Essential Guide to Magic Mushrooms
What are magic mushrooms and magic truffles?
Magic mushrooms are the world’s oldest psychedelic and can induce profound but temporary changes in perception, mood and thought.
Many different species of mushrooms naturally produce psilocybin and other psychoactive substances and are therefore all grouped together under the terms ‘magic mushrooms’, ‘psychedelic mushrooms’ or simply ‘shrooms’.
One of the best-known species of magic mushrooms is Psilocybe cubensis, which is easy to cultivate and native to various regions around the world. When consumed, magic mushrooms induce a state of altered consciousness that is often associated with long-term positive effects and is commonly referred to as “tripping”.
Preliminary studies suggest that magic mushrooms may have therapeutic effects for a range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, addiction and PTSD. Additionally, there is a trend towards taking mushrooms or truffles in small, regular doses rather than a single large dose.
Microdosing – taking small, sub-perceptual doses of psilocybin – has gained popularity as a way to enhance creativity, productivity and overall well-being. However, it is important to note that using magic mushrooms carries potential risks, including the risk of psychological distress or adverse effects on mental health.
Magic mushrooms are the oldest psychedelic in the world; they have been used for millennia and are becoming increasingly popular today.
Magic truffles are simply a different product of the same organism that produces these mushrooms, growing underground rather than above ground. As such, their effects are largely the same.
On the other hand, magic truffles are the underground sclerotia of certain species of fungi, including Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe tampanensis, which also contain psilocybin. Truffles are usually consumed raw, but can also be dried and ground into a powder or mixed with other foods or drinks. Both magic mushrooms and truffles can induce altered states of consciousness, including vivid sensory experiences, altered perceptions of time and space, and profound changes in mood and thought. These substances have been used for spiritual, therapeutic and recreational purposes, and have attracted increasing interest in recent years due to their potential therapeutic benefits. However, it is important to note that the use of these substances can also carry risks and should be approached with caution and informed decision-making.
Some fungi have the ability to create fantastic, visionary experiences that have a profound impact on the user.
The Effects of Magic Mushrooms
Magic mushrooms are widely popular for their amazing psychedelic qualities, coupled with potential health benefits.
The effects of mushrooms and truffles are almost identical and are largely due to their psilocybin content (and, in the case of fresh specimens, psilocin).
The effects tend to set in after about 20–60 minutes and can last for as long as 3–6 hours, peaking during the first 2 hours.
They often wear off ‘in waves’, so be sure to allow plenty of time between your trip and any other activity.
Exactly how your experience unfolds is very personal and varies from person to person. It is heavily influenced by your mood, personality and life experiences – as well as your surroundings and who you are with.
Physical effects:
- visual distortions, e.g. vivid colours and hyperacute vision
- heightened senses (sharper sense of smell, touch, hearing, sight and taste)
- outbursts of creativity
- A feeling of lightness or heaviness in the body
- Cold hands and feet
Mental effects:
- temporary ‘opening’ of the mind, expansion of consciousness
- increased empathy
- strong emotions, improved connection to the subconscious
- sometimes also dizziness, muscle weakness and a queasy stomach – make sure you prepare your set and setting thoroughly beforehand!
For most people, a mushroom trip is a wondrous and magical experience. However, the drastic change in perception can also frighten some people and cause resistance, which may then intensify the feeling of discomfort.
This is only made worse by the frequently used but poorly understood term ‘bad trip’. More on that later; first, it is important to understand dosage.
How many mushrooms should you take?
How strongly a dose affects you depends very much on the individual.
The following dosage recommendations are approximations of an average and do not necessarily apply in every case.
| Dosage | Dried Mushrooms | Fresh Truffles |
| Microdose | 0.05–0.2 g | 0.5–1.5 g |
| Museum dose | 0.1–0.5g | 2–3 g |
| "Twilight Zone" | 0.6–1 g | 3–4g |
| Mini dose | 1.1–2g | 4–6 g |
| Medium dose | 2–3.5g | 6–10 g |
| Macrodose | 3.5–5 g | 10–25 g |
| Shamanic dose | + 5g | + 20g |
Microdoses are supposed to be sub-perceptual and not distort perception.
Anything up to and including a minidose is likely to produce mild physical effects. These may include movement, shapes and patterns, laughter and an intense awareness of your surroundings.
If there are latent emotions seeking an outlet, they may already become apparent to you through a minidose. So for beginners without the supervision of an experienced guide, it is a good idea to start small.
What are set and setting?
This term describes your state of mind and surroundings during your journey.
Probably the most important things to take into consideration are:
1) Safety
Choose a safe and private environment. Taking mushrooms in the park only sounds like a good idea until you find yourself surrounded by strangers and wondering whether you can safely make it home through the traffic to use the loo.
2) Good company
You’ll want to have people around whom you trust.
If you don’t have any close friends with whom you can share the experience or who can look after you, that may mean going on the journey alone.
3) Take your time
Being in a hurry will only add to the stress you’re feeling by making you ask yourself, ‘Will I be back to normal in time?’
The easiest way to avoid this is to do it on a day when you have nothing else to do, ideally with the next day off as well.
4) Empty stomach
Taking your truffles or mushrooms on an empty stomach can greatly enhance how pure and intense your experience feels.
If you get too hungry, it may also become a distraction.
5) Clean, comfortable clothing
When your senses are heightened, things that normally don’t even register can suddenly become a huge nuisance. Choose comfortable clothing (ideally cotton or any soft fabric) and keep it cool by avoiding perfume on the day of your journey.
Scented candles can also be genuinely annoying.
Do you need a tripsitter?
A Tripsitter is a sober person who ensures you stay safe during your journey.
Their main task is to put you at ease, knowing that no matter how much you get into the experience, there is someone there to stop you from playing with candles or wandering into traffic.
Having a tripsitter is particularly recommended for beginners. The person you choose should be someone you feel comfortable with, who understands the basics of mushrooms well enough to stay calm whilst looking after you.
Do not combine psychedelics with other psychoactive substances.
Whatever emotions arise, psychedelic mushrooms and truffles will make them feel many times stronger.
This is the main reason why combining them with alcohol, cannabis or other drugs can go wrong. It can really ruin your experience. Even if you are very experienced with these other substances and feel you could handle them under any circumstances, it is important to gain experience first before even attempting to combine them.
How can you avoid a bad trip?
The term ‘bad trip’ is often used to describe any sort of experience involving emotions such as sadness, anger or fear – essentially normal emotions that might arise on any ordinary day, but which are felt much more intensely.
This sort of experience can be easily alleviated by accepting and allowing the emotion to pass through you. However, reading about this whilst sober is very different from actually going through it in the heat of the moment. It is therefore good practice to take a moment during your preparation to consider that the contents of your trip are the contents of your mind. Nothing foreign is introduced by the mushrooms; everything you see and feel is already within you and is simply becoming visible.
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That said, there are genuine horror trips in which one may feel trapped and surrounded by malevolent intent. These are almost ALWAYS caused by an unsafe environment and can be avoided very easily by carefully choosing the time and place for your journey in accordance with the guidelines above.
psilocybin / psilocin
serotonin
baeocystin
norbaeocystin
Entourage effect: like a symphony
psychedelic = mind-revealing
en-theo-gen = god within
They are commonly known as magic mushrooms, but can actually be many different species, some of which produce truffles as well as mushrooms. They grow all over the world.
Set and Setting
Careful preparation before using the mushrooms is essential.
Both external circumstances and one’s inner state of mind play an important role and must be considered beforehand, as the effects may last for 4–8 hours and render you incapable of making a normal assessment of risk.