Shrooms (also called Magic mushrooms or mushrooms) are a type of mushroom that contains the drugs psilocybin or psilocin. These drugs cause hallucinations. Psilocybin powder can also come in capsule form. It are wild or cultivated mushrooms that contain psilocybin, a naturally-occurring psychoactive and hallucinogenic compound. Psilocybin is considered one of the most well-known psychedelics, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations.
Psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning that has a high potential for misuse and has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
You can eat mushrooms in fresh or dried form. Powdered psilocybin can be snorted or injected. Mushrooms can also be:
- steeped into tea
- added to cooked foods
- added to fruit juice (if powdered)
Some mushrooms that look like psilocybin mushrooms are poisonous. If you eat a poisonous mushroom, you could damage your liver or even die.
It is against the law to grow, sell, or carry mushrooms. If you get caught, you could be fined
What are shrooms(Psychedelics)?
Shrooms / Psychedelics, also known as hallucinogens, are a class of psychoactive substances that produce changes in perception, mood, and cognitive processes. Included in this class of hallucinogens are ayahuasca, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD, and MDMA, which can either be produced naturally or manufactured in laboratories.
Companies entering into this space are often focused on clinical testing and treatment, as well as research on these substances and their impact on mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction.
Where is psilocybin legal?
Psilocybin itself is a prohibited substance in most countries. However, in some countries it is legal to possess, grow, or even sell psilocybin mushrooms.
In Brazil, there are no specific laws against the possession or consumption of psilocybin mushrooms, and use of magic mushrooms could even be covered under laws protecting the sacramental use of substances.
The British Virgin Islands prohibit the sale of magic mushrooms, but allow for possession and consumption. You will often find vendors selling mushroom shakes without apparent fear of prosecution.
In Jamaica, the authorities appear to turn a blind eye to psilocybin mushrooms, allowing its use in commercial retreats and for private personal use.
The Netherlands is a unique case: psilocybin mushrooms are illegal, but psilocybin truffles are legal. Truffles are just an earlier stage of mushroom development, and still contain psilocybin at high levels. The Synthesis retreat uses these magic truffles at our location in Amsterdam, setting up a safe and legal environment in which people can enjoy the transformative effects of psilocybin.
A number of other countries also provide leeway for the cultivation or use of psilocybin mushrooms, to various extents – although none are currently as safe and clear-cut in their policies as the Netherlands.
How do you identify psilocybin mushrooms?
You can find psychedelic mushrooms quite commonly in moist, sheltered conditions. They grow well in dung and dense forests near bodies of water.
Mushroom species are wildly varied, and the same goes for the psilocybin-containing ones. So far, there are 227 known species. There is no single feature based on which magic mushrooms can be distinguished from regular ones.
These are some of the most common species of psychedelic mushrooms found in the wild, and their features:
Psilocybe cubensis are the most well-known species of magic mushrooms. They appear as classic stubby-stemmed parasol-shaped mushrooms with predominantly light-to-golden-brownish caps that are bulbous before fruiting, and flat and wide in diameter when fully mature. A certain kind of P. cubensis is known worldwide as the “Golden Teacher.”
Psilocybe semilanceata are commonly found in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. They also go by the name “Liberty Caps”, because of their dark bell-shaped tops. Their stems are slim, and can be wavy.
Psilocybe cyanescens are quite easily recognized due to their undulating tops. For this reason, they are commonly referred to as “Wavy Caps.” They can be found on the West Coast of the USA, south of the Bay Area, in Central and Western Europe, New Zealand, and parts of Western Asia.
Panaeolus or Copelandia cyanescens, also known as the “Hawaiian” shrooms, are not the most distinct species, with long, slim stems and light brown to light grey caps. They grow all over the world: in North and South America, Western Europe, Central Africa, South and Southeast Asia and throughout Oceania.
Psilocybe azurescens are frequently found on the West Coast of the USA, specifically Oregon and Washington. They display a slim stem and a convex caramel-colored cap with a conical top.
Risks
People who have taken psilocybin in uncontrolled settings might engage in reckless behavior, such as driving while intoxicated.
Some people may experience persistent, distressing alterations to the way they see the world. These effects are often visual and can last from anywhere from weeks to years after using the hallucinogen.
Physicians now diagnose this condition as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), also known as a flashback. A flashback is a traumatic recall of an intensely upsetting experience. The recollection of this upsetting experience during hallucinogen use would be a bad trip, or a hallucination that takes a disturbing turn.
Some individuals experience more unpleasant effects than hallucinations, such as fear, agitation, confusion, delirium, psychosis, and syndromes that resemble schizophrenia, requiring a trip to the emergency room.
In most cases, a doctor will treat these effects with medication, such as benzodiazepines. These effects often resolve in 6 to 8 hours as the effects of the drug wear off.
Finally, though the risk is small, some psilocybin users risk accidental poisoning from eating a poisonous mushroom by mistake.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning may include muscle spasms, confusion, and delirium. Visit an emergency room immediately if these symptoms occur.
Because hallucinogenic and other poisonous mushrooms are common to most living environments, a person should regularly remove all mushrooms from areas where children are routinely present to prevent accidental consumption.
Most accidental mushroom ingestion results in minor gastrointestinal illness, with only the most severe instances requiring medical attention.
How to Recognize Shrooms
Mushrooms containing psilocybin look liked dried ordinary mushrooms with long, slender stems that are whitish-gray and dark brown caps with light brown or white in the center. Dried mushrooms are rusty brown with isolated areas of off-white.
Magic mushrooms can be eaten, mixed with food, or brewed like tea for drinking. They can also be mixed with cannabis or tobacco and smoked. Liquid psilocybin is also available, which is the naturally occurring psychedelic drug found in liberty caps. The liquid is clear brown and comes in a small vial.
Mushroom identification can mean the difference between life and death. Dried mushrooms are much harder to identify by sight, even by an expert.