Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)q

Psilocybin mushrooms are growing in popularity for therapy, research, and recreational use. Here's your beginner's guide to these magical fungi. Psilocybin is really a largely illegal substance and we do not encourage or condone its use where it is against the law. However, we accept that illicit drug use occurs and believe that offering responsible harm reduction information is imperative to keeping people safe. For that reason, this guide is designed to ensure the safety of people who decide on azures mushrooms.

Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi which contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound effective at producing powerful hallucinations and mystical-type experiences, along with other effects. Psilocybin is commonly known as “magic mushrooms” or “shrooms.” More than 180 species of mushrooms contain psilocybin or its derivative psilocin, and the fungi have an extended history of use within Mesoamerican spiritual and religious rituals. They're also among typically the most popular and commonly used psychedelics in the U.S. and Europe.

Psilocybin mushrooms are more than simply a drug and sacrament, however. They've been found in therapeutic settings to take care of a variety of ailments and disorders including cluster headaches, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction, and a recently available resurgence in research into psilocybin's therapeutic effects is showing promising results.

Psilocybin Mushroom Effects

Pharmacology

Psilocybin could be the active psychedelic ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. The threshold dose for feeling the results of dried mushrooms is usually in the 0.2-0.5g range, although it varies for each person. A reasonable dose in the 1-2.5g range, taken orally, typically produces effects that last from three to six hours. Psilocybin is approximately 100 times less potent than LSD and 10 times less potent than mescaline.

Read More: LSD vs Shrooms

Whenever you take psilocybin, the body metabolizes the substance into psilocin, both of which produce psychedelic effects. Psilocybin and psilocin primarily communicate with serotonin receptors in the mind and have a particularly high affinity for the 5-HT (serotonin) 2A subtype receptors. In rodents, psilocybin indicates a strong interaction with receptors in hub parts of the brain that integrate sensory experiences. This will explain effects such as synesthesia—the experience of mixing sensory modalities, such as hearing colours or tasting sounds—and altered sensory experiences during mushroom trips.