Psilocybin mushrooms, often known as magic mushrooms or magic truffles, are a kind of natural hallucinogen that people ingest for their mind-altering properties. They belong to the class of drugs known as psychedelics, which cause alterations in perception, mood, and thought. Buy Sixth Sense – Microdosing tablets online to relax.
Psilocybin is the active component in magic mushrooms. Psilocin, the chemical with psychoactive effects produced by psilocin when it’s ingested, is formed in the body after psilocybin is taken.
About magic mushrooms
Mushrooms containing psilocybin have been consumed for thousands of years. There are over 200 different types of magic mushrooms. Because many species appear similar, distinguishing between them may be difficult. People can mistake poisonous mushrooms for magic mushrooms,
The chemicals psilocybin and psilocin are responsible for the effects of magic mushrooms. Unless authorized through, for example, a clinical trial and a licence or an exemption, granted by Health Canada’s Office of Controlled Substances, activities such as sale, possession, production, etc., of these drugs are prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Magic mushrooms are a broad category of psychoactive plants that contain psilocybin and/or psilocin. They’re also regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Psychedelics like LSD have mind-altering effects. Users of magic mushrooms encounter hallucinations and a altered state of consciousness. The effects are felt within 15-45 minutes, with a duration ranging from four to six hours.
The strength of magic mushrooms is extremely variable. One mushroom may have different concentrations of active chemicals compared to another, and the effects of the magic mushroom may be affected by the dose and type of mushroom consumed.
Dried whole mushrooms or a powder may be purchased and sold illegally. Many people who consume psilocybin choose to do so in a variety of ways, including:
- eaten raw or cooked;
- ground up and used to make tea or mixed in a beverage;
- swallowed as capsules;
- sniffed up the nose (snorted), when in a powder.
Magic mushrooms should never be injected intravenously.
Psilocybin and psilocin are Schedule I controlled substances that can be acquired as a powder, tablet, or capsule, most often in illicit laboratories, and may also contain additional hazardous chemicals if produced illegally.
How it works
The primary mechanism of action for hallucinogens is to increase activity at serotonin receptors in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This portion of the brain regulates mood, thought, and perception. Hallucinogens also have an impact on other parts of the brain that control arousal and panic responses.
Psilocybin does not always cause active visual or auditory hallucinations. Instead, it distorts how some people that use the drug perceive objects and people already in their environment. The quantity of the drug a person consumes, their past experiences, and their expectations of how the experience will take shape can all impact the effects of psilocybin.
The hallucinogenic effects of psilocybin usually occur within 30 minutes after a person ingests it and last 4–6 hours. In some individuals, changes in sensory perception and thought patterns can last for several days.
The potency of a magic mushroom depends on:
- species
- origin
- growing conditions
- harvest period
- whether a person eats them fresh or dried
The amount of psilocybin in dried mushrooms is about 10 times higher than that found in their fresh counterparts.
Consumption
Mushrooms containing psilocybin are small and usually brown or tan. In the wild, people often mistake mushrooms containing psilocybin for any number of other mushrooms that are poisonous.
People usually consume psilocybin as a brewed tea or prepare it with a food item to mask its bitter taste. Manufacturers also crush dried mushrooms into a powder and prepare them in capsule form. Some people who consume these mushrooms cover them with chocolate.
Extent of use
The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggested that 8.5% of people in the U.S. had used psilocybin at some point in their life.
The ritual use of psilocybin for mystical or spiritual purposes dates backTrusted Source to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies and continues to this day. Psilocybin is often used recreationally at dance clubs or by people seeking a transcendent spiritual experience.
In medical settings, doctors have tested psilocybin for treating cluster headaches, depression, end stage cancer anxiety, and other forms of anxiety.
Some scientists have questioned its effectiveness and safety as a therapeutic measure.
Street names for magic mushrooms
People may also refer to magic mushrooms as:
- shrooms
- boomers
- zoomers
- mushies
- simple Simon
- little smoke
- sacred mushrooms
- purple passion
- mushroom soup
- cubes
Effects
The effects of psilocybin are generally similar to those of LSD. They include altered perception of time and space and intense changes in mood and feeling.
Other possible effects of psilocybin include:
- euphoria
- peacefulness
- spiritual awakening
- derealization, or the feeling that surroundings are not real
- depersonalization, or a dream-like sense of being disengaged from surroundings
- distorted thinking
- visual alteration and distortion, such as seeing halos of light and vivid colors
- dilated pupils
- dizziness
- drowsiness and yawning
- impaired concentration
- muscle weakness
- lack of coordination
- unusual body sensations
- nausea and vomiting
- paranoia
- confusion
- frightening hallucinations
The effects of psilocybin vary between people, based on the user’s mental state, personality, and immediate environment.
If the user has a mental health condition or feels anxious about using the hallucinogen, they face a higher risk of having a bad experience.
Psychological distress is the adverse event most often reported after recreational use of psilocybin. This distress can take the form of extreme anxiety or short-term psychosis.
Psilocybin as a treatment for depression
Researchers have investigated whether psychological specialists can use psilocybin and similar hallucinogens as a treatment for depression.
One study examined the ability of psilocybin to reduce depression symptoms without dulling emotions. Results indicated that psilocybin may be successful in treating depression with psychological support.
The other study assessed the relationshipTrusted Source between psilocybin-induced hallucinations and positive therapeutic outcomes.
Risks
Some people who take psilocybin may experience persistent, distressing alterations to the way they see the world. These often take the form of a visual flashback, which is a traumatic recall of an intensely upsetting experience. People can continue to experience flashbacks anywhere from weeks to years after using the hallucinogen. Physicians now diagnose this condition as hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder.
Some individuals who use psilocybin may also experience 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. Symptoms often resolve in 6–8 hours as the effects of the psilocybin 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. A person should visit an emergency room immediately if these symptoms occur.
Because hallucinogenic and other poisonous mushrooms are common in most living environments, people 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.
Abuse potential
Psilocybin is not chemically addictive, and no physical symptoms occur after stopping use. However, after several days of psilocybin use, individuals might experience psychological withdrawal and have difficulty adjusting to reality.
Regular use can also cause an individual to become tolerant to the effects of psilocybin, and cross-tolerance occurs with other drugs, including LSD and mescaline. People who use these drugs must wait at least several days between doses to experience the full effect.
