1458 lines
67 KiB
Plaintext
1458 lines
67 KiB
Plaintext
From: gnosis@brahman.nullnet.fi (Gnosis)
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Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 21:16:30 EET
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Newsgroups: alt.drugs,alt.drugs.psychedelics
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Subject: [ FAQ ] Psilocybe Mushroom v1.1
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THE PSILOCYBE MUSHROOM FAQ
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VERSION 1.1
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Last update: 22.02.1995
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By nipo@brahman.nullnet.fi (most of the writing)
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& gnosis@brahman.nullnet.fi (layout, additions)
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Thanks to ppennane@cc.helsinki.fi (for the Tryptamine FAQ)
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& dr303@cleveland.freenet.edu (for alkaloid content figures)
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& all the other net-people who added or corrected info
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& our fellow innerspace astronauts
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.oOo. Notes .oOo.
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This FAQ is far from complete, and we ask those with information to add or
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fix to contact us. All comments and thoughts welcome.
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Schizophrenic alternation between "I" and "we" is due to the file being
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written by two people, not permanent brain damage from mushrooms. =)
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This file is purposely not in the usual question-answer, clearly-divided
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subsections, everything-referenced, no-cute-ASCII-pics format usually
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used for FAQs. Instead, it's more relaxed and loose, which in our
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opinion makes for a much better read. Enjoy!
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.oOo. Index .oOo.
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Disclaimer * Updates * Foreword * Viewpoint * History * Etymology *
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Chemistry * Psychology * Legality * Botany * Mushroom Guide *
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Growing Mushrooms * Picking Mushrooms * Drying Mushrooms * On the Dosage *
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Consumption * Preparation For The Voyage * During The Voyage * Warning *
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Miscellaneous Questions * Further Reading * Endnotes
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.oOo. Disclaimer .oOo.
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For info only. I hope someday humanity reaches the point where there are no
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restrictions, laws or censorship. Just read the foreword and get an
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attitude & altitude.
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.oOo. Updates .oOo.
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* What's new since version 1.0:
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= New section "Legality" added
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= New section "On the Dosage" added
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= New section "Miscellaneous Questions" added
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= In "Chemistry":
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- Information on (nor)baeocystin added
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- The use of MAOIs to potentiate psilocybin noted
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- New industrial-strength structures drawn
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- CAS numbers and full Chemical Abstracts names added
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= In "Psychology":
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- Leary quote and a warning added to "Psychology".
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= In "Botany":
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- Following mushrooms added to the list in "Botany":
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. the genus Boletus
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. the genus Coprinus
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. a whole bunch of obscure Panaeolus species
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. Psathyrella gracilis and sepulchlaris
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. in their own section, a bunch of Amanitas and Pholiota squarrosa
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= In "Mushroom Guide":
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- Added an extra disclaimer
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- Dosage information in changed: now dosages are given in fresh mushrooms,
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fresh grams, and milligrams of psiloc[yb]in per gram of dried material
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- Following mushrooms given full descriptions:
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. Psilocybe baeocystis
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. Psilocybe cyanescens
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. Psilocybe subaeruginosa
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- 20 mushrooms in various genera given brief summaries
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- The high baeocystin content of Ps. semilanceata noted
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- "Mower's mushroom" refers to Panaeolina foenisecii, not Panaeolus
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subbalteatus; note removed
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= In "Growing Mushrooms":
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- Half a dozen companies added to the list
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- Existence of FUNGUS list noted
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= Minor (mostly cosmetic) updates here, there and everywhere.
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.oOo. Foreword .oOo.
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FOREWORD: THINK!
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><><>>><><>><><<<><><<<>>><PSYHC.EDEL.AI<><<>><<>>><<<>><<<><<>>><<<>
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What is it?
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viewpoint
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the Ps(i)kedelia^^enTHEOgens(genia)
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vokal.BO.lary/nx |BODY|
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[greek]-PSYCHE-DELEIN *humphry OSMOND 1956
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(soul) (show) in his letter to Aldous Huxley
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"To fathom hell or soar angelic,
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Just take a pinch of psychedelic."
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ion
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____IN tokzikat(-/+) EBRIATION ....... psychotomimetik
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... psycholytik
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-__--IN- . peak experience alteredstate EN THE O GEN
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"gOd within"
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ekstasis (theos)
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pharma "be_koming"
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psyk (gen)
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physi => {god is love}
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biol
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soci theworld /\/\/ conciousness
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OLOKI[greekLOGOS:knowledge]
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physio.GNOMY of (SIKe:DELIA)
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crispvague im/possibility spaceufouniverse 2.birth
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Iindividualme eyeopening visionsinsights otherworldly
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heaven&hell planetmotherearth beyondwords
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DRUGS?ENTHEOGENS?PSIKEDELIX?SUBSTANCES?
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LSD Psilocin harmaline what
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MDMA Mescaline ibogaine ever
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CANNABIS Psilocybin DMT ...
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entheogens.psychedelics.hallucinogens@non.addictive.non.harmful
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"...a psychedelic drug is one which, without causing physical
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addiction, craving, major physiological disturbances,
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delirium, disorientation, or amnesia, more or less reliably
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produces thought, mood, and perceptual changes otherwise
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rarely experienced exept in dreams, contemplarive and religious
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exaltation, flashes of vivid involuntary memory, and acute
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psychoses."
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PsychedelicDrugsReconsidered
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Lester Grinspoon
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James B Bakalar
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? n o[t]i t a n n i c . u l l a . h !
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. h a l l u c i n a t i o n .
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sPIRITUAL Philo.sophic
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rETINA apertures
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"...ie. the product of "the phleghms of thought
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perceptual processes." IN THE BRAIN
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. colors magnified feelings of strange feelings
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. strange feelings
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. wavy motion of objects strange thoughts
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: visions/insights
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: 2-D visuals
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: objects differ absence of normal thought
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; color/switches
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; 3-D objects mutate
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| Perceptions not connected absence of reality
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| to the ,real, world
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*invisiblelandscapetheothersidedirectaxessunconsciousgodspacelifedeathuf
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[Gnosis sez: If that fails to make sense, read it again until it does...
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which may take a while.]
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.oOo. History .oOo.
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Hallucinogenic mushrooms have probably been in existence exactly
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as long as humanity. Ancient pictures of mushroom-headed humanoids have
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been found in caves in the Sahara. Siberian shamans use[d] fly agarics to
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enlighten the path to the spiritworld. In Central and Southern America
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use of psilocybian mushrooms (and other hallucinogens) was common until
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the arrival of Spaniards who spread the Catholic faith with sword and
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fire and forbade the use.
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Spanish priest Bernardino de Sahagun (ca. 1500 AD) on the use of
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hallucinogenic mushrooms by the Aztecs:
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"The first thing to be eaten at the feast were small black
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mushrooms that they called nanacatl and bring on drunkenness,
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hallucinations and even lechery; they ate these before the
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dawn...with honey; and when they began to feel the effects,
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they began to dance, some sang and others wept...
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... When the drunkenness of the mushrooms had passed, they
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spoke with one another of the visions they had seen."
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On use of alcohol:
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"If a youth appeared intoxicated in public... he was punished
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by being beaten to death with stick or garrotte before all
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other youths assembled there...to serve as an example."
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Only old people were allowed to drink the alcoholic beverage pulque. Sahagun
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has an error in his writings, the mushrooms were not ingested with food:
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"It is an ancient custom for people to eat mushrooms and these
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they ate in a trice, as is said. They had had no food exept
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some cacao drunk the night before. They ate these mushrooms
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with honey."
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The Aztecs (1400-1521) took other hallucinogenic drugs such as tlapatl,
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mixitl grain and peyotl or peyote, use of which originated from the north
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of Mexico, where it had been in use since 300 B.C. "Mushroom stones" in
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which figures under the cap of a mushroom are depicted have been found even
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from an earlier era (1000-500 B.C.) The purpose of these sculptures is not
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certain, but these stones may have been religious objects.
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The Codex Vienna Mixtec manuscript (ca 13th-15th century) depicts the
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ritual use of the teonanacatl by the Mixtec gods. The god known as 7 Flower
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(his name presented in the pictoral language as seven circles and a flower)
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was the Mixtec god for hallucinatory plants, especially the divine mushroom,
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and is depicted with a pair of mushrooms in his hand.
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The Aztec also had their god for the entheogens, Xochipilli, Prince of
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Flowers. He was the divine patron of "the flowery dream" as the Aztecs
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called the ritual hallucinatory trance.
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Mushrooms ingested by the indians were supposedly Psilocybe
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mexicana or caerulescens and Panaolus sphinctrinus. Stropharia
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cubensis, which is currently quite popular as it is easy to locate and
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cultivate, was not introduced to America until the arrival of the
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Europeans and their cattle. Today indians regard Stropharia cubensis
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inferior to Ps. mexicana for it grows in dung.
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In the beginning of twentieth century interest in psychoactive mushrooms
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stirred. The teonanacatl was first identified as Lophophora williamsii
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or peyote, and it was thought that Sahagun had mistaken the cactus for
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mushrooms. Finally ethnobotanist Richard Evan Schultes and physician
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Plasius Paul Reko traveled for the mushrooms to Oaxaca, and collected
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specimens of Panaeolus sphinctrinus. They found out that mushroom
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ceremonies - veladas - were still being held in the area.
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A decade after World War II, after long search the mycophile-family
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of R. Gordon Wasson came to little Village of Huatla de Jimenez, and
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Wasson and his friend Allan Richardson attended a velada held by
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curandera Maria Sabina.
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Information about the mushrooms soon spread. Psilocybin and psilocin
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were found and their analogues were synthesized. Experimentation with the
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mushrooms and the synthesized substances began and magic mushrooms were
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soon part of the 60's 'psychedelic' movement, ie. every second middle class
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kid was opening the doors of perception and [ab]using hallucinogenic drugs.
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.oOo. Etymology .oOo.
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_ _ _
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/ et'e-mol'e-je / 1. the origin and history of words
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The name of the genus "Psilocybe" comes from the Greek words "psilos"
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(bare) and "kube" (head), warped into New Latin to form "psilocybe".
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Literally translated, this means "bald head", which I suppose comes from
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their appearance. A rather inaccurate comparison if you ask me, most
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bald people don't have big pointy nipples on top of cone-shaped heads,
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even if they're from Remulok, but I digress...
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The best known hallucinogens in Psilocybe mushrooms are the chemicals
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psilocybin and psilocin, which are discussed at length in the next part.
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There remains a minor controversy about the spelling of their names.
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Psilocybin and psilocin are both alkaloids (nitrogen-containing substances
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found in nature), and an effort in the 70's aimed to convert all alkaloid
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names so that they end in -ine, like cocaine, caffeine, morphine, etc.
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The names should thus be "psilocybine" and "psilocine"; yet "psilocybine"
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is used very rarely even in modern authoritative works, and I have seen
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"psilocine" in print exactly once. If anybody has some idea about the
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current situation and the Korrekt(tm) spelling, please inform me.
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.oOo. Chemistry .oOo.
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The primary active ingredients of Psilocybe mushrooms are (surprise!)
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psilocybin and psilocin, and to a lesser extent baeocystin and norbaeocystin.
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The ratio of psilocybin to psilocin varies from species to species. The
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primary difference is that psilocin is unstable and it breaks down when
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the mushroom is dried, while psilocybin lasts much longer (a 115-year
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old sample was found to contain some). The two are equally psychoactive;
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the often heard "psilocin is 1.4 times stronger" means that psilocin is a
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more compact molecule, so measured in -weight- alone 1.4 grams of psilocybin
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is the same as 1 gram of psilocin. Here's the structural diagram for
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psilocybin:
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N
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/ \ PSILOCYBIN
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/ \
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______/ \ 4-OPO -DMT
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/ / \ \ || 4
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/ / \ \ ||
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/ / \ \ || 4-Phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine
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\/ \/___|| C C
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\________/ \ / \ / 1H-Indol-4-ol, 3-[2-(dimethylamino)-
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\______/ \ / \ / ethyl] dihydrogen phosphate ester
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\ \ / \ /
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\ C N CAS #: 520-52-5
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\ (+) |
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O |
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| C
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____| (-)
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O____P____O
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O
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In the body, the phosphorus part is chopped off ("dephosphorylated")
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by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, turning it into our other friend:
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N
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/ \ PSILOCIN
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/ \
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______/ \ 4-OH-DMT
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/ / \ \ ||
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/ / \ \ || 4-Hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine
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/ / \ \ ||
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\/ \/___|| C C 1H-Indol-4-ol, 3-[2-(dimethylamino)
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\________/ \ / \ / ethyl]
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\______/ \ / \ /
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\ \ / \ / CAS #: 520-53-6
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\ C N
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\ |
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O |
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C
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Psilocybin and psilocin are part of the tryptamine family (indole C8H7N &
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ethylamine side chain). They bear close resemblance to the neurotransmitter
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serotonin. How these substances work is, I have come to believe, still quite
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obscure. Primary effect seems to be the inhibition of neurotransmitter
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serotonin, action similar to that of LSD-25. These substances also present
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some cross-tolerance. And as a good psychedelic should, psilocybin, psilocin
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and psilocybian mushrooms have low toxicity - in tests with mice, doses up
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to 200 mg of psilocybin/kg of body (in average human terms (65 kg) 13 grams)
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have been injected intravenously without lethal effects. The ED50:LD50
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ratio is 641 according to the NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects; compare
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this with 9637 for vitamin A, 4816 for LSD, 199 for aspirin and 21 for
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nicotine. Poisoning, at least physically, is thus not a problem.
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Then we have the two other significant indole alkaloids:
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N
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/ \ BAEOCYSTIN
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/ \
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______/ \ 4-OPO -MT
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/ / \ \ || 4
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/ / \ \ ||
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/ / \ \ || 4-Phosphoryloxy-N-methyltryptamine
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\/ \/___|| C
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\________/ \ / \ 1H-Indol-4-ol, 3-[2-(methylamino)-
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\______/ \ / \ ethyl] dihydrogen phosphate ester
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\ \ / \
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\ C N CAS #: 21420-58-6
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\ (+) |
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O | The monomethyl analogue of psilocybin
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| C
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____| (-)
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O____P____O
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|
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O
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Unlike psilocybin, baeocystin is somewhat unstable, and decays noticeably
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with age. And then we have baeocystin's close chemical cousin:
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N
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/ \ NORBAEOCYSTIN
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/ \
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______/ \ 4-OPO -T
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/ / \ \ || 4
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/ / \ \ ||
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/ / \ \ || 4-Phosphoryloxytryptamine
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\/ \/___|| C
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\________/ \ / \ 1H-Indol-4-ol, 3-[2-aminoethyl]
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\______/ \ / \ dihydrogen phosphate ester
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\ \ / \
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\ C N CAS #: 21420-59-7
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\ (+)
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O The demethyl analogue of psilocybin
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|
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____| (-)
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O____P____O
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|
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|
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O
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In other words, baeocystin and norbaeocystin are just psilocybin
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with one methyl and two methyls respectively lopped off. When dephos-
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phyrelated, they turn into 4-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine and 4-hydroxy-
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tryptamine. Both substances are hallucinogenic, but much less so than
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psilocin or psilocybin. Very little work seems to have been done on them
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(Chemical Abstracts averages a cite a year, with most of them of the variety
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"baeocystin found in Psilocybe totallyobscuralis"). There has been some
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speculation on the 'net about them, and a possible correlation between nausea
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and the amount of baeocystin has been found. We hope to be able to
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investigate the question further for the next version.
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These are just the four "biggies". A whole truckload of other indoles
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are known to exist in Psilocybe mushrooms. Here's a sample of what
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was found in a batch of Psilocybe baeocystis, excluding the ones mentioned
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above:
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Indole derivative Amount (microg.)
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5-Benzyloxy-3-indole acetic acid 2
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N,N-Dimethyltryptamine hydrogen-oxalate 4
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Gramine 40
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3-Hydroxyethyl indole 2
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5-Hydroxy-3-indole acetic acid 2
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5-Hydroxyindole 4
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3-Hydroxymethylindole 2
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5-Hydroxytryptamine creatine sulfate [aka Serotonin] 4
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5-Hydroxytryptophane 2
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Indole 4
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3-Indoleacetamide 2
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3-Indole acetic acid 2
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3-Indoleacetic acid ethyl ester 2
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3-Indoleacetonitrile 2
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3-Indolealdehyde 40
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3-Indoleacetaldehyde 2
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3-Indolecarboxylic acid 4
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3-Indolelactic acid 2
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gamma-(Indole)-N-butyric acid 4
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beta-Indole-3-acrylic acid 2
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beta-(Indole-3)-propionic acid 4
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Indoxylacetate 2
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Indoxylbutyrate 2
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Isatin 2
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5-Methoxy-2-carboxyindole 2
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5-Methoxydimethyltryptamine monooxalate [aka Bufotenine] 4
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5-Methoxyindole 4
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2-Methylindole 2
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3-Methylindole 4
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5-Methylindole 4
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5-Methyltryptophane 2
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N-Methyltryptophane 2
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Tryptamine hydrochloride 4
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L-Tryptophane 0.8
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[From A.Y. Leung, A.H. Smith, A.G. Paul, "Production of Psilocybin in
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Psilocybe baeocystis Saprophytic Culture". J. Pharm. Sci. 54, 1576 (1965).]
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The effects of psilocybin can be potentiated (made stronger) by taking
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them with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). The potency is roughly
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doubled, according to most reports. The best known MAOIs are harmine and
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harmaline from the plant Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). Combining MAOIs and
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tryptamines is an unsafe activity; not only are there are number of
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||
substances you must avoid during use to prevent a serious hypertensive
|
||
crisis, but the long-term health effects are unknown. If you wish to know
|
||
more, consult the Tryptamine FAQ. Personally, I doubt it's worth the
|
||
risk, if you pick or grow shrooms it's easy to get enough shrooms
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for a double dose.
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.oOo Psychology .oOo.
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||
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||
"Nature's Perfect Hallucinogen(TM)"
|
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Psilocybin is juuust fine. I've tried several psychoactive drugs,
|
||
including hash, LSD-25 and psilocybin. Hash usually doesn't do much -
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||
sends me into a half sleep with silly thoughts and spacey soundscape
|
||
added to music... LSD doesn't do it to me either. It's probably OK if you
|
||
are after low dose recreation - partying and such... High doses - too
|
||
blunt, like a mental power tool. It cracks up open your head; Starring
|
||
You and Your Brain for 12 hours. Every perception magnified thousandfold
|
||
- it's.. it's a bit too intense. __!INTENSE!__ is the keyword.
|
||
It doesn't accept any apologies or mistakes.. too harsh. I often felt
|
||
like I had been immersed in some chemical, into a substance so pure and
|
||
efficient it has no place in nature. Too pure. 12 hours of LSD-25
|
||
acid-bath makes you really tired... physically and mentally. But
|
||
psilocybin, mm-mm, it's juuuuust fiiiine.
|
||
|
||
Voyage to the spiritworld... visions and travels, awesome mental
|
||
hallucinations. It's a direct ISDN-link to the mother earth, forgiving,
|
||
gentle substance. You hear the chanting of the planet and the spirit of
|
||
the mushroom. It's a product of the nature, untied to the actions of men
|
||
and women roaming this planet. Your body disconnected from the circuit,
|
||
you may often forget it exists. Six hours - not too short, not too long.
|
||
Perfect.
|
||
|
||
It should be noted that like all 'major' hallucinogens, psilocybin
|
||
can precipitate psychotic episodes and uncover or aggravate previous
|
||
mental illness. If you're stressed out or depressed, don't take mushrooms;
|
||
if you have schizophrenia or something, _DO NOT_ take mushrooms.
|
||
|
||
ACID IS NOT FOR EVERY BRAIN .... ONLY THE HEALTHY, HAPPY,
|
||
WHOLESOME, HANDSOME, HOPEFUL, HUMOROUS, HIGH-VELOCITY
|
||
SHOULD SEEK THESE EXPERIENCES. THIS ELITISM IS TOTALLY SELF-
|
||
DETERMINED. UNLESS YOU ARE SELF-CONFIDENT, SELF-DIRECTED,
|
||
SELF-SELECTED, PLEASE ABSTAIN.
|
||
-Timothy Leary, Ph.D.
|
||
|
||
I think this applies to mushrooms as well. Mushrooms and acid will
|
||
open your doors of perception, and once open you can never truly close
|
||
them again. They are more than a purely recreational drug.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Legality .oOo.
|
||
|
||
Here's a list of some of places we know about. Much of this is
|
||
'off the net' and may thus be more or less flawed. "Yes" means
|
||
it is legal and "No" means it is illegal.
|
||
|
||
Location Fresh Dry Shroom Cultures Cultures
|
||
shrooms shrooms spores pre-shroom w/ shrooms
|
||
|
||
California, US No No No No No
|
||
Florida, US Yes No Yes Yes No
|
||
Great Britain Yes Yes Yes Yes No
|
||
US (generic) No No Yes Yes No
|
||
World (generic) Yes No Yes Yes No
|
||
|
||
The laws are based on a balance between the UN Convention on Psychotropic
|
||
Substances, which makes psilocybin and psilocin illegal, and recognition
|
||
of the fact that the substances occur in nature. For each category:
|
||
|
||
* Fresh shrooms: The basic idea is that since shrooms grow in nature, it'd
|
||
be silly to arrest grannies who happen to have a few growing in their
|
||
backyard, or who pick them by accident. This hasn't stopped most of
|
||
the US (except Florida) from banning them entirely. Of course, if you
|
||
are caught with 3000 Str. cubensis, you'll have a hard time claiming you
|
||
picked them by "accident".
|
||
|
||
* Dry shrooms: Usually taken as proof of intent to consume, and thus
|
||
illegal. In Britain, "naturally dried" shrooms are legal, ie. if you
|
||
leave them on a windowsill by 'accident' it's OK.
|
||
|
||
* Shroom spores: Spores contain no psilocybin or psilocin and thus are
|
||
not covered by regulations - except in California where they are punishable
|
||
by up to a year in prison by California Health & Safety Code Section 11391.
|
||
|
||
* Cultures before shrooms appear: Same as above, usually. Advanced
|
||
mycelia do contain psilocybin and psilocin. With the rice cake method
|
||
you can grow until the mycelia are complete and then eat the cakes;
|
||
this way you can trip without ever being in possession of shrooms.
|
||
|
||
* Cultures after shrooms appear: Clear intent to consume, and you'll
|
||
probably get charged with possession with intent to sell as well.
|
||
|
||
Mushroom hunting is another issue. On public property, hunting itself
|
||
is not illegal, but you're not likely to run into cows in national parks
|
||
either. =) Some countries like Finland have the legal concept of
|
||
"everyman's right" which allows, among other things, picking mushrooms on
|
||
private property, except on fields which once again makes things tricky.
|
||
But unless you live in a notorious shroom zone - some areas of Florida and
|
||
South Wales come to mind - the odds of getting hassled by farmers, much
|
||
less getting caught by the police, are practically zero.
|
||
|
||
If you are caught by the cops, expect to be charged with trespassing and
|
||
possession of controlled substances. Unless large quantities are involved,
|
||
you will probably get by with probation and/or a fine. If caught in
|
||
Florida, you can cite the state laws and have the possession charge
|
||
reduced or dropped entirely.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Botany .oOo.
|
||
|
||
.-'~~~-.
|
||
.'o oOOOo`. "I am ... a mushroom
|
||
:~~~-.oOo o`. On whom the dew of heaven drops now and then."
|
||
`. \ ~-. oOOo. - John Ford
|
||
`.; / ~. OO:
|
||
.' ;-- `.o.'
|
||
,' ; ~~--'~
|
||
; ; [ASCII stolen from Mescalito Ted]
|
||
_\\;_\\//_
|
||
|
||
Psilocybe mushrooms are:
|
||
|
||
== kingdom Protista, division Fungi, class Basidiomycetes, order Stropharia,
|
||
family Strophariaceae
|
||
== basidiomycotina or -mycetes - Fungi that produce spores on stalks
|
||
outside the terminal cells.
|
||
== agaricales - mushrooms with cap & gills;
|
||
|
||
Commonly used species:
|
||
|
||
== Panaeolus sphinctrinus, subbalteatus (benanosis)
|
||
== Psilocybe baeocystis, caerulescens, cyanescens, mexicana,
|
||
pelliculosa, semilanceata, stuntzii
|
||
== Stropharia (Psilocybe) cubensis
|
||
|
||
Uncommonly used species [mostly stolen from the Tryptamine FAQ]:
|
||
|
||
== Agrocybe farinacea
|
||
== Boletus erythropus, manicus, migroviolaceus, niggerimus, kumaeus,
|
||
reayi [all (@)]
|
||
== Conocybe cyanopus, kuehneriana (*), siligineoides (?), smithii
|
||
== Copelandia anomala, bispora, cambodginiensis, cyanescens,
|
||
tropicalis
|
||
== Coprinus niveus, patouillardii, narcoticus
|
||
== Galerina steglichii
|
||
== Gymnopilus aeruginosus, liquiritiae, luteus, purpuratus, spectabilis,
|
||
validipes, viridans
|
||
== Inocybe aeruginascens, coelestium, corydalna, haemacta, tricolor
|
||
== Lepiota peele
|
||
== Panaeolina foenisecii (%)
|
||
== Panaeolus antillarum, ater, cambodginiensis, campanulatus, chlorocystis,
|
||
firmicola, olivaceus, papilionaceus, retirugis, separatus, tropicalis
|
||
== Pluteus atricapillus (%), nigroviridis, salicinus
|
||
== Psathyrella candollenana, gracilis, sepulchralis
|
||
== All Psilocybe mushrooms
|
||
|
||
(*) Contains only psilocin.
|
||
(%) Contains only psilocybin.
|
||
(?) Contains unidentified tryptamines (probably psilocin/psilocybin).
|
||
(@) Contains unidentified hallucinogens (possibly psilocin/psilocybin).
|
||
The Boletus genus is very large and very few of them are
|
||
hallucinogenic; some are known to be poisonous.
|
||
|
||
Inclusion on this list does not mean the psilocin/psilocybin content is
|
||
sufficient for psychotropic activity in practical amounts.
|
||
|
||
The following hallucinogenic species contain not psilocin/psilocybin
|
||
but atropine, bufotenine, muscimol and similar nasties:
|
||
|
||
== Amanita citrine, formosa, mappa, muscaria (*), pantherina,
|
||
porphyria, regalis, tomentella
|
||
== Pholiota squarrosa
|
||
|
||
(*) The famed "Fly Agaric" red toadstool with white warts.
|
||
|
||
Amanita species cause 95% of all deaths from mushroom poisoning. The
|
||
ones above are (reasonably) safe, the danger lies in correct identification.
|
||
Death by Amanita poisoning is reportedly an excruciating way to die, since
|
||
they nuke your liver and the body's own wastes then kill you. Worse yet,
|
||
the effects only start 3 days after ingestion, and by then it's too late.
|
||
I would seriously recommend against toying with these; most reports say
|
||
they're not even fun. If you insist, consult other sources for more
|
||
information.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Mushroom Guide .oOo.
|
||
|
||
.oO Warning
|
||
|
||
A printout of this part of the text should provide an adequate
|
||
check-list for mushrooms in the field, but a good mushroom book with
|
||
color pictures of the mushrooms, preferably at all 4 stages of growth,
|
||
is INVALUABLE. The set of GIFs at hemp.uwec.edu may be used as a
|
||
crude substitute, but a book is easier to carry around... =)
|
||
Also consult the file/book "Field Guide to the Psilocybin Mushroom" for
|
||
more detailed descriptions of Ps. caerulescens, Str. cubensis and Pa.
|
||
subbalteatus; our descriptions are condensed from theirs.
|
||
|
||
To check the spore color, take two caps, place one on a sheet of white
|
||
and one on a black paper, or on a glass plate if you plan to use
|
||
microscope. Place in a draftless place and wait for 6 to 24 hours. The
|
||
dust-like stuff on the sheet is the spores. Compare the two papers.
|
||
For size, you'll need a good microscope... =)
|
||
|
||
********** ********** **********
|
||
*** BOINGO ***** BOINGO ***** BOINGO ***
|
||
********** ********** **********
|
||
|
||
It is STRONGLY recommended that for the first few hunts you go out
|
||
with a friend who has hunted before and knows what they look like. While
|
||
there are no poisonous mushrooms that look like the -common- Psilocybes,
|
||
there are a whole bunch that certainly will not get you off, and while not
|
||
lethal they might well be quite unpleasant. So be careful!
|
||
|
||
.oO Dosage Note
|
||
|
||
The medium adult oral dose, according to Hofmann, is 4-8 mg of
|
||
psilocybin. Thus, you can estimate doses from the mg/g psilocybin figures
|
||
found in technical literature. Data for "% dry weight" is the same as
|
||
centigrams per gram, so just multiply by 10 to get the mg/g figure.
|
||
|
||
Whenever possible, dosages in both shrooms and grams of *FRESH* material
|
||
have been given. As a rule of thumb, for dried shrooms multiply the
|
||
dosage in SHROOMS by two. There is no reliable way of converting
|
||
weight in grams from fresh to dry.
|
||
|
||
The amount of psilocybin varies very considerably from mushroom to
|
||
mushroom, depending on factors like age, growing conditions, etc. The
|
||
variation is up to 4x for mushrooms grown in controlled laboratory
|
||
conditions, and as much as 10x for ones that are not! With a new batch,
|
||
always start out low.
|
||
|
||
When reading the data, remember that psilocybin is almost equal in
|
||
strength to psilocin. On the other hand, baeocystin does not appear to
|
||
very hallucinogenic, but it is rumored to account for some of the side
|
||
effects.
|
||
|
||
.oO Format of Info
|
||
|
||
(A)WHERE does it grow? region - habitat /
|
||
WHEN does it grow? time of the year
|
||
|
||
(B)WHAT does it look like?
|
||
CAP: diameter..color..appearance
|
||
STEM: diameter..length..color..appearance
|
||
GILLS: form..color/color of spores
|
||
SPORES: color..size..appearance
|
||
OTHER:
|
||
DOSAGE: (shrooms) low..medium..high
|
||
(grams) low..medium..high [FOR FRESH SHROOMS!]
|
||
(mg/g) psilocybin..psilocin..baeocystin [IN DRY SHROOMS!]
|
||
milligrams of substance per gram of dry mushroom
|
||
|
||
.oO Shroom descriptions in alphabetical order:
|
||
|
||
It should be kept in mind that mushrooms change appearance as they
|
||
age and often have different coloration in different regions.
|
||
|
||
.oO Panaeolus subbalteatus (aka Panaeolus benanosis)
|
||
|
||
(A) Widespread, temperate zone - on grasses, lawns, pastures,
|
||
roadsides, prefers fertilized or manured soil. Grows in spring
|
||
and fall.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: 2-4 cm .. dark brown, drying paler from the center ..
|
||
broadly curved, expanding when mature
|
||
STEM: 3-5 mm .. 5-10 cm .. paler than cap .. cylindric, hollow
|
||
GILLS: Narrowly attached to stem, mottled, crowded .. dark brown
|
||
SPORES: Dark brown .. 11-14 by 7-9 by 6-8 microm .. lens shaped, with
|
||
germ-pore
|
||
DOSAGE: (grams) 30 .. 60 .. 100
|
||
(mg/g) 1.5-6.0 .. none .. 0.01-0.05
|
||
OTHER: Often forms tufts of 2-4 fruitbodies.
|
||
NOTE: There are evidently several distinct subtypes of Pa. subbalteatus.
|
||
This is the most common one. Bears some resemblance to Panaeolina
|
||
foeniscii.
|
||
|
||
.oO Psilocybe baeocystis
|
||
|
||
(A) Can be found growing on ground bark, wood chips, peat moss and
|
||
occasionally on lawns. Common on campuses. This popular mushroom
|
||
appears from fall through midsummer in large clumps. Prevalent
|
||
throughout the Pacific Northwest.
|
||
Fruits prolifically from fall through winter in the Pacific Northwest.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: ? .. The edge of the cap generally undulates, resembling a
|
||
bottle cap or lawn umbrella. A brown spot appears in the
|
||
center of the cap after drying.
|
||
STEM: ? .. ? .. ? .. often characterized by twisting bends
|
||
GILLS: ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
SPORES: ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
DOSAGE: (grams) ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
(mg/g) 1.5-8.5 .. 0.5-5.9 .. 0.1-1.0
|
||
NOTE: As the name indicates, it has a lot of baeocystin. This is the
|
||
only Psilocybe for which a fatality (a 7-year-old boy) is known.
|
||
Third-hand info, corrections welcome.
|
||
|
||
.oO Psilocybe caerulescens ("Landslide")
|
||
|
||
(A) Found throughout the southern United States, from California to Louisiana
|
||
and South Carolina to Florida. Evidently unknown elsewhere. (?)
|
||
Grows on the banks of rivers and streams.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: 2-7 cm .. deep green to black, fades with age .. cone-shaped
|
||
when young, expands to convex-to-flat (never bowl-shaped),
|
||
smooth and sticky, no nipple, margin of the cap will be lighter
|
||
or darker than the center
|
||
STEM: Up to 1 cm .. 3-9 cm ... very even, hollow, smooth, tough,
|
||
covered with thick fibrous hairs
|
||
GILLS: Closely spaced .. light-brown to dark-brown/black as it ages
|
||
SPORES: ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
DOSAGE: ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
NOTE: This is third-hand info, corrections welcome.
|
||
|
||
.oO Psilocybe cyanescens ("Wavy Caps, Blue Halos")
|
||
|
||
(A) Doesn't grow on dung, but on hardwoods and woodchips. Inhabits
|
||
landscaped yards containing ground bark and dwells under
|
||
Douglas fir or cedar and in mulched rhodeodendron beds.
|
||
Fruits prolifically from fall through winter in the Pacific Northwest.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: ? .. starts out chestnut brown and becomes more
|
||
caramel-colored with age, wavy, blue line along the
|
||
edge of the cap.
|
||
STEM: ? .. 6-8 cm .. ? .. ?
|
||
GILLS: ? .. ?
|
||
SPORES: ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
OTHER: Generally grows in clusters. The most potent
|
||
psilocybian mushroom known.
|
||
DOSAGE: (grams) ? .. ? .. ?
|
||
(mg/g) 3.2-16.8 .. 2.0-5.1 .. 0.1-0.5
|
||
|
||
.oO Psilocybe semilanceata ("Liberty Cap")
|
||
|
||
(A) Found in northern temperate zone throughout the world. Grows inland
|
||
up to a thousand miles (1500 km) from the ocean. Northwestern U.S,
|
||
Scandinavia, the British Isles and western Europe. Very popular in
|
||
Norway and other parts of scandinavia.
|
||
Fruits in grasses and cowfields, parks and roadsides in the fall.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: 5-10 mm .. brown drying to yellowish brown .. sharply conical,
|
||
small "nipple" on top, never expanding, with incurved, striated
|
||
margin, sticky when wet
|
||
STEM: 2 to 3 mm .. 6-10 cm .. slightly paler than cap .. wavy and tough
|
||
GILLS: Slanting upwards to almost vertical .. purplish brown (white
|
||
edge)
|
||
SPORES: Brown .. 11-15 * 7-9 microm .. ellipsoid, with germ pore
|
||
DOSAGE: (shrooms) 5-10 .. 20-40 .. 60-90
|
||
(mg/g) 10-11 .. none .. 0.9-3.4
|
||
OTHER: Has a relative called Ps. pelliculosa, which resembles Ps.
|
||
semilanceata, but has only half the potency. Grows on sawdust
|
||
or wood chip piles in forested areas where lumberjacks have
|
||
been working.
|
||
NOTE: Contains more baeocystin than most other Psilocybes, which may
|
||
account for the subjective difference in the quality of Ps.
|
||
semilanceata and other Psilocybes.
|
||
|
||
.oO Psilocybe subaeruginosa
|
||
|
||
(A) Found in throughout Australia and regions nearby. Grows solitary or in
|
||
groups on soil in forests.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: Up to 5 cm .. "biscuit brown" but darker when wet .. conical
|
||
with inturned edge when young, becomes convex when older
|
||
STEM: Relatively thin .. up to 10 cm .. white with grey/blue/green
|
||
blotches .. traces of veil occasionally seen as a small ring
|
||
GILLS: Closely spaced, may be attached to stem .. smoky brown/black
|
||
SPORES: Purplish brown .. 10-15 by 5-9 microm .. ellipsoidal, with
|
||
a germ pore
|
||
DOSAGE: (shrooms) 2-5 .. 5-13 .. 20+
|
||
NOTE: Third-hand info, corrections welcome
|
||
|
||
.oO Stropharia (Psilocybe) cubensis, ("San Isidro")
|
||
|
||
(A) Found throughout the southern United States, from California to Louisiana
|
||
and South Carolina to Florida. Evidently unknown elsewhere. Arrived
|
||
with Spanish Brahma cattle from Philippine Islands.(?)
|
||
Grows on cow manure or manure-fertilized soil.
|
||
|
||
(B) CAP: 1-8 cm .. pure white to light brown, translucent when wet ..
|
||
starts out conical, gradually inverts to convex, then to flat,
|
||
then finally to bowl-shaped, has a gold center-spot, covered
|
||
by a sticky protective film
|
||
STEM: up to 1 cm .. 4-14 cm .. paler than cap .. hollow and tough
|
||
GILLS: closely-spaced, initially connected to stem but may separate ..
|
||
light brown to deep purple/black
|
||
SPORES: dark brown .. ? .. ?
|
||
DOSAGE: (shrooms) 2-3 .. 4-10 .. 20-40
|
||
(grams dried) 1-2 .. 3-5 .. 10-20
|
||
(mg/g) 4-12 .. 1 .. 0.0-0.2
|
||
NOTE: The most important of the psilocybian mushrooms.
|
||
|
||
.oO Other psychoactive species
|
||
|
||
I haven't got much of knowledge concerning other mushrooms, so I won't
|
||
attempt to write descriptions of other mushrooms. Any informational
|
||
contributions warmly welcome.
|
||
|
||
Here is a brief list of dosage information on some other mushrooms.
|
||
Descriptions have been purposely omitted, since I don't have enough info
|
||
for a full-scale description like the ones above; if you are interested,
|
||
look them up in a guide.
|
||
|
||
Species Shrooms Grams Psilocybin Psilocin Notes
|
||
(fresh) (fresh) (mg/g dry) (mg/g dry)
|
||
|
||
Boletus erythropus - 100+ - - (1)
|
||
Conocybe cyanopus - - 9.3 0.0 (2)
|
||
Coprinus narcoticus - 50+ - -
|
||
Coprinus niveus - 50+ - -
|
||
Coprinus patouillardii - 50+ - -
|
||
Gymnopilus purpuratus - - 3.4 2.9
|
||
Inocybe aeruginascens - - 4.0 0.0 (3)
|
||
Panaeolina foenisecii - - 0.3 0.0
|
||
Panaeolus campanulatus 40-50 - - -
|
||
Panaeolus sphinctrinus 200 - 1.9 - (4)
|
||
Pluteus salicinus - - 2.1-3.0 0.0-0.5
|
||
Psilocybe bohemica - - 8.5-9.3 -
|
||
Psilocybe bullacea 40-200 5-30 - -
|
||
Psilocybe cookei 10-25 2-10 - - (5)
|
||
Psilocybe coprophila 50-200 15-100 - -
|
||
Psilocybe mexicana 4-10 - - - (6)
|
||
Psilocybe montana 40-200 5-30 - -
|
||
Psilocybe muscorum 40-200 5-30 - -
|
||
Psilocybe pelliculosa - - 1.2-7.1 0.0 (7)
|
||
Psilocybe stuntzii - - 3.6 0.1-0.6 (1,8)
|
||
|
||
(1) Has poisonous lookalikes.
|
||
(2) High baeocystin content, 0.3-1.0 mg/g.
|
||
(3) Very high baeocystin content, 2.1 mg/g.
|
||
(4) Very similar to Pa. subbalteatus.
|
||
(5) Very similar to Ps. semilanceata.
|
||
(6) The original magic mushroom, similar to Str. cubensis.
|
||
(7) Contains baeocystin, 0.0-0.5 mg/g.
|
||
(8) Contains baeocystin, 0.0-0.2 mg/g.
|
||
|
||
The bulk of psilocin/psilocybin/baeocystin content information from:
|
||
|
||
Beug-M-W, Bigwood-J (1982). "Psilocybin and Psilocin Levels in Twenty Species
|
||
From Seven Genera of Wild Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A."
|
||
J Ethnopharmacology, 5, 271-285.
|
||
|
||
Gartz-J (1994). "Extraction and Analysis of Indole Derivatives From Fungal
|
||
Biomass". J Basic Microbiology, 34(1), 17-22.
|
||
|
||
Ohenoja-E et al (1987). "The Occurrence of Psilocybin and Psilocin in Finnish
|
||
Fungi". J Natural Products, 50(4), 741-744.
|
||
|
||
Repke-D-B et al (1977). "Baeocystin in Psilocybe, Conocybe and Panaeolus".
|
||
Lloydia, 40(6), 566-578.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Growing Mushrooms .oOo.
|
||
|
||
This is about the only aspect of mushrooms that _has_ been thoroughly
|
||
covered in text files, so we advise you to consult them. Here are few
|
||
of the better known and more complete files:
|
||
|
||
The Psilocybin Producer's Guide
|
||
Psilly Simon's Mushroom Growin' Guide II
|
||
How To Grow Psychedelic Mushrooms
|
||
Psylocybe Fanaticus Tek
|
||
|
||
There are also numerous files described more specialized methods such as
|
||
different agar mixes, reports of successful growing, etc.
|
||
|
||
All available at a local friendly FTP site such as hyperreal.com, except
|
||
for the P.F. Tek which is copyrighted and thus contraband (unless you pay
|
||
$10 to PF, that is). And of course a bit of research at your local library
|
||
won't hurt one bit. Also consider subscribing to the FUNGUS mailing list at:
|
||
|
||
Request address: fungus-request@teleport.com
|
||
First line of message: "SUBSCRIBE FUNGUS <address>"
|
||
|
||
FTP at teleport.com:/pub/users/rarnold/mushroom/FUNGUS
|
||
|
||
Note that this list is devoted to discussion of growing *all* mushrooms
|
||
and the guidelines specifically ban discussion about illegal topics,
|
||
so use a little common sense. The interesting types are however mentioned
|
||
occasionally, usually under the name "stropharia", and quite a bit of the
|
||
info is of interest to all growers.
|
||
|
||
While we're at it, here are the addresses of some known companies that
|
||
sell mushroom-related stuff, mainly books and spores (legal everywhere
|
||
except California since they contain no psilocybin). Some of these are
|
||
probably fly-by-night companies that may already have disappeared, so be
|
||
careful. All addresses except FANE are in the USA; I recommend that
|
||
European shroom fans buy from Psylocybe Fanaticus.
|
||
|
||
The DoorWay Sells lots of books and a shroom kit.
|
||
P.O. Box 12553 Send $1 for catalog.
|
||
Ogden, UT 84412-2553 (E-Mail: MELBARBARI@cc.weber.edu)
|
||
|
||
Fane of the Psilocybe Also known as "The Fane", send $1 for
|
||
Mushroom Association a membership form. Issues of their
|
||
Station "E" publication "The Sporeprint" cost $5.
|
||
Victoria, B.C. V8W 2W3
|
||
Canada
|
||
|
||
** FMRC Florida Mycology Research Center, has had
|
||
1* P.O. Box 8104 some problems with the law, reportedly
|
||
** Pensacola, FL 32505 sells only to mycologists now.
|
||
|
||
FS Book Company Does not sell spores, but sells a "Mushroom
|
||
P.O. Box 417457 Resource Catalog" for $15.
|
||
Sacramento, CA 95841-7457 (Phone: +1-916-771-4203)
|
||
|
||
J.L.F. Supposedly sells some rare species ready
|
||
P.O. Box 184-SC to and lotsa weird stuff. Free catalog.
|
||
Elizabethtown, IN 47232 (Phone: +1-812-379-2508)
|
||
|
||
** Homestead Books P. cubensis spores ($25), kits ($70), and
|
||
2* P.O. Box 31608 books/videos about growing.
|
||
** Seattle, WA 98103 (Phone: +1-206-782-4532)
|
||
|
||
Lux Natura No spores, but McKenna stuff and a new,
|
||
P.O. Box 2196 extended version of "Psilocybin: Magic
|
||
Berkeley, CA 94704 Mushroom Grower's Guide." Free catalog.
|
||
|
||
** Mushroompeople Sells books related to mushrooms (including
|
||
3* P.O. Box 220 but not limited to psychoactive ones).
|
||
** Summertown, TN 38483-0220 (E-Mail : NATLAW@igc.apc.org
|
||
Voice/Fax : +1-615-964-2200
|
||
US Fax : +1-800-MYCO-FAX)
|
||
|
||
Mycophile Books Just what the name says, and nothing more.
|
||
P.O. Box 93 Also sell used and rare books. Catalog $3.
|
||
Naples, FL 33939 (Phone: 1-813-262-3363)
|
||
|
||
Pacific Exotic Spora Panaeolus cyanescens and Coplandia cyanescens
|
||
P.O. box 11611 spores. Very expensive, $40-$75.
|
||
Honolulu, HI 96828
|
||
|
||
PRL Biosciences Str. cubensis culture for $40, other equipment
|
||
and supplies available. Free catalog.
|
||
(Fax: +1-215-483-4917)
|
||
|
||
** Psylocybe Fanaticus Send $2 & SASE for ad (electronic version
|
||
4* 1202 E. Pike St. #783 on hyperreal.com). Spores come in syringes
|
||
** Seattle, WA 98122 making them considerably easier to use.
|
||
|
||
The Shroom King Str. cubensis print and a book for $25, above
|
||
P.O. Box 17444 above plus compost and agar for $35.
|
||
Seattle, WA 98107 (Phone: +1-206-784-9328)
|
||
|
||
SYZYGY $15 + $1 (S&H) for a Str. cubensis print
|
||
P.O. Box 619 on a slide.
|
||
Honaunau, HI 96726
|
||
|
||
Additional notes:
|
||
|
||
*1* FMRC: The oldest and most professional spore supplier, you must join
|
||
the organization to buy spores. They also put an excellent publication
|
||
named "The Mushroom Culture".
|
||
|
||
*2* Homestead Books: Around for a long time, cheap, and knowledgeable.
|
||
|
||
*3* Mushroompeople: The best, although not necessarily the cheapest, source
|
||
for all types of mushroom literature.
|
||
|
||
*4* Psylocybe Fanaticus: The best known of the 'underground' sellers,
|
||
with cheap prices, very fast turnaround times, and high reliability.
|
||
Outside the US, add an extra $10 to your order for shipping & handling.
|
||
|
||
Updates to the list are welcome, of course.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Picking Mushrooms .oOo.
|
||
|
||
## Before you leave for the site, remember a few things; clothing, container
|
||
and energy. So respectively:
|
||
|
||
-- Take clothing that keeps you warm and dry. Fever is not a funny thing
|
||
during your experience. If your clothing is inadequate, a day out
|
||
picking mushrooms can be a real pain.
|
||
|
||
-- Take a container that breathes, preferably two to four different
|
||
containers. And one set for each picker. Take lots of containers
|
||
with you, especially if you are unsure or have not found the species -
|
||
it is easy to put each sort into each container. A basket with a few
|
||
paper cups or tins is just fine. Paper and cloth bags will do fine, but
|
||
be wary of crushing the mushrooms during transport.
|
||
|
||
-- Energy. Mushroom hunting can be really tiresome at times. Take your
|
||
happiness and food rations with you - you'll probably need both.
|
||
|
||
## Once you have located the site keep it clean. If it is a cowfield,
|
||
don't leave any gates open or either the owner of the field or the bull
|
||
of the herd will get you. Try to just do your thing and then get out of
|
||
there. Don't scream and shout. I wouldn't recommend telling about a site
|
||
to anyone - it instantaneously creates an "anonymous mmp-site" - and
|
||
suddenly everyone is there, sooner or later including the cops too.
|
||
|
||
## OK, run around the field... do you find any mushrooms? If none found,
|
||
you are not looking hard enough. No matter where you go in the fall,
|
||
there's some sort of mushroom there. You'd be surprised at how well
|
||
the things can hide themselves. Found - what is it? Whether you
|
||
identify it or not, put each species into different container - if in
|
||
doubt - different container or throw it away. There are always two
|
||
phases in identifying - when picking and when cleaning (or should be).
|
||
Always check carefully - saves you lot of trouble.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Drying Mushrooms .oOo.
|
||
|
||
>>> Fresh
|
||
|
||
Mushrooms are best when fresh, both tasting better and working better.
|
||
The freshness affects experiences a lot. The "divinity factor" is
|
||
enhanced.
|
||
|
||
>>> Drying
|
||
|
||
Drying mushrooms is easy. There are many ways to do it:
|
||
|
||
* The drawer. Put the mushrooms into a drawer on few sheets of paper.
|
||
Wait 24 hours. Works well on smaller mushrooms such as Ps. semilanceata.
|
||
If you have silica gel or something similar (captures humidity) I'd
|
||
recommend using it.
|
||
|
||
* The oven. Put the mushrooms into an oven (with the fan on if there is
|
||
one) with the heat set to 35 C (90 F?). Wait 2 to 6 hours. Higher
|
||
temperatures, even 40 C, destroy psilocybin and psilocin.
|
||
|
||
* The mushroom dryer. Just follow the instructions. Also easy to build.
|
||
|
||
* The freeze dryer. A psilophile's dream come true, the gadget that stops
|
||
the time on your mushrooms. Read the instructions.
|
||
|
||
Once the mushrooms are dry, place them into *airtight* containers and
|
||
protect from light. Some psilophiles grind the mushrooms, if you do so,
|
||
weight the outcome. It is very hard to tell how much of a dose there is if
|
||
the mushrooms are dried and ground. Some mix the dried and chopped or
|
||
ground mushrooms with honey. Be sure to use a brand that hardens once
|
||
cooled. Place in refrigerator. Note that mushrooms containing only
|
||
psilocybin keep their psychoactivity much longer than those containing
|
||
psilocybin and psilocin or only the latter. Evidently the psilocin breaks
|
||
up easily and needs refrigeration to be preserved. I have never had to
|
||
preserve mushrooms over a year so I wouldn't know exactly, but if stored
|
||
properly the mushrooms stay psychoactive for *at least* a year.
|
||
|
||
Especially with strong, large mushrooms like Str. cubensis, grinding
|
||
is the only way of calibrating doses. With for example Ps. semilanceata,
|
||
statistics ensure that the sum of 40 mushrooms from a batch will be more
|
||
or less the same no matter which 40 you pick, but if you're eating only
|
||
two Str. cubensis caps things are different. Thus, dry, grind, mix and
|
||
weigh the resulting powder. After a carefully weighed initial dose
|
||
(which you'll have to guess, aim low), it's easy to measure out smaller
|
||
or larger doses in the future.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. On the Dosage .oOo.
|
||
|
||
Always start with low doses - and continue for at least for the first
|
||
couple of times. Some people might be familiar with LSD-25. Well they are
|
||
bit similar, but still very different. I'd recommend about 20 Ps.
|
||
semilanceatas or 2-3 dried grams, 2-3 dry g.'s for Stropharia cubensis,
|
||
1-2 dry g.'s of Ps. cyanescens or about 3 g.'s of Ps. baeocystis. Increase
|
||
the dose step by step, until you find the dose you are most comfortable
|
||
with. There are people who never go for more than an ultra light trip, and
|
||
some feel it must be an earthshattering experience. You'll probably find
|
||
your dosage somewhere between these two extremes.
|
||
The amounts of psilocin and -cybin vary: an extreme case >>>
|
||
|
||
"Me and a friend of mine were in a rave, and both had taken
|
||
some mushrooms along. Semilanceatas... so at one point we
|
||
decided to drink some mushroom tea, and both put 20 tiny
|
||
mushrooms into our teas... I got nearly nowhere.. some funny
|
||
effects, almost no dilation of pupils, very very light trip.
|
||
My friend kept saying 'Wow' and 'What a trip', and some friends
|
||
of ours tried to talk with him. Afterwards he said he didn't
|
||
understand a word =). He said the trip was so intense it was
|
||
as if he had consumed 60 semilanceatas."
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Consumption .oOo.
|
||
|
||
Once ready for a trip after a yearlong meditation in the wilderness,
|
||
one is confronted with a problem - how to get that dry and unpleasant
|
||
tasting stuff down?
|
||
|
||
o Honey & spices & water & mushrooms
|
||
|
||
This one is a bit sweet but does a good job of covering the taste. Take a
|
||
half glass of warm or cold water, three or more spoonfuls of honey, and
|
||
according to taste, spices such as nutmeg, ginger and others. Grind the
|
||
mushrooms with spices into fine powder, mix everything carefully and
|
||
gulp down.
|
||
|
||
o Mushroom cacao
|
||
|
||
Get some cacao beans/powder for this one. Warm some _water_ to 40-60 C.
|
||
Let the mushrooms steep in this water for about five minutes, fish 'em
|
||
out and add cacao powder and mix well. Or you can grind mushrooms into
|
||
fine powder. Sweeten with honey, and drink. Another variation is hot
|
||
chocolate - melt some chocolate in water instead of cacao.
|
||
|
||
o Mushroom tea
|
||
|
||
Drown some dried mushrooms in warm/hot water, wait five minutes, and
|
||
drink. If you seriously dislike the taste of shrooms, just drink the
|
||
water (although you'll lose part of the effect). I find that this is
|
||
a good way of getting the shrooms down as well though, just dump in a
|
||
baggy of strong tea and you won't taste a thing. Word of warning: if you
|
||
leave the shrooms in for too long, they'll expand and mutate into
|
||
disgusting blobs of slime.
|
||
|
||
o Mushrooms & orange juice
|
||
|
||
Blend an appropriate amount of fresh mushrooms and orange juice in a
|
||
blender. The orange juice masks the taste quite well, the blender chops
|
||
up the shrooms into tiny chunks so all the psilocybin is digested,
|
||
and the vitamin C in the juice won't hurt either.
|
||
|
||
o Pizzas
|
||
|
||
Just add fresh or dried mushrooms on top. Note that eating a lot adds to
|
||
physical interference.
|
||
|
||
o Chew & grind
|
||
|
||
For this one, toss mushrooms into your mouth, chew well and swallow. The
|
||
most efficient and simple method of mushroom ingestion. Dried mushrooms
|
||
taste quite a bit more unpleasant than fresh ones.
|
||
|
||
o Other recipes
|
||
|
||
I have heard about people making mushroom wine or mushroom chili. There
|
||
are lots of foods you can put mushrooms into, but I'd recommend
|
||
indulging in culinary pleasures after the trip. Also note that excessive
|
||
heat breaks down psilocybin and psilocin, so always add the shrooms in
|
||
after the food is cooked.
|
||
|
||
As you may have noted, except for the cheese on the pizza, none the recipes
|
||
contain any milk or milk products. This is because several files and/or
|
||
books have stated that calcium and/or fermented milk products interfere
|
||
with psilocybin. Mind you, this is far from sure, if anybody can dig up a
|
||
reference for (or against) this we'd appreciate it. But scientific proofs
|
||
aside, the Aztec tradition of not eating before tripping is probably
|
||
grounded in knowledge of possible adverse consequences, so don't eat too
|
||
much, just enough to get the shrooms down.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Preparation For The Voyage .oOo.
|
||
|
||
There is a lot one can do to ensure a enjoyable voyage. People often talk
|
||
about the "set and setting", squaking the three words like bunch of
|
||
parrots and hardly giving much thought into their meaning. It's probably
|
||
all the same whether you've ingested super-pure & fresh LSD-25 or
|
||
nail-polishing fluid if the set and the setting aren't in condition.
|
||
|
||
- Packing: Get into packing a couple of days before the voyage. Load
|
||
your gear (brain) with everything you think will be useful. Personally
|
||
I like documents about nature as they are easy to pack (video or TV).
|
||
Books are fine but bit slower to load. Walking in nature, quiet and
|
||
peaceful, and meditating ensures I get enough mental energy and
|
||
happiness along. Try to break the normal circles of work, and if you are
|
||
stressed, take few more days away from everything before leaving on the
|
||
expedition. Go easy on your diet. Some fast for the previous week, others
|
||
don't pay any attention to what and how much they eat. I eat normally
|
||
until the day before, after which I eat mostly vegetables and fruits.
|
||
|
||
- Place: Clean it up. Get some fresh air into it. Tell all your
|
||
friends/relatives not to visit, and disconnect the doorbell and take
|
||
the phone off the wall. Make everything as comfortable as possible.
|
||
Fresh flowers will blow your mind with their beautiful looks and odors.
|
||
A stroboscope is also worth a try, especially at 20 to 30 Hz. Also - don't
|
||
try red lights (during the trip your vision will often be warped towards red
|
||
already, which is unsettling enough). Lights are probably best low or off
|
||
(and of white color). Music is also very important, especially in urban
|
||
surroundings, in creating a proper ambience. For a mushroom-voyage, I'd
|
||
recommend something calm and slow. Preferably with no or low percussion.
|
||
Some favorites:
|
||
|
||
Artist Album(s) Type
|
||
|
||
Brian Eno On Land Ambient
|
||
Music For Airports
|
||
Shutov Assembly
|
||
Thinking
|
||
(everything, basically)
|
||
Peter Gabriel Passion ?
|
||
Philip Glass Music With Changing Parts Minimalistic
|
||
(again, most everything)
|
||
The Orb Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld(*) Ambient dub
|
||
Pomme Fritz
|
||
U.F.Orb
|
||
|
||
(*) Available with a trippy companion video called "Patterns & Textures"
|
||
|
||
In general, ambient and/or minimalist music is the way to go. Classical
|
||
music can also be a totally new world. Something soothing and _normal_ also
|
||
recommended (if things get too weird). Keep the volume down low, otherwise
|
||
you may find that it "gets in the way", especially if you're not already
|
||
very familiar with the music.
|
||
|
||
- Flight: Loose clothing and something to put on/take off; you'll be
|
||
lying down most of the time, so pick something you could sleep in.
|
||
Something to drink - see if your drinks include caffeine or other
|
||
chemicals. Water is always the best. Some light snacks to eat during
|
||
the trip, and something to fill your stomach after the trip (I've never
|
||
met anyone who wouldn't be hungry after a trip). [Gnosis sez: Well,
|
||
I'm not, but I seem to be a rare exception...] Drawing during take-off
|
||
can be fun, also psychedelic videos. Anyway, for a real "trip" I say:
|
||
after the takeoff, turn the lights off, turn the volume to the edge of
|
||
subliminal, and relax & tune into the vibe of the Earth.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. During The Voyage .oOo.
|
||
|
||
Once you are in the air it is relatively easy to forget that you can
|
||
alter the course of trip. Visuals and thoughts come and go, and
|
||
everything follows some strangely familiar yet divine and unknown path.
|
||
So one is left gawking at all this jaw open, as if watching TV. But
|
||
changing pathways is easy - provided you don't forget it is possible =)
|
||
Always decide and ponder what you want to see and where you want to go
|
||
before the experience. A shamanic voyage to the underworld is a snack,
|
||
as is seeing the future. Usually every tripper forms his own way,
|
||
follows his own paths, be it for good or evil. _Anything_is_possible_!
|
||
|
||
And remember the immortal words of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
|
||
_____ _ _ . . ___ __ . . . . _ ___ _____
|
||
/ \ | \ / \ |\ | / | | | /| |\ | | / \ \ / / \
|
||
| | | | | )( )| \| | |--' /-| | \| | ( V | | | |
|
||
| \___/ | | / \_/ | | | | / | | | | \_/ o | \___/ |
|
||
\_____/ ******************* ******************** *** \_____/
|
||
|
||
>>> A general topological examination of the scenery <<<
|
||
|
||
Minutes after ingestion:
|
||
|
||
0 Ignition
|
||
|
||
Usually the first effects of psiloc[ybin/in] are perceivable after ten or
|
||
twenty minutes. Funny or strange things may pop into your mind. One may
|
||
feel very relaxed or like jumping all over the place. Next you may feel
|
||
like you were blasting off, up towards the stars, rising high.
|
||
Chewing the mushrooms for about ten minutes in your mouth enables the
|
||
psilocybin and its analogues to enter the brain faster - if the
|
||
mushrooms are immediately swallowed, it may take as long as 1 hour for
|
||
the first effects to set in.
|
||
|
||
20 Acceleration
|
||
|
||
If you get any physical symptoms, this is when they will hit. You can avoid
|
||
or at least reduce nausea by not eating very much before the trip and not
|
||
moving around too much during this phase. Throwing up is uncommon but
|
||
not unheard of; having a barf bag around, especially on the first few
|
||
trips, is a good idea. If you find that your body *really* doesn't like
|
||
shrooms, a motion sickness pill (Dramamine and similar anti-histamines)
|
||
beforehand may help. But don't worry about it too much, even if you
|
||
feel queasy the nausea will end quite quickly.
|
||
|
||
40 Leaving the atmosphere
|
||
|
||
One will begin entering the realms of the experience; often the first
|
||
real signs are simple hallucinations with the eyes closed or in darkness,
|
||
little colored pixels floating around etc. If one is going to go to the
|
||
toilet, it should be done now.
|
||
|
||
70 Flight
|
||
|
||
1 hour is usually sufficient for the more powerful effects to set in.
|
||
The body will feel heavy and drowsy.
|
||
|
||
130 Peak
|
||
|
||
After two hours the peak of the experience. Often quite awesome.
|
||
|
||
300 Deceleration
|
||
|
||
By now one will again start to remember the concepts of normal reality
|
||
and may feel like getting something to drink and eat, or talk and do some
|
||
moving about.
|
||
|
||
360 Touchdown
|
||
|
||
After about six hours most of the effects have disappeared and sleeping
|
||
becomes possible.
|
||
|
||
12h Reality
|
||
|
||
If you trip at night and fall asleep when the trip is ending, this is when
|
||
you'll wake up... and the odds are you'll feel GRRRRRREAT!
|
||
|
||
7d Jet lag
|
||
|
||
Afterglow of the experience will persist anywhere from few days to
|
||
several weeks; what you've learned may change your life. Occasionally
|
||
this learning will be negative and you'll be depressed for a while
|
||
as you assimilate the fact that you've been wrong about something for
|
||
all your life, but the depression is never extreme and - cheezy as it
|
||
may sound - you will be a much better person afterwards.
|
||
|
||
>>> Notes on physical interference <<<
|
||
|
||
In addition to the possible nausea in the beginning, which invariably
|
||
wears off by the time the hallucinations start, the mushrooms can
|
||
cause physical or psychosomatic interference. You will feel odd, weird
|
||
and maybe scary physical sensations like liquid skin or distorted
|
||
body-proportions. You may feel that you have trouble breathing; you may
|
||
feel that you've just pissed or shit in your pants; you may feel that
|
||
you're sinking into the ground or into yourself. If you really start
|
||
worrying about this, you may start to feel like there are worms crawling
|
||
inside your stomach, that the roof is about to collapse on you, that the
|
||
sheet you are lying under is trying to eat you...
|
||
|
||
Don't panic! This is normal, and nothing has really happened or is really
|
||
happening, it's just your mind exaggerating and creating things. Learn to
|
||
distract your thoughts on other tangents at moments like this. A simple
|
||
exercise you can try to practice thought diversion, no drugs needed:
|
||
|
||
Lie on your bed in complete darkness, listening to suitable evil/freaky
|
||
music with headphones. Skinny Puppy and ambient industrial are the
|
||
classic choices. Meditate or just relax for a while. Then, think about
|
||
something you have a phobia about: snakes, spiders, skeletons, rats,
|
||
tornados, earthquakes, even mushrooms. Everybody has something they're
|
||
irrationally afraid of. Staring at a picture of such a thing beforehand
|
||
may help. At any rate, you will, in all likelihood, feel yourself to be
|
||
tipping over and falling uncontrollably. Imagine that you're falling into
|
||
a bottomless pit filled with the nasty thing. Visualize it. Now attempt to
|
||
wrench your thoughts to something else. If you can take half an hour of
|
||
this without ripping off the headphones, you're in good shape.
|
||
|
||
.oO The Eraserhead Syndrome Oo.
|
||
|
||
The mushrooms can be fun. One may feel like eating them every day. A -
|
||
not cool, B - not good. A mental/physical tolerance builds up quite
|
||
fast: usually three or four times with 7 day intervals cause diminished
|
||
effect and notably less divine trip. I'd recommend visiting the
|
||
spiritworld 4 to 10 times a year, for the freshness and divinity of it.
|
||
Most of us know an acid- or pot-head - a drug abuser. I call acid/
|
||
mushroomheads Eraserheads (seen the movie?), as they are often bit
|
||
paranoid and manic-depressive and dullheaded. It's easy to get bad vibes
|
||
off the psilos - just do the mushrooms like you'd do alcohol - without
|
||
respect or any care. So - remember what the foreword says, and use the
|
||
consciousness of turbocharged-monkeybrain we all have. And if you only
|
||
want to get your brain fucked up there are better substances for that
|
||
in the world.
|
||
|
||
Bad trip? What... hey waitaminute, I know - it's that oriental food with
|
||
rice and peaches and raw tuna innards - No???
|
||
|
||
Everyone gets anxious or bad feelings during their dives to the seas of
|
||
collective unconciousness. It's normal, but the magnitude of baddies can
|
||
be decreased by paying attention to "set and setting." A friend or guide
|
||
can distract the attention of an tripper to a wholly different direction.
|
||
A change of room, place, music or lights often helps. Possible bodily
|
||
discomfort can be eliminated by learning relaxational techniques and
|
||
breathing exercises. Keeping your body in good condition is not only
|
||
good for your trip, but also for your life. Generally, it's good to try
|
||
to trip for living, not to live for tripping.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Miscellaneous Questions .oOo.
|
||
|
||
Q: Can black market 'shrooms be laced with LSD?
|
||
|
||
A: Yes, very possibly, if the local market price for mushrooms is higher
|
||
than that of LSD (as it usually is). If the mushroom looks nothing
|
||
like any of the common psychoactive species, or you are told that one
|
||
or two small ones are enough to trip hard, odds are it's laced.
|
||
Note that at least one dealer, fooled by the urban legend of LSD
|
||
needing strychnine for binding to the paper, laced his LSD-shrooms
|
||
with strychnine as well! (PharmChem 1972, vol 1, #7) Thus, either get
|
||
your shrooms fresh from the fields (cheaper as well) or know what they
|
||
look like and what the dosage is before buying.
|
||
|
||
Q: What about Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric)?
|
||
|
||
A: A. muscaria, the classic red toadstool with white warts on top,
|
||
does not contain psilocybin, but a series of muscarinic deleriants.
|
||
It's also poisonous (not very, but deaths are known) and in general
|
||
rather nasty. Avoid.
|
||
|
||
Q: What happens if I combine 'shrooms and other drugs?
|
||
|
||
A: Alcohol: Variable, usually takes the edge off since it helps you relax.
|
||
Note that if you're drunk before you eat the shrooms, the mental
|
||
effects of your drunkenness will disappear as the trip starts.
|
||
Large amounts will increase the nausea in the beginning.
|
||
|
||
Cannabis: Nearly always the experience is intensified/lengthened, but
|
||
a few people claim it actually ends the trip. Smoking is handy during
|
||
the last few hours to extend the experience.
|
||
|
||
MDMA/MDA: Known as an "MX-missile", the experience is *highly*
|
||
intensified and similar to LSD & MDMA ("candyflipping").
|
||
|
||
Nicotine: Smoking feels good.
|
||
|
||
Nitrous: Catapulted into outer space for a few minutes.
|
||
|
||
Psychedelics: Cross-tolerance usually present, not much point in
|
||
taking other psychedelics at the same time.
|
||
|
||
Other: Unknown.
|
||
|
||
Q: Shrooms grow all by themselves in nature in zarking cow shit, why is
|
||
sterility so important when growing them yourself?
|
||
|
||
A: In nature, there are 17 billion spores of all kinds of different shrooms
|
||
flying around. As people who've been to a cow pasture will know, most
|
||
patties will not have Psilocybes, they'll either have something completely
|
||
different or nothing at all. But in a pasture, there's a lot of shit,
|
||
and there's a lot of shrooms, so it's enough if 1/100 patties have the
|
||
right kind.
|
||
|
||
Now, when you're growing them at home, if you sprinkle spores in each dish
|
||
and don't give a shit about sterility, you'll have natural conditions and
|
||
maybe every hundredth jar will get the right shrooms. Needless to say,
|
||
this is not good, so you must push up the odds of the right shrooms
|
||
growing by improving sterility.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Further Reading .oOo.
|
||
|
||
I will not attempt a complete bibliography on the subject, but more
|
||
of a 'further reading'-sort of list.
|
||
|
||
Carlos Castaneda, Philip K. Dick, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna,
|
||
Andrew Weil and Robert Anton Wilson all make fine reading.
|
||
Peter Stafford's "Psychedelic Encyclopedia" is a classic, as is
|
||
"Plants of the Gods" by Richard Schultes and Albert Hoffmann.
|
||
Umberto Eco has always been very good when talking about the mind,
|
||
almost as good as Herman Hesse. And for some attitude - read Byron.
|
||
|
||
.oOo. Endnotes .oOo.
|
||
|
||
(K) Kopyleft Brahman Industries 1994-1995. All rites reversed.
|
||
|
||
Please note that 'Nature's Perfect Hallucinogen' is a trademark of Mother
|
||
Nature Incorporated.
|
||
-- __
|
||
Jani "Gnosis" Poij<69>rvi On the neverending quest /(o\ BRAHMAN
|
||
gnosis@brahman.nullnet.fi for knowledge by identity. \o)/ +358-0-498797
|
||
|