Oregon, the first state to fully legalize psychedelics, will roll out therapy this year, with the rest of the country watching closely for cautionary tales and of course, success stories.
Not to be outdone, NY and California have also pushed for similar proposals. Both proposals would relax laws around certain hallucinogens, including psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT, which is used in ayahuasca.
In California specifically, Senator Scott Wiener reintroduced legislation that had passed the state’s senate in 2021, which never went anywhere. In New York, Linda B. Rosenthal, an assembly member representing the Upper West Side and Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan put forward her proposal to legalize adult possession and use of certain natural plant or fungus related hallucinogens. The New York proposal would allow gifting, religious use and cultivation if passed.
There is growing research that shows magic mushrooms have an amazing potential to benefit mental health and wellbeing if used under the right conditions. They can also provide a fun escape to the trivial and sometimes dull feel of daily life on earth.
After decades of senseless prohibition led by the War On Drugs, magic mushrooms and other hallucinogens are reentering the public conversation, and many folks are eager to try the experience for themselves.
Here at The Bluntness we believe that information empowers us to take control of our lives and make educated decisions.
Taking shrooms is like climbing up a mountain. The views are worth it, but that doesn’t mean you should go up unprepared. Certain risks can come up along the way.
This guide is meant to serve as your roadmap to navigating an experience that, under the right guidance, can offer vast views into the unknown landscape that lies within.
Like cannabis, magic mushrooms exist as strains and species. These terms are used to describe the physical or chemical characteristics of the plants. While they are often used interchangeably, strains and species are not the same.
Psilocybin mushrooms contain psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. These compounds interact with the serotonin receptors to control biological and neurological processes like sleep, anxiety, cognition, appetite, nausea, learning, memory, and thermoregulation.
The effect exerted by each psychedelic mushroom is determined by the total concentration of active compounds in them. This is why they are divided into strains and species. This classification helps users to trace the origin of their favorite magic mushroom strain and the possible effect it can exert on their bodies.
These are strains with the highest psilocybin concentration. They can generate an experience filled with deep philosophical ideations and intense feelings of euphoria. They produce the highest level of psychoactive interaction, and their trips are quite intense. Very potent strains are not recommended for newbies since they can knock them off.
This includes Penis envy and its relatives. These psilocybin strains offer one the most potent shrooms on the market. They contain as high as 50 percent higher concentrations of psilocybin and psilocin, producing the most prominent effects on users.
Some commonly encountered members of the very potent strains are listed below;
Potent strains come with a slightly lower concentration of psilocybin than Penis envy and its relatives (the very potent strains). Potent strains often include the Albino A+ and its relatives. They offer hallucinations that make the world appear gelatinous and are known for their quick and slightly more physical high that can last up to 5 hours. They possess a high concentration of psilocybin with mild to intense visual enhancements, feelings of euphoria, excitement, and creativity. They are not ideal for newbies as their effects kick in fast and intense even after microdosing.
Members of this class include but are not limited to the following;
This is one of the largest classes of psilocybin strains derived from P. cubensis. They offer a low to moderate concentration of psilocybin and are friendlier compared to very potent strains. They feature a lower psilocybin concentration and trigger a much milder effect. These strains feature a higher than average potency estimated at 0.75 percent psilocybin and 0.20 percent psilocin.
Above-average psilocybin strains deliver a potent mental and emotional clarity with highly happy experiences. They can boost creativity and promote focus in users. They are often great for intermediate users. Members of this group include but are not limited to the following;
Average psilocybin strains contain the lowest psilocybin concentrations and are best for newbies. Their average concentration can serve as an introduction point to the world's psychedelic mushrooms. They are excellent at providing an energetic, physical and euphoric experience with an actively visual twist. They can boost creativity and relaxation in users.
Average psilocybin strains of P. cubensis contain between 0.25 percent to 2 percent psilocybin, with the caps having the highest concentration. Some of the commonly encountered members of this strain potency include but are not limited to the following;
Identifying mushroom strains plays a critical role in assisting users in understanding which strain contains a favorable psilocybin concentration for their body type and health condition. It also gives the users an idea of the possible effects to be exerted on their bodies.
Depending on the potency and concentration of psilocybin ingested, users are most likely to experience mild to moderate and strong effects. While the mild and moderate effects are triggered by mild dosages and are responsible for the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin strains, the strong effects are a different ball game. It involves several side effects and prolonged trips that may be dangerous for first-time users.
Regardless of your tolerance to psilocybin and its sister molecules, microdosing seems to provide one of the safest ways to enjoy the numerous therapeutic potentials without any side effects. Choosing a strain should be solely centered on its psilocybin potency.
Psilocybin can provide a life-altering experience.
Psilocybin, the main psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, binds with a serotonin receptor in the brain to produce what scientists call an “altered state of consciousness.”
In these states, perception is distorted, sense of time is diluted, and reality is experienced in an entirely different way. Psilocybin can induce hallucinations and intense introspective experiences that can be catalogued within the realms of spirituality or mysticism.
These states can open one’s mind to insights and ideas that wouldn’t have come in a normal state of mind. Living through these experiences can become a healing and inspiring process for many people.
Shrooms can boost up a sense of awe and wonder and ultimately help us become wiser and more compassionate people. They can also open the door to beautiful and fun experiences that can change the way we conceive reality and everyday life.
However, being under the influence of mushrooms can also lead to experiencing a “bad trip,” that can include paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks, and temporarily losing the grip on reality.
In order to avoid bad tripping, experienced mushroom eaters recommend following certain simple guidelines.
If this is your first time taking shrooms (or any hallucinogenic for that matter), you should have a “trip sitter.”
The trip sitter’s job is to be a link with the real world in case you lose your grip and need a hand to pull you back in. Being under the effects of mushrooms can cause you to have a hard time distinguishing things that are real from those are not. This can put you in physical risk, so having a trusted someone watch over you can make the entire experience more pleasant.
A good trip sitter ought to keep a low profile unless you engage them or need their help.
Don’t try to control or direct what happens to you under the effect of the shrooms. Become an active observer. Remember that everything that happens to you in that moment is part of the experience and as such, it can bring a positive insight even though it might feel unpleasant or uncomfortable at the time.
Trust the fact that everything you see, feel, or envision exists in the realm of the shroom trip and cannot hurt you in real life. This mindset will allow you to explore your consciousness without fear or prejudice.
A typical mushroom trip will last between four to six hours from the time mushrooms are first ingested, to the moment when the altered state has effectively worn off. The first effects are normally perceived after 30 minutes, but they can take up to one hour, depending on the dose and the user’s metabolism.
It’s recommended to remain calm while waiting for the effect to arrive. Becoming anxious and taking a second dose can put you in a situation where you’ve taken too many shrooms, and there aren’t many available means of stopping a trip once it’s begun.
After the effects begin, a slow climb will follow and peak effects are expected between two to four hours after intake. This varies depending on the method used to eat the shrooms, which we’ll get into later.
The effect will start to dissipate after the peak, and you can expect to be back to normal after about six hours. Although the effect might have worn off, you might still feel lightheaded, tired, or overly sensitive to stimuli. This is why it’s important to take the mushrooms on a day where you know you’ll be free to rest after the experience is through.
Don’t take the mushrooms in the morning if you know you’ll have responsibilities in the afternoon. We recommend you find a time when you can take the rest of the day off to integrate the experience. Also, make sure you can have at least 8 hours of sleep the night after the experience, in order to fully recover.
“Don’t diddle the dose. Once you have done your homework, go for it.” -- Terence McKenna
Psilocybe Cubensis has universally become the most propagated species of magic mushrooms out there, because of how easy they are to grow. However, there are over 200 species of psilocybin-producing mushrooms in nature.
Different species will carry different levels of psilocybin, which means that the same amount of mushrooms could have vastly diverse amounts of psychedelic ingredients, leading to very different strengths. Levels of psilocybin can also vary between strains of the same species.
As with any naturally-sourced medicine, the concentration of active ingredients can also vary between different parts of the fungi. The cap could hold more psilocybin than the stem and vice versa.
This all means that measuring a dose of mushrooms is not an exact science. However, some guidelines can be followed, based on suggested amounts of dried Psilocybe Cubensis.
Your mushrooms will come in two possible variants: fresh or dried. This won’t change their effect, but will change their overall weight, since dried mushrooms don’t carry as much water as freshly harvested ones.
If you’re using fresh mushrooms, multiply our numbers by 10, to compensate for the water weight. If you’re using another species of psilocybin-producing mushrooms, you should take these indications with a pinch of salt.
The best way to measure a dose of mushrooms is to use a scale. If you don’t have one, you can use this image as reference to understand how many mushrooms fit in one gram.
Being under the effect of shrooms is a very strange new experience, which can be overwhelming at first. That’s why it’s important to get yourself accustomed to being in that state before jumping to higher doses. We recommend you begin with a low dose (no more than 1.5 grams), and then work your way up to a larger dose in your next experience.
These mushrooms taste gross, but there are ways around that.
In order for the Magic Mushrooms to realize their full potential inside your body, it’s recommended to fast before you eat them. Taking the mushrooms on an empty stomach will result in a higher ‘high’ and a faster onset. That’s why mornings are the best time of day for a mushroom trip, since we naturally wake up with 8 hours of fasting after a good night’s sleep.
If you must eat something before your trip, try to have it be a light and easily-digestible meal like a salad or some fruit.
Now, with an empty and ready stomach, let’s check out the most common methods for eating shrooms.
Any kind of smoothie or juice will do the trick. If your mushrooms are dried, just grind them as much as you can and mix them in with the drink. If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you can cut them into small pieces with a sharp knife or hand grind them with a mortar and pestle.
The more you grind the mushrooms, the easier it’ll be for your stomach to digest them. Keep in mind that mushrooms can be hard on the digestive tract, so it’s normal to feel some moderate intoxication symptoms after taking them, like nausea (sometimes leading to vomiting), headaches, drowsiness and muscle weakness.
Shroom tea is basically a home-made psilocybin extract that can be a lot easier to digest.
To make shroom tea, simply grind the dried mushrooms as fine as you can and let them sit in boiled water for about 15 minutes. After that, strain the mushroom caps and stems and drink the tea. The effect should come in quicker, since the stomach doesn’t need to break down the mushrooms. The overall trip can also be shorter, and maybe even more intense, since mushrooms won’t go through a slow digestive process.
Feel free to add herbs and honey to the water in order to level up the flavor of your shroom tea. You can simply add your favorite tea bag or experiment by mixing shrooms with natural herbs like lavender, ginger, or chamomile.
The mushroom’s active compound of psilocybin is synthesized into psilocin by our body’s metabolism. Psilocybin is actually a prodrug, which is broken down by our body into psilocin, which is the active ingredient that interacts with our brain’s receptors.
By dipping the ground mushrooms into pure lemon juice for about 15 minutes, we can help speed up this process since the citric acid present in the lemon is believed to break down psilocybin into psilocin in advance.
By chemically pre-digesting the mushrooms in a cup, they will start their effect sooner and possibly with more intensity. Experienced “tekkers” say they usually need less amount of mushrooms to achieve the same high.
Those who experiment with mushrooms often talk of the notoriously dreaded bad trip. A bad trip is an unpleasant experience that happens when a person under the effects of a psychedelic cannot control the ugly thoughts or sensations they’re experiencing.
Bad trips are not necessarily bad, since they can open a catharsis of negative emotions that can purge you from unprocessed trauma. However, becoming entangled in a personal hell of self-repeating anxiety and anguish is something most people would rather avoid.
There are several practices you can try if you feel you’re entering a bad trip.
Magic Mushrooms are generally regarded as safe and, even though bad experiences can occur, they usually don’t leave any scars.
However, mushrooms are no child’s play. There’s always a risk involved with any drug use, and it’s up to each user’s own sense of responsibility to consider whether they’re apt to go through the experience.
If you’re generally healthy and don’t have a mental health condition, you should be okay.
If you have a medical condition or take regular medication (like antidepressants), you should talk to your doctor before taking shrooms, as psilocybin can interfere with your medication. You also should avoid them if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or don’t have healthy blood pressure.
You shouldn’t take mushrooms unsupervised if you have a history of mental health conditions.
People who suffer from schizophrenia, psychotic, bipolar I or II disorders are especially advised to lay off shrooms. Psychedelic drugs are known to incite acute psychotic episodes in people with a family history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorders, so you should also avoid psychedelic drugs if a close member of your family has been diagnosed with a disorder in the psychotic spectrum.
Psilocybin has been found to be extremely useful in the treatment of depression and anxiety.
However, all research points to the importance of an accompanying therapist in psilocybin-assisted treatment. A trained professional can guide a patient through the journey and help them make sense of an otherwise confusing and unsettling experience.
If you’re struggling with major depression, grief, or any anxiety-related disorders, taking magic mushrooms unsupervised won’t be a miracle cure. However, you can seek an experienced guide, or a psychedelic retreat that can accompany you in your healing process towards mental wellbeing.
