 grams	15 grams	5 grams	30 grams	10 grams
Psilocybe cubensis	15 grams	1.25 grams	30 grams	2.5 grams	45-60 grams	3.75-5 grams
Panaeolus Cyanescens	5 grams	0.4 grams	10 grams	0.8 grams	15-20 grams	1.2-1.6 grams
Psilocybe McKennaii	5 grams	0.4 grams	20 grams	1.6 grams	30-40 grams	2.4-3.2 grams
Psilocybe Azurescens	4 grams	0.4 grams	8 grams	0.8 grams	15 grams	1.5 grams

*Note: Psilocybe tampanensis truffles in dry state are to hard to consume. A user would break it’s teeth consuming it raw. Users generally soack the truffles in tea for 15 minutes, before consumption.

Psilocybe mushrooms can be consumed as is. Be it dry or fresh. The longer they are chewed on, the better the absorbtion. More effective is to let them sit in tea for aprox. 15 minutes after which the magic mushrooms tea is drunk and the mushroom residue is eaten. Note that the mushrooms are not added to boiling water, but to the tea itself, as heat destroys many of the Tryptamines. There are many different ways to consume magic mushrooms. See the forum for magic mushroom recipes.

Fresh & dry.
Dried magic mushrooms are easier/safer to dose, the effect is more stoned.In the process of drying, psilocin, psilocybin and other psychedelic tryptamins are lost, because of heat exposure. A good way of illustrating this is that you need (depending on what strain) 12 to 15 kg fresh magic mushrooms to get 1 kg dry magic mushrooms. In the case of Psilocybe cubensis (mexican mushrooms) you will need around 13 - 14 kgfresh magic mushrooms for 1 kg dry. But the dry magic mushrooms are only 12 times stronger(if you dry it well and not to hot), not 13-14 times. This is why fresh magic mushrooms are stronger per mushroom and dry is stronger per gram. Fresh magic mushooms give a more active effect. Better? It's a matter of taste.

Fresh magic mushrooms can go bad due to rot and infestive molds. Eating such magic mushrooms can make one very ill. Rotten mushrooms can look dark and slimey. White mold is normal.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Looks good.

[Alfa]

Come on people. There is obviously a whole bunch of stuff missing here. Let me know what you think should be in this page on the basics of mushroom use.

[Phungushead]

-Onset/Duration

-General warnings

-Basic legal thingy



That's all I can think of at the moment.

[graffixak]

As general use goes, a bad ride can be ended quickly by vomiting. Depending on how long the contents have been in the stomach and what method was used for ingestion. Just eating a bunch of dried mushrooms will have the quickest end if the contents are ejected (possibly as little as 10 minutes). Liquid methods may have little or no effect, as the liquid will be absorbed rather quickly.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />


Someone unable to get past the taste of dried product can use the standard tea soaking method or break the dried mushrooms into smaller pieces (less than 2 inches long) and place them in a blender with juice (cranberry juice, for instance). Shred the crap out of it all (perhaps a minute or two on liquefy for a good blender), let it soak for at least 20 minutes (but probably not more than an hour) and strain off the juice from the pulp. Make sure the pulp is squeezed dry. Drink the juice and discard the pulp - or if making multiple doses, take all the pulp and make a super juice; place all the leftover the pulp in the blender with just enough juice to make it move in the blender. Strain, drain, and squeeze dry. Always squeeze really hard. Fine metal mesh filters would probably work really well; coffee filters would probably absorb good stuff, and that's bad.


A better method for juice extraction is to use alcohol. Cheap alcohol makes a horrible taste and probably wouldn't evaporate well. Use the same method as above with vodka or everclear, except use the least amount of alcohol - just enough to make it move in the blender. Blend the hell out of it. Strain, drain and squeeze like it was coal turning into a diamond. Take the alcohol juice and place in a jar with a fan blowing over the top. Watch closely as the alcohol can evaporate really quickly. When the volume has been reduced to a quarter or so of the original volume (vodka may only reduce to half the original volume), throw it in your favorite mixed drink and go to town. It may be possible to reduce it more than a quarter but someone doing this may end up with good stuff stuck to the sides of thejar in larger quantities thanreduction to a reasonable amount - such as one quarter the original volume.


Just a general warning: using these liquid methods will reduce the overall potency of the good stuff. However, some people are completely unable to stomach the dried or raw stuff and may find this method easier to handle. Ingestion of the pulp is a good use of it instead of just throwing it away - but someone who could do that wouldn't be making juice.


Someone might theoretically want to store his or her stuff for a long time. A cool, dry, dark place can store a properly dried mushroom for 6 months to a year - maybe more. In theory, a refrigerator with a temperature around 35-45 degrees Fahrenheit would do nicely.Plastic bags that form an airtight seal at the top would, theoretically, be the perfect item for this. Of course, it would also be best if someone squeezed all the air out of this magic bag before storing.


Air is the enemy to dry things and good stuff. If the dried material is going to be broken up or cut apart, it should be covered with liquid as soon as possible. This can be juice, alcohol, saliva, or stomach acid. As neat as it may be to watch the blue-green color appear before your eyes, that is good stuff going bad. Someone with a dried mushroom full of really strong, really good stuff would still see that nice color change - even after a year of storage.


The onset will depend so much on the metabolism and chemistry of the person in question that saying "in general" has no meaning in this area. Someone with a slow metabolism or "body chemistry A" might take 30 minutes to 90 minutes before really feeling anything. Someone with a fast metabolism and "body chemistry B" might take off in 5 to 10 minutes. Using this over-simplified generalization, some people might theoretically feel the effects (on average) in 15-30 minutes with a peak at 90 minutes and mostly done at about 3 hours. Other people might feel a little effect at 30-45 minutes, peak at 2.5 hours, and get off that crazy ride around 4 hours. Some people can sleep right away; other people are unable to sleep for 6-8 hours after ingestion.


As a general warning, new users should start with a low dosage as outlines above. Aside from the metabolism side of things, there may also be a sensitivity to mushrooms in general. Some people react very poorly to the ingestion of fungi. There is another edge to this sword; some people may have BAD, VERY BAD rides on small doses but find a new light with which to see the world under high doses. The inverse of this may also be true. For the un-initiated, imagine your life and think, right now, of everything that could possibly go wrong. You could get fired, you could be in a car wreck, the power might go out, your car might die, the IRS could audit you......a bad trip will have you feeling like all of these are going to happen any second. You could feel that way for an hour or two.


Above all, this particular ride tends to be a journey inside. Someone who doesn't like what they see in the mirror should NOT get in line. A person who had internal issues may find the whole of their brain completely focused on those issues. If a person felt bad about something they did yesterday or had a bad decision weighing down on them - guess what the theme of this ride will be? For some people whocan go completelyBANANAS but maintain the ability to keep a certain detachment and say, "I'm freaking out.... but I know the wall did not really just try to eat me. I know there are not 50 cops just outside the door; I'm just having a panic attack. I know the floor isn't really liquid, I will recover from this," that person may learn something from their "bad" journey inside. However, that person has probably had a lot of experience with the color of music, the sight of melting skin, looking in the mirror to see WEIRD things, and a plethora of other situations.


In the US it is legal to acquire and possess spores, but there are a couple of states that have made it illegal. Possession of the mushroom itself is not inherently illegal - it is possession of the mushroom with psilocybin or psilocin content. Consequently, possession of the good mushrooms should be considered illegal. This also means that, technically, mycelium is illegal to generate in the US. Therefore, although a person could purchase spores or collect mushrooms in the wild - anything that is basically "not spores" would be illegal. There are probably not any provisions whatsoever in the US for "accidentally" harvesting a good mushroom in the wild.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Useful contribution

[Caliform]

Well, I got some. First, I am not really familiar with the latin name "</span>Panaeolus"</span></font> </font>as you said, I always saw it classified as "Copelandia Cyanescens".



Then, well, ensure you do have an empty stomach. My first few
expiriences with mushrooms were on normal stomaches, and I assure you
that the visuals will stay home, as will most of the effects. Once
again, that can be adressed as a difference in metabolism, although I
wouldn't recommend anyone to do it. If you do expirience stomach aches,
drink water. It's the only think I have found that doesn't influence
your trip.



</font></span>"Plastic
bags that form an airtight seal at the top would, theoretically, be the
perfect item for this. Of course, it would also be best if someone
squeezed all the air out of this magic bag before storing."</span>



I have tried to
keep Psilocybe Cubenensis in a plastic bag for about a month - it's
very okay as a means of storage, but I'd not recommend your standard
plastic bag (as often seen at Coffeeshops here in Holland, with a seal
on top) because most of the time, they aren't too airtight, even if you
squeeze them out completely.



And to end it all; THC and Psilocybin have strange effects on each
other. If you'd (hypothetically) smoke a joint before you trip, you'd
probably supress your trip and have a less intense expirience. However,
if you induce yourself with the same dose of THC after the peak
expirience, it may prolong. Be cautious with any other substances
around Psilocybin, because it's just not a party drug.</span></span></span>

</span>



</span>

</span>

[joechip666]

White mold is normal.

The "white mold" on fresh mushrooms is usually simply the fruiting body (mushroom) reverting back into it's vegetative state (mycelium) because it is deprived of nutrition.

Also (if I'm reading it right - it's hard to read old posts since the BB change), the dosage levels of Psilocybe cubensis (and probably the others as well) seem to be way low to me. I certainly wouldn't consider 3.25 grams to be a massive dose - more like 7+ grams.

[Alfa]

7+ grams?? Either you are very hard headed or you get weak mushrooms. 3.25 grams was a type-o
3.75 grams dry is a large dose with potent cubensis. 3.75 - 5 grams may be more accurate as a massive dose. (1.5 to 2 times the normal dose)

[joechip666]

Originally Posted by Alfa

7+ grams?? Either you are very hard headed...

Quite possibly.

3.75 - 5 grams may be more accurate as a massive dose. (1.5 to 2 times the normal dose)

Erowid considers 5 + g to be a Heavy dose. And Oss and Oeric (the pseudonym of the McKenna brothers) say that 5 g "...is sufficient to manifest the full spectrum of hallucinogenic effects in a 160 lb. adult." (Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide. So 5 g is probably about right for the average person's heavy dose.

[Alfa]

Over the years I've seen enough people taking a double dose (5 grams) and experience it to be way to heavy for them. (rough estimate: about 60) The risk of bad trips is very dose and species related. Mind that I'm in Holland, where mushroom strength is optimal. I would need at least 8 grams of Palenque(mexico) grown cubensis to get the same effect. But if you would give the advise of 5 grams to someone whose mushrooms originate from Holland (Lots of them do), that person would be in for quite a ride, which would not neccesary be enjoyable. One can always take more, but not reduce the dose. I do not agree with the dosage chart of erowid. With all due respect for Erowid, I think it is dangerous advise.
Mushroom potency relates to substrate, conditions, species, storage time & the way of consumption. The advise given is based upon mushrooms of the same quality as what's coming out of Holland.

I know a group of friends who think 7 grams is a light dose. They are used to dosing at least 10 grams and going absolutely bazurk for the next 6-7 hours. This is their idea of fun. They can handle it in a way. They have done this from their first experience and practicly do not know tripping any other way. The bad trips that they have are part of the game for them. But their standard would not be of any adivse to most others. More than a few get a full trip from 1,5 grams. 2,5 grams would be a heavy trip for those.

[Blake]

What range of color should one look for in fresh mushrooms? What type of physical appearance is good and what to stay away from? Also, mushrooms + speed ... thumbs up or thumbs down?

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Blake

What range of color should one look for in fresh mushrooms? What type of physical appearance is good and what to stay away from? Also, mushrooms + speed ... thumbs up or thumbs down?

It depends on what type. Cubensis, the most popular strain, should look big and bulky with a generally white stem and yellow/orange cap possibly with blue-ish bruises indicating the psilocybin. Avoid anything that's damp and very dark looking as they could make you sick.

Mushrooms and speed? Not a great mix I reckon. I've never tried that particular combo but have tried mushrooms and MDMA which felt sweaty and uncomfortable. Best do them separately.

[raven3davis]

Originally Posted by Blake

What range of color should one look for in fresh mushrooms? What type of physical appearance is good and what to stay away from? Also, mushrooms + speed ... thumbs up or thumbs down?

Some SWIM said he took XTC which was mda/meth, some shrooms and was smoking tweak the whole time. He said it was the best high of his life. Your situation may vary but it would be a combo worth looking into. SWIM sure said it did the trick.

[CrookedEye]

Swim is considered a hardhead, but rarely eats less than 3.5 grams, usually 5+... This can be a high dose for most people, but swim feels that it takes at least an 4g or more to get the full range of effects... Swim also has extensive knowledge on the cultivation of mushrooms, from beginner teks, to bulk production... Swim would be happy to help answer any questions about them...

[hazeinmybong2]

Interactions with MAOis would be a good addition. I saw a cool post about "gummyahuska" on the shroomery. They predose with rue and drink black currant juice(also a mild MAOi). They are then presoaking dry shrooms in lemon/lime juice for 15 minutes. Then enjoy.

[Blake]

Thanks a lot. That info helped SWIM dodge a probably very painful bullet.

[dragonmage]

describe what the grade scale means like A+,A-,B+,B-,C+,C-.

[Alfa]

Originally Posted by dragonmage

describe what the grade scale means like A+,A-,B+,B-,C+,C-.

What are you talking about? Explain yourself.

[Phungushead]

It's an amanita thing.

[korky8097]

i believe hes refering to a strain of cubies i believe, forget the grade they are called by, almost sure is b+. Im not sure what its meaning is really as i have heard of some being better than many other strains. Maybe it has something to do with the difficulty of growth as i hear they are pretty easy begginner grows. I dont think there is really a grading scale to tell you the truth, just a strain name. Could be wrong though.

[Phungushead]

There's a grading scale for amanita. It really just refers to the condition
of the mushroom itself (A+ is one in really good condition, C would be a
crappy looking one).

There is a strain of cubensis called B+ however.

[jbeech]

SWIM spent 30-40 bucks on some mushrooms, not sure of the exact # of grams...Ate some, waited 45 mins, nothing. Ate some more, nothing. Finally ate the entire bag and waited for the effects......and nothing happened. The only question I have is maybe the method of ingestion can affect the potency? Do enzymes in saliva break down the active ingredient? Cause this person figured it would hit him harder if he chewed on the mushrooms for a LONG time....or can certain people be immune or resistant to it? I don't get it.

[Nature Boy]

Probably dud mushrooms. Even swallowing active mushrooms whole would probably produce some effects. Chewing them, even just enough to swallow them, should also produce the desired effects. Chewing them for longer might make a little difference but not much.

[chilliker]

How does SWIM knows when the shroom is correctly dry? I heard leaving them at room temp will work ok but how to know when they are done?

[Alfa]

They will snap, instead of bending. If magic mushrooms are kept to wet, they will go bad. (other fungus and bacteria)

[Gradient]

SWIM would be quite grateful if someone with expertise could talk about the psilocybin content of 'abort' cubensis mushrooms? SWIM has read information advising to inspect for any kind of black growth inside of the stalk, and that the head is basically always toxic. Is there any kind of dosage scale that could be recommended?

Reputation Comments on this post:

good question, swim was wondering the same thing