The special properties of mushroom pulp of some species have been known since ancient times. In the Aztec empire, in the Mayan city-states, in the Chukchi plagues, ancient Greek city-states and Viking settlements, they knew well what hallucinogenic mushrooms looked like, which were traditionally used to achieve altered states of consciousness. Such psychedelic practices were especially often used by priests and shamans. Currently, studies have been carried out on the active components, the side effects that hallucinogenic mushrooms have and the consequences of their use have been determined.

Hallucinogenic include representatives of the fly agaric family and a number of plate species containing psilocin and psilocybin. For this reason, they are grouped into the category “psilocybin mushrooms.”

Fly agarics

• Red is the most noticeable, well-known and widespread. In the temperate climate zone it grows on acidic soils, in the vicinity of birch and spruce trees. The fruiting bodies ripen from August to October. The mushroom contains not only psychoactive, but also toxic substances. The overall effect is similar to alcohol poisoning.
• Panther (gray). Common in the middle zone. From mid-July to the end of September it grows in mixed, coniferous and broad-leaved forests on alkaline soils. More poisonous and dangerous than red.
• Royal. It is found in spruce, pine, and less often in forests mixed with birch. Fruits from June to the end of October. Its hallucinogenic effect is accompanied by serious poisoning.
• Toadstool (yellow-green, lemon). It inhabits poor sandy soils under both coniferous and deciduous trees. Ripens from mid-August to late October. The poison is weaker than that of other fly agaric mushrooms, but these hallucinogenic mushrooms can easily be confused with the deadly toadstool.

Psilocybin

• Psilocybe. 115 species of this genus of mushrooms contain hallucinogenic substances. Under natural conditions, they grow mainly in Central America, in open grassy areas, especially in manured pastures. The most studied Psilocybe Cuban develops well in greenhouse conditions, maintaining pronounced psychoactivity.
• Fiber fibers. 5 species of these mushrooms, most of them deadly poisonous and difficult to identify, contain psilocybin. No poison was found only in the blue-green fiberweed, which grows on the sandy soils of forests and parks in the middle zone from June to October.
• Gymnopiles. 14 types of inedible mushrooms with very bitter pulp contain, along with psilocybin, active substances with an intoxicating effect. Gymnopiles grow on stumps and dead wood of coniferous trees. They bear fruit in the summer-autumn period.
• Paneolus. These psilocybin mushrooms are inedible and ripen from April to December in fertile manured soils, often directly on manure. The concentration of psilocybin and, accordingly, the hallucinogenic activity of these mushrooms ranges from low to moderate.

Effect of hallucinogens

Changes in the normal perception of the surrounding world are caused by specific components that hallucinogenic mushrooms accumulate. However, the effects and degree of concomitant intoxication vary markedly.

In fly agarics

The active hallucinogenic compounds are ibotenic acid and its derivative muscimol, and in some species also tryptamines. All these substances are toxic; in addition, the pulp of fly agaric mushrooms contains them “completely” with the strong poison muscarine.

Symptoms appear within half an hour, maximum 4 hours after taking fly agarics. Drowsiness alternates with excitement, sometimes hallucinations occur, and in a sleepy state vivid dreams occur. You feel severe dizziness, speech becomes confused, muscle twitching occurs, and convulsions develop. A subjective description of “fly agaric” effects can be found in “Generation P” by Victor Pelevin.

Muscimol and ibotenic acid destroy brain tissue, and their constant companion muscarine causes characteristic consequences of use: diarrhea, vomiting, frequent urination, excessive sweat, saliva and tears.

In psilocybin mushrooms

The effect of psilocin and psilocybin appears a short time after consuming mushrooms - it lasts from 15-20 minutes to 2 hours. A characteristic wave-like tingling sensation occurs throughout the body, a feeling of stupefaction and anxiety appears, the perception of sound, taste, color and light is heightened, the sense of space, time, movement is distorted, the usual picture of the world changes, and the phenomenon of “leaving the body” is noted.

The overall emotional tone of the experience that these hallucinogenic mushrooms cause is highly dependent on personality traits and pre-sets. In the positive version, euphoria, a feeling of liberation and flight, and erotic attraction develop. Colors become brighter, and hallucinations become unprecedentedly colorful. Negative psychedelic experiences are associated with attacks of rage, unbearable craving for violence, aggression, including towards oneself, including murder and suicide, paranoid delusions and loss of consciousness. This is a state of unbearably severe nightmare, from which it is impossible to get out of one’s own free will until the effect of the mushroom hallucinogen wears off.

The researchers note that psilocybin mushrooms are “remarkably non-toxic,” but their active ingredients, as shown in laboratory experiments on animals, can destroy the membranes of neurons.

Consequences of use

Taking mushrooms of the fly agaric family, along with hallucinogenic effects, causes serious poisoning with severe symptoms and long-term consequences, which are expressed in a significant decrease in blood clotting and disruption of the nervous system. Not only muscarine is a neurotoxin, but also the active hallucinogens ibotenic acid and muscimol.

Psilocybin mushrooms have unpredictable effects - only a positive emotional experience cannot be guaranteed in advance. However, careful and well-controlled clinical trials, begun in the 1950s-1970s, have shown that psilocybin produces positive results in the complex treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, drug addiction, and also alleviates the condition in the last stages of cancer. At the same time, euphoric experiences can lead to “psilocybin” addiction, and in large quantities this substance negatively affects brain function.

In addition to physical and mental risks, the use of fly agarics and psilocybin is associated with criminal and administrative liability. Most countries in the world prohibit the cultivation, collection, sale and possession of all types of hallucinogenic mushrooms. In Russia, this prohibition is regulated by criminal and administrative legislation - Article 231 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which defines liability for the illegal cultivation of plants containing narcotic substances, as well as Articles 10.5, 10.5.1 of the Administrative Code and government regulations. At the same time, the spores of hallucinogenic mushrooms are not prohibited, so it remains possible to obtain fruiting bodies for research purposes and only for them. Growing hallucinogenic mushrooms with other intentions is classified as criminal intent.

Humanity has been familiar with the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms since ancient times. Modern laboratory studies of the processes occurring in this process have identified situations in which strictly controlled use of “mushroom” substances alleviates painful conditions. At the same time, amateur experiments with hallucinogenic mushrooms are fraught not only with unpredictable consequences and serious poisoning, but also with legal liability, including criminal liability.

Psilocybin mushroom (or, as people say, hallucinogenic mushroom) has been known to mankind since ancient times, before the beginning of our era. At one time, without really understanding medicine, ancient healers used this mushroom to “see the future” and speak with the Gods. We know that psilocybin mushrooms are no less dangerous than LSD. It is also worth noting that in Russia, law enforcement agencies are actively fighting the spread of the “natural drug” and punishing people who grow or use psilocybin.

The mushrooms received this name due to the substance they contain. In fact, psilocybin mushrooms are not considered a poisonous species, although some scientists still consider hallucinations as a manifestation of poisoning.

The main component of psilocybins is the alkaloid psilocybin. It is thanks to this substance that mushrooms turn purple. They love wetlands and forests. In principle, these are the places where they mainly grow. It is best to look for them in lowlands and forest edges, in the thick of grass.

How to identify a mushroom? Overall, quite simple. They are distinguished by their unusual blue color. Also, the stalk does not crumble. This can be checked by rubbing it between your fingers. If after pressure the leg does not crumble, but turns into a thin thread, then this is a psychotropic appearance.

There are many hallucinogenic mushrooms, but there are still the main types of psilocybin mushrooms, which residents of Russia and neighboring countries can most often encounter.

This is a lamellar mushroom. One of the most famous psychotropic drugs in the Russian Federation. The cap has a diameter of 5 to 25 mm. The skin is easily separated from the fruiting body, especially at a young age of the mushroom. Psilocybe's color ranges from beige to brown. After damage to the pulp, they acquire a characteristic blue tint.

A terrible name that completely characterizes the mushroom. It has an equally unpleasant name: Poop's bald spot.

This is a small mushroom with a cap 6-25 mm. At a young age, the cap is spherical, and as it matures it opens up, acquiring a more umbrella-like appearance. The color is light brown or dark brown. Unlike Psilocybe semilanceolate, Poop's bald head does not turn blue when the damaged part comes into contact with oxygen.

The leg is very long, from 2.5 to 7.5 cm. Diameter up to 3 mm. Most often it is smooth, sometimes it has a curved structure.

Yar verdigris troischling

It is most often located in forests and along roadsides. The cap is quite large, up to 8 cm in diameter. The color is copper-green. It becomes duller as it ages. The leg is straight, there is a small ring on it. Spores of psilocybin mushrooms Verdigris treshling are purple-brown in color.

It is active from April to December. It mainly grows in small groups, with individuals less common. Prefers fertile soil. Grows near rivers and in pastures. Often grows directly from manure heaps.

The cap is small, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, the height of the mushroom is approximately 4-5 cm. The color is whitish-gray or gray-brown.

The leg is long, up to 8 cm in length and 2-3 mm in diameter.

It grows from the beginning of spring until the end of the year. The greatest activity is observed in early to mid-autumn. Situated along river roads, in pastures or meadows. Prefers to grow in groups, but single specimens are also found.

The cap is small, up to 25 mm in diameter. The mushroom is tall, up to 8 cm in height. The color of the head is beige-yellow, the leg has an identical color.

A very rare species, but incredibly dangerous for the human body. Leopard mushroom should not be consumed under any circumstances. The cap of a young mushroom is dark brown. As it ages, it acquires a coffee-brown color.

It is active from the beginning of spring until autumn. The preferred growing location is manure or any other suitable organic matter.

The cap size is small, up to 30 mm. The color is white-lemon. The hat is very specific, as it has a glossy base and shines in the sun even when it is dry.

The leg has the same color as the head. Covered with dense scales.

The most famous of the poisonous mushrooms. Peak activity occurs from early August to late October. It occurs in groups, but still, solitary specimens predominate.

The cap is large, sometimes reaching 20 cm in diameter. The young mushroom has an ovoid shape, which with aging turns into an umbrella shape. The color of the cap is dark red or orange. Its surface is covered with white patches, reminiscent of plasticine pieces.

The leg is tall, up to 25 cm. In diameter up to 3 cm. It belongs to the spore-bearing species.

Use

They are consumed not for taste or nutrients, but to obtain the so-called “high” caused by the effect on the central nervous system.

Mushrooms are eaten raw or dried. If you dry them, they lose some of the active component.

They are not boiled, fried or dried in the oven. Psilocin completely evaporates when exposed to high temperatures.

Dosage

In the circles of “mushroom addicts” it is believed that to achieve a normal effect you need to consume about 30 g of fresh or 50-60 g of dry fruiting bodies.

It all depends on the type and amount of psilocybin in its composition. For example, mushrooms grown in Karelia will have a stronger effect on the central nervous system than the same varieties from Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Sensitivity to psilocybin is proportional to body weight. The more a person weighs, the more active substance he needs to achieve a normal psychotropic effect.

Duration of action

On average, a person will experience glitches from consuming Psilocybin fruiting bodies for 4-7 hours. The action of the component begins 20-30 minutes after entering the body. Peak effects occur one hour after consumption and last from 60 to 180 minutes.

After the end of their action, a so-called “afterglow” state may be observed for another 24 hours, in which a person feels relaxed and more sensitive to external factors.

How do mushrooms act on the body?

The effect on the human central nervous system through the consumption of psilocybin fruiting bodies is called a trip. People who have encountered this product note that they are easier to tolerate by the body than synthetic substances such as LSD.

When using psychotropic mushrooms, a transitional state is initially observed. A person feels a headache, his stomach turns and he feels cold. In the circles of drug addicts, this is normal, considering that this is the effect of mushroom toxins that cause a mild stage of poisoning. Actually this is not true. Psilocybin fruiting bodies do not contain enough poisons to cause such poisoning.

Most likely, these sensations are caused by a violation of the central nervous system, since a person can feel cold even in a warm room. This condition disappears after 1-1.5 hours.

Mushrooms in Russia

It is difficult to find a place where these mushrooms are not found. They take root everywhere, even where there is no nature. The only requirement is the presence of organic matter. Because of this, pastures and other fertilized areas are a favorite location for psilocybin fruiting bodies. To put it simply, these are social specimens that mostly live near humans.

In Russia there are only a few varieties of psilocybin:

1. Psilocybe lanceolate. Has a disgusting appearance. Distribution zone: Leningrad region and Far Eastern region. Shows peak activity from August to October.
2. P. Subbalteatus, also known as Paneolus fringe. Distributed throughout Eurasia, including the Moscow region and Siberia.

METHOD OF USING fly agarics and preparation recipes.
(without heat treatment)

The method of consuming the red fly agaric, Amanita Muscaria, has not changed over time. It is eaten and, less commonly, smoked.

There are several rules when collecting and preparing fly agarics:

Collect only mushrooms of the Amanita Muscaria species, after familiarizing yourself with their appearance and description of the poisonous fly agarics.
You need to collect small mushrooms with a large number of white dots - they contain higher levels of psychoactive substances.
The active substances are concentrated in the cap, so it is not necessary to take the mushroom stems.
You can dry fly agarics in the sun or indoors by stringing them on string. Kiln or oven drying is not recommended.
It is necessary to dry it - in this case, toxic ibotenic acid is converted into less toxic muscimol, which mainly explains the action of the mushroom.
After the mushrooms are completely dry, they are stored in a dry place at room temperature.

Oral dosage
(This means how much to eat, if you have already decided.)

Firstly, it is better to put yourself on a diet of light food for 2-3 days.

You should take mushrooms on an empty stomach to avoid nausea.
For the first time, do not take more than 1 medium-sized mushroom! This is necessary to avoid overdose and determine individual tolerance.
For the first time, there should be a person next to the person taking the mushroom who will “watch” the progress of the process, since it is impossible to accurately predict the effect of the mushroom on the psyche and the body as a whole.

The dosage is given only for completely dried caps:

Oral dosages of A. muscaria
Weak 1 - 5 g (1 medium cap)
Average 5 - 10 g (1-3 medium caps)
Strong 10 - 30 g (2-6 medium caps)

Start: 30 - 120 minutes
Peak: 1 - 2 hours
Duration: 5 - 10 hours (in case of large doses - longer)
Post-effects: 1 - 5 hours
Effects caused by fly agarics

The effects of taking Amanita muscaria can vary widely depending on individual sensitivity, dosage, time and place of collection.
The first effects appear an hour and a half after taking the mushroom in the form of slight tremors in the limbs (but these are not convulsions). Then there may be a desire to sleep, a feeling of fatigue. If a person who has taken mushrooms goes to bed, he falls into a kind of half-sleep with visions and heightened sensitivity to sounds. If he prefers to stay awake, then visual and auditory hallucinations may appear. In general, of course, all this is strictly individual.
The action of the fly agaric lasts up to 6 hours; after the end of the action, nothing resembling a hangover is observed.
Among the side effects, we note nausea, which may occur in the first hour and a half. If you do not take mushrooms on an empty stomach, nausea occurs more often. There are stomach pains.

RECIPES

Preparation and consumption of fly agarics

The most important aspect of preparing Amanita muscaria is drying and/or heating the mushroom. These two processes, through decarboxylation, convert the less active (and more toxic) iboteic acid into the highly psychoactive compound mucimol. If this is not done, then the impact activity will not be so high. There are several ways to prepare mushrooms.
Fresh mushrooms can be fried over an open fire using Wasson's method, which was discovered by his friend from Japan, where he fried fly agaric mushrooms over an open flame and then consumed them, achieving a euphoric effect.
Another technique I used is slightly different, but also involves the use of an open flame. I took the unopened caps and placed them upside down over low heat. As they heated, liquid condensed inside them, which I then drank. The result was a feeling of intense euphoria; I, against my own will, danced and sang to myself (both symptoms are very characteristic of notifications of the use of A. muscaria in Siberia). Very pleasant sensations were obtained from drinking only 2 teaspoons of liquid. I also thought about using the caps left after collecting the condensed liquid and squeezing out the remaining juice, but instead I swallowed them in large chunks and ended up vomiting horribly.
I also noticed that when I dried my fly agaric mushrooms in the oven, liquid seeped (leaked) from the mushrooms onto the baking sheet. This liquid can be simply collected by constructing a screen a few centimeters above the baking sheet so that the liquid will condense and drip onto the baking sheet, and can be collected after it has dried. But, in my opinion, to preserve their natural color and shape, it is best to use a dehydrator. You can even juice dried or dehydrated mushrooms and then heat the remaining liquid. This liquid can also be dehydrated and placed in gelatin capsules. If you've dried your mushrooms beforehand, you can simply eat them, or make mushroom tea by heating some water to near boiling point, about 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and adding ground mushrooms. Let them boil in water for about half an hour/hour and then consume the broth, ground mushrooms - all together. For those who can't stand the taste of dried mushrooms or mushroom tea (like me, who for some strange reason gets a gag reflex every time I try to swallow them and sometimes even just smells them), using gelatin capsules may be the best option. Just take dried mushrooms, chop them and put them into capsules. You can also prepare tea, dehydrate it, and put the sediment into capsules. I have never tried making tea myself, but it is entirely possible that this method increases the muscimol content even more than drying, so this method using gelatin capsules is worth a try. Since the bulk of the alkaloids are contained in the cap skin, it is also worth trying to separate it from the cap of fresh mushrooms and then dry it, or simply remove the plates of the dried specimen to reduce the volume required for consumption.
There are perhaps a few less common methods worth mentioning, the first being the ability of the mushroom juice to be absorbed through the skin. This method was described by Adrian Morgan in the wonderful book "Toads and Toadstools", and this is the only source from which I have heard about this method of taking them. This method should work best in combination with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), an aprotic solvent. Another interesting method is to use an enema or directly insert the mushroom into the vagina, the second method is of course not acceptable as it can easily cause infection, or even worse consequences. Clark Heinrich, in his wonderful book "Strange Fruit", suggests that there is evidence in tantric texts and art pointing to these uses in highly symbolic rituals.
Smoking mushrooms has also been proven to have a mild effect. Since the skin of the cap contains the highest concentration of muscimol, it can be separated from fresh mushrooms and then dried, or simply remove the plates and stems from dried specimens. I am also personally interested in learning about the effects of using a concentrated extract of pure muscimol.
And one more method that I would like to mention is the most interesting and should cause the most powerful effects. It consists of combining any of the above methods with Peganum harmala seeds or their extract to achieve MAO inhibition. I have never tried this method myself, but I am fully aware that such an experiment should cause a very strong effect.

Fly agaric decoction

You collect the mushrooms, wash them, clean them of dirt (we removed the red film from the cap - otherwise the broth will not be “golden”, but with a reddish tint, but there is an opinion that the hallucinogen itself is contained in this film - the question remains open), fill it with water like this so that the mushrooms are all in the water, but not particularly floating (they themselves will give a lot of liquid). Cook from the moment of boiling for 20 minutes! Afterwards, pour off the mushroom broth and drink - this is the “golden broth” of the berserkers! About the cooking time - very important! The fact is that the poison that causes poisoning (as well as the hallucinogen) disintegrates under the influence of temperature and disintegrates exponentially! From here there are 2 conclusions - undercooking (less than 15 (!!!) minutes from the moment of boiling) threatens with serious poisoning! (one guy this summer, having found out the recipe (however, I said that you need to cook for 15 minutes ((- well, I was mistaken - that same evening I cooked it based on the same 15!) got very poisoned! - so be careful, t .because if you go to the doctor with a complaint about poisoning by undercooked fly agaric mushrooms, you may run into a “misunderstanding”! :) If you overcook it, it won’t ruin anything - after 40 minutes of cooking, they are no longer any different from boiled russula! The first time I cooked for 27 minutes, drank 6 people and different doses - no one got drunk!: (Now about the dosage - a glass for an adult man is enough for 1-1.5 hours (pure decoction). Some recommend mixing with vodka 1:1 - the buzz comes! In battle - just right - You can do it with your bare hands! This summer I brewed a decoction for 17 minutes - the effect: first slight nausea (I want to warn you that these are rather psychological phenomena - self-hypnosis: “fly agarics are poison, which means I drank the poison -> I should be sick), then apathy and pull slightly sleepy - it’s better to start moving (at least walk), but then....
1) Decreased tactile sensitivity - the skin and muscles do not feel touch and pain! (I asked my wife to bite my ear - she clenched her jaw - I just started to feel the pressure, and she said that blood should have already spurted out!) - it’s clear where berserkers come from who don’t feel pain? 2) The surge of physical strength is huge! (they put 50-60 kilograms of girls on their shoulders and jumped rock and roll several times in a row! no fatigue!) 3) you don’t get out of breath! (all the same rock and rolls are evidence of this!) After an hour and a half, it “released”, and the recovery took place within a few seconds! - fatigue immediately sets in, all the bruises pop up, etc. From the mixture with vodka, people crushed birch trees thick in the wrist and played rugby with a virtual ball - everything is real: playing the ball, scrumming, passing, passing, scoring, but... NO ball!!! :))) ... goal soccer balls made of steel pipes were thrown 15 meters from the beach into the water, etc.

Fly agaric tinctures

There are several dozen methods of preparation, as well as patterns of use: It is better to drink fly agaric tincture with 0.5 tbsp of aqueous infusion of birch chaga mushroom or drip it into 0.5 tbsp. diluted befungin (pharmaceutical preparation from chaga). To prepare the tincture, only the caps are used.

First method: Cut them into small pieces, weigh them, add an equal amount of water (by weight) and leave at room temperature for one month.
Second method: chop the caps, put them in a jar to the top, close them with a nylon lid and bury them in the ground to a depth of 1 m for 1 month. Then strain and mix the resulting juice with an equal amount of vodka.
The effect of mushrooms collected in the same area but in different seasons may differ in the ratio of nausea/somatic effects to mental/entheogenic ones.

When taken orally, the effects of iboteic acid appear in doses of 50-100 mg. When taken orally, the effects of muscimol appear in doses of 10-15 mg.

The danger of Amanita species primarily lies in the fact that the content of biologically active substances and poisons cannot be immediately determined. Therefore, you need to start with small doses in order to become familiar with the potency of the material and avoid a dangerous overdose; we must not forget that not only a lethal dose is unpleasant, but also the most common signs of poisoning may appear, which require medical attention.

Fly agaric tea

1. Boil a small amount of water, as much as you can drink at a time, as the taste is quite nasty.

2. Add a few crushed vitamin C tablets or lemon juice, this will increase the acidity of the water, but it is not certain that this is necessary. (I think this is a good trick, since I read that the active substances of the fly agaric are leached by water, and an acidic environment minimizes this - note Doctor Muhomoroff)

3. Add chopped mushrooms. (No more than 1-2 pieces for the first time! Note: Doctor Muhomoroff)
4. Let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
5. During the last three minutes of boiling, add a tea bag to cut out the flavor of the mushrooms.
6. Strain and discard the mushrooms, reserving the liquid.
7. Cool and add sugar.
8. Fly agaric tea is ready.

Smoking fly agarics

This is an unconventional way. However, references to it occur quite often.
For smoking, take the dried outer red skin of the mushroom caps along with the white scales and the yellow layer underneath. It is ground finely and a little aromatic herb, such as mint, is added.
The dosage is not precisely established.
The effects of smoking fly agarics are much milder than those of oral use. Sometimes they are almost unnoticeable, sometimes it is a feeling of uplifting and excess vitality and energy.
(Unfortunately, I can add on my own behalf that out of several attempts to smoke fly agaric mushrooms, not one succeeded. Note: Doctor Muhomoroff)

PeSe: FLY AGARIC - Fly agaric
Amanita muscaria. Family Agaricaceae (lamellae).
Material: Red-capped mushrooms with white scales, growing in rainy weather in birch and pine forests of the northern temperate zone of the eastern and western hemispheres.
Application: Mushrooms are harvested and dried in the sun or in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius). You should not take more than one medium-sized fly agaric before individual tolerance has been determined.
Active ingredients: muskimol and ibotenic acid, which turns into muskimol when dried. Some amounts of muscarine are also present, but due to its poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, it is not credited with being responsible for the psychoactive effects.
Effects: Vary depending on the individual, mushroom source, dose. Usually after 30 minutes there is dizziness, mild cramps, sometimes nausea, followed by numbness in the legs and twilight sleep for 2 hours, with color visions and heightened sensitivity to sounds. After this, there may be a surge of cheerfulness, strength and energy. Hallucinations and size changes are typical. The entire session lasts 5..6 hours. Muscimol is a hallucinogen that acts on the central nervous system. Ibotenic acid causes skin redness and lethargy. Muscarine is a highly toxic hallucinogen.
Contraindications: Errors in identification. Some closely related amanita species are extremely toxic. These include A. pantherina, A. virosa, A. verna, A. phalloides ("destroying angel"). Large amounts of A. muscaria can also be lethal. Three mushrooms is the absolute maximum.
Note: Absorbed mucimol mostly passes unchanged into urine. Siberian fly agaric eaters practice drinking such urine to recycle the psychoactive material.

If the consumption of poisonous mushrooms “lies” on the conscience and health of mushroom pickers only, then the mass collection, cultivation and distribution of certain species is subject to criminal liability in most European countries. We are talking about hallucinogenic mushrooms.

According to scientific classification, these include two categories:

• mushrooms from the fly agaric family;
• psilocybin mushrooms, which have in their main composition such dangerous substances as psilocybin and psilocin (psilocybe, fibres, gymnopiles and paneolus).

How do such mushrooms act on the human body?

It is noteworthy that the “degree of danger” is different for each species: some mushrooms retain their properties after storage in a dried form, while in others they completely evaporate, and there are also specimens that, when fresh in a closed room, even cause hallucinations without consuming them, by inhaling the aroma.

After consuming fly agaric representatives, within 30 minutes a sleepy state sets in, which is accompanied by vivid visions (sometimes the symptoms “linger” for 3-4 hours). It is replaced by strong excitement with hallucinations, and this happens one by one. In addition, dizziness, convulsions and confusion of speech occur. Do not forget about the muscarine contained in fly agaric species: it causes excessive salivation, lacrimation, vomiting and diarrhea, in general, all the signs of poisoning are evident.

Psilocybin mushrooms act even faster and more acutely:

• 15 minutes is enough to feel the touch of needles rolling over your entire body in waves;
• the perception of the external world, both sounds and light, and taste sensations is heightened;
• Anxious anxiety appears, turning into panic;
• strong rage and aggression rolls in, not only towards others, but also towards oneself personally, often ending in murder and suicide;
• in other cases, positive emotions are also observed - a feeling of flight, euphoria.

This continues until the effect of the hallucinogen wears off.

It is impossible to predict what effect eating mushrooms will have, rage or euphoric freedom.

The simultaneous use of mushrooms from both categories has extremely serious consequences, leading to severe disorders of the nervous system and decreased blood clotting. We suggest you familiarize yourself in more detail with the known types of hallucinogenic mushrooms, so that during a quiet hunt dangerous specimens do not end up in your basket and spoil your dinner with an undesirable, and sometimes even dangerous, effect.

Sacred mushroom of the ancient Mayans - red fly agaric

One of the most famous hallucinogenic mushrooms is the red fly agaric due to the high content of ibotenic acid, muscimol and bufotenin in the pulp. Its bright red cap with white warts is clearly visible among the grass, but the white flakes are easily washed off after heavy rain. The tuberous leg near the ground is empty inside, looks like a cylinder and is ringed. After eating the poisonous white pulp, the first signs of nausea appear within 20 minutes.

Among African tribes, the fly agaric is nicknamed “eat and hear a voice from heaven.” Ancient peoples often used red fly agaric during rituals and prepared a “divine drink” based on it, which caused hallucinations.

Fun mushroom

Among the lamellar mushrooms of the strophariaceae family there are miniature and slender mushrooms called Psilocybe semilunate. They grow mainly in grass, among abandoned farms, where the soil is fertilized with animal manure. The diameter of the conical cap does not exceed 25 mm, but its height is one and a half times greater. The skin is slimy and peels off easily; it is beige in color; in old mushrooms it is brown. A humid growing environment promotes the appearance of darker stripes on the cap. The leg is quite tall and thin, but very flexible, slightly lighter than the hat. The yellowish pulp turns blue when broken (and also when dried).

Psilocybe semilanceolata is also called the fungus for its hallucinogenic properties. Other names for the mushroom: sharp conical bald head, liberty cap.

The psychoactive substances contained in mushrooms have an almost irreparable effect on the nervous system and psyche. 10-20 minutes after consuming the decoction with mushrooms, consciousness begins to change, peace sets in, turning into depression and possible loss of mind. The effect of mushrooms lasts up to 7 hours, but the enhanced perception of the surrounding world persists for several more days.

Weakly hallucinogenic Paneolus moth

Another herbaceous-dung resident, Paneolus moth, is also a bit similar to the fun-loving one. Most often it can be found in grassy areas with cow or horse manure. Young mushrooms have gray-brown conical caps, slightly curved inward, with scaly remains of the cover. With age, they take on the shape of a bell, lighten, and almost all the scales fall off. The length of the leg can reach 12 cm, it is very brittle, hollow, dirty brown in color, which becomes darker when pressed. In small mushrooms, the stem is covered with a white coating, but in adults it is not. The grayish pulp is thin, odorless.

According to some sources, psilocybin is contained in a small concentration in the pulp of this mushroom, but it still causes hallucinations, albeit an order of magnitude weaker.

The fungus that causes schizophrenia syndrome is sulfur head

One highly active type of hallucinogenic mushroom is sulfur cap, a small mushroom that grows on logs and in damp grass. In young specimens, the cap has the shape of a cone, but then completely straightens, and the edges bend upward. Its diameter does not exceed 5 cm, and the color can be either yellow or chestnut depending on the weather (it darkens during rains). The length of the yellowish leg is on average 10 cm, slightly thicker at the bottom.

If the cap is damaged, dark blue spots of irregular shape appear on its surface in these places.

A quarter of an hour after consuming sulfur head, a person falls into a delirious state, all senses are heightened, and the sense of reality is lost. The mushroom causes mental dependence when used frequently, and also disrupts the functioning of the cardiac system and causes kidney failure.

Mushroom growing in poop - poop bald spot

Stropharia shit, as this variety is also called, can not be found very often in our area (its habitat is in Central America and Mexico), but it doesn’t hurt to know about it. The poop bald head received its name for its love of animal excrement, in which it grows, as well as for its small (no more than 2.5 mm) brown semicircular cap with reflections and longitudinal strokes, decorated with a light border along the edges. Her leg is brittle, a little lighter, thicker at the bottom.

Less than half an hour after dinner with stropharia shit:

• consciousness is confused;
• limbs begin to tremble;
• hallucinations and a feeling of endless joy or, conversely, anxiety arise.

Long-term use of bald poop leads to severe mental disorders.

Bright beauty stropharia blue-green

Among the rotten wood of spruce species, a small, beautiful, brightly colored mushroom grows in small groups - blue-green stropharia. Young specimens have a conical cap that is dark blue with a green tint and is completely covered with thick mucus. A darker hill can be seen in the center, and white flakes hang from the edges - the remains of the bedspread. Old mushrooms are no longer so slimy and less colorful. The leg is the same color as the cap, scaly at the bottom and ringed at the top. When cut, the cap is bluish and the leg is yellow, the flesh smells pleasant. The total height of the mushroom does not exceed 10 cm.

In most countries, blue-green stropharia is considered an edible mushroom and is eaten after first removing the skin and boiling it well. However, its pulp contains meconic acid, which is part of opium, and in raw or undercooked form, the mushrooms cause mild hallucinations, however, the effect disappears after two hours.

Inedible and even poisonous mycena pure

Pure mycena contains such a dangerous substance as muscarine, and can not only cause hallucinations, but even be fatal if you eat a lot of mushrooms.

First, a person loses his sense of reality and sensitivity increases, then changes occur at the level of the body, namely:

• pupils become smaller;
• Saliva and bile begin to be released abundantly;
• pulse becomes rapid;
• body temperature decreases;
• convulsions appear.

In some countries, pure mycena is protected from destruction and is listed in the Red Book.

Externally, the mushroom looks very modest: the slightly convex thin cap is painted in a soft purple color, with fibers hanging down along the edges. The hollow stem at the top is slightly lighter. The pulp is watery and smells of alkali.

Photogenic Gymnopilus Juno

In mid-summer, under the oak trees, whole families of fairly large mushrooms with orange fleshy caps on dense legs in a brown belt grow. This is Gymnopilus Juno and its yellowish, very bitter and almond-smelling pulp contains psilocybin. After dinner with such mushrooms, you can admire visual hallucinations for several hours.

The amount of psychedelics in the pulp of Gymnopilus depends on the area of ​​growth: the most hallucinogenic are mushrooms growing in the countries of the Far East, but European species can be completely harmless.

Cereal crops infected with ergot can provoke an entire epidemic, because even after heat treatment (for example, baking bread), mushrooms retain their dangerous properties.

A small amount of mushrooms eaten intoxicates the mind, causing joyful euphoria or causeless rage, but large doses of alkaloids kill. At the same time, many medicines have been created based on this mushroom that help in the treatment of women’s, nervous and mental diseases.

There are many more varieties of hallucinogenic mushrooms that have a negative impact not only on health, but also on the human psyche. Collecting them even for good purposes, such as making homemade medicinal potions, is categorically not recommended, because it is very difficult to calculate the dosage. Self-medication is more expensive for yourself, and certainly do not use such mushrooms to “lift your mood.” Take care of yourself and collect only edible mushrooms!

How hallucinogenic mushrooms work - video