Psilocybe cubensis is currently one of the most popular natural psychedelics. The species is known under several names including "Stropharia cubensis," "Stropharia cyanescens' and 'Stopharia caerulaescens." The Mexican name is most used. The mushroom can be bred easily and is therefore one of the most commonly used hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The tryptamine 'alkaloids psilocine' and / or 'psilocybin' is an igredient of more than 180 kinds of mushrooms. These agaricalen are divided into the categories: Psylocybe (117 species), Gymnopilus (13 species), Panaeolus (7 species), Copelandia (12 species), Hypholoma (6 species), Pluteus (6 species), Inocybe (6 species), Conocybe (4 species), Agrocybe (1 species) and Galerina (1 species). The Psylocybe is spread widely. The vast majority of these species grow in the humid subtropical forests of Mexico and New Guinea. Mexico hosts 76 different types of neurotropical types of mushrooms which makes Mexico the country with the largest number of different types of these mushrooms. 44 Of the76 species belong to the Psylocybe. This represents 39% of the total of mushrooms in the world.

The name 'Psilocybe' is derives from the Greek words psilos (bald) and kube (head), which in the New Latin language has been corrupted to 'psilocybe'. So, literally Psilocybe means 'baldhead', which probably has to do with the appearance of the mushroom.

History

On an archaeological site in the Non Nak Tha region in northern Thailand, bones of cattle have been found. The look of these bones showed how they served human activity. It is known that in this region Psilocybe cubensis grows on dungheaps. Terence McKenna suggested that the bones of people and their cattle found in this region, assume that these people were familiar with psychoactive mushrooms since 15000 BC.

On the Tassili lowlands in northern Algeria cave drawings were found. It concerned antropomorfical pictures with mushrooms on it dating from the year 9000 BC (Samorini. 1992; Gartz, 1996). This proofs that people were familiar with these mushrooms and used them in a mystical way.

As Emboden (1979) said that in the 2nd century of the Chin dynasty a plea against the 'lauging illness' existed in China. With laughing illness he meant mushroompoisoning caused by accidentally consuming psilocybe containing mushrooms.

In Central and South America the use of magic mushrooms, containing psilocybin and other hallucinogens, was very common. Until the Spaniards came, agressively spread the Catholic faith and forbade the use of mushrooms

The Mixtec Indians even had a God for hallucinogenic plants, that symbolised the spiritual mushroom in particular. The god was called "Seven Flower" and was depicted with a few mushrooms in his hand (Wasson 1898). The Aztecs also had their own God for the entheogenen 'Xochipili', which means 'prince of flowers'. People assume that the Psilocybe Mexicana or Caerulescens and the Paneolus Sphinctrinus, are the types of mushrooms that were used by the Indians.

The mushroom was introduced in the "modern world" when Gordon Wasson visited the Mazateek village Huatla de Jimenez where he witnessed a "velada ' session of curandera Maria Sabina. Velada is a religious ritual use that takes place under the strong influence of Psilocybe mushrooms (Wasson 1898). More and more information about this mushroom spread and experiments begun. In 1958, the active ingredients psilocybin and psilocine, were discovered and synthesized by Dr. Albert Hoffman, who has also discovered LSD (Schwartz 1988). Over the years, people started more and more experiments with magic mushrooms. This had a major impact on the psychedelic movement in the 60s (The Vaults of Erowid: Sacred mushrooms). Nowadays, psilocybin containing mushrooms remain one of the most widely used natural substances for recreational purposes (Adlaf 1998).

When the P. cubensis (Earle) Singer mushroom was found for the first time in Cuba in 1904, the mushroom was identified as Stropharia Cubensis (Earle 1906). On the same moment the Naematoloma Caerulescens was found by Patouillard (1907) in Hanoi (North Vietnam). The Naematoloma Caerulescens is now a synonym for the Psilocybe cubenis. The P. cubensis doesn't grow tropical areas, however in subtropical regions it grows easily.

Botany

Rich one-cell-size organism
Division Fungi
Class Basidiomycetes
Division Stropharia
Families Bolbitiaceae, Psathyrellaceae, Cortinariaceae, Pluteaceae, and Strophariaceae
Basidiomycotina or Mycetes - Mushrooms which produce spores on the steal and outside the terminal cells.
Agaricales - Mushrooms with hat and plates.

Most common species:
Panaeolus sphinctrinus, subbalteatus (benanosis)
Psilocybe baeocystis, caerulescens, cyanescens, mexicana, pelliculosa, semilanceata, stuntzii
Stropharia (Psilocybe) cubensis

The mushroom has a yellow hat with a diameter of a half centimeter up to eight centimeter. Its strain is four to fifteen centimeters high. The mushroom grows in the south of the United States, in Central and South America and in Southeast Asia. The mushroom grows mainly on manure of cows , or on manually fed land.

Chemistry

Psilocybin and psilocine are the main active substances of the mushroom. In addition, the mushroom contains the substances Baeocystine and Norbaeocystine. The proportion of these substances varies from species to species. The main difference is that Psilocine is unstable and degrades while the mushroom dries. On the contrary, Psilocybin can persist much longer. Even a psilocybin mushroom of 115 years old has been found. Because a psilocybinemolecuul transforms into a psilocinemolecuul, both substances are equally psychoactive. Both substances increase the dopamine levels in the brains, what causes a trip.

Effects

In the past, the psychedelic effects of psilocybin has been described as a journey into the spiritual world. These hallucinogenic effects of psilocybne are identical to those of LSD. Psilocybin, however, is two hundred times less strong than LSD and also has a shorter effect (Schwartz 1988). Common physical reactions are: relaxation of the muscles, cold limbs and abdomen and wide pupils. A slightly stronger dose will cause visions and mental hallucinations, the ability to visualize creatively, spontaneous detailed images and a changed of sense of time. These effects are often better recognized and better experienced by users who have taken mushrooms already before. In any case, the mushrooms will cause a feeling of separation from reality and a different level of consciousness (Cumno 1994).

The intensity of the trip depends on the person in case and the emotionale estate of the person. Your experience may thus differ from what you've read or heard from others.

Some side effects will occur. Unlike an alcohol hangover which occurs after drinking alcohol, magic mushrooms already cause a hangover before the actual trip begins. Symptoms include: a lower body temperature, farting, a troubled stomach or nausea. At this point a bad trip may arise, but remember that this only happens when you are already in a negative mood. Those negative feelings are being reinforced and exaggerated. It creates a negative spiral that influences the effects. Actually, only depressive, schizophrenic or traumatized people are at risk to have such a bad trip. So if you suffer from one of these disorders, or when you're stressed, tense or you just don't feel happy, don't take the risk and avoid the use of magic mushrooms.

At an average dose the trip will slowly decline after four to six hours. The intervals between the hallucinations will take longer, until the hallucinations completely disappeared.

Medical use

There are many advanced studies and investigations on Psilocybe. These studies and surveys have shown that psilocybin, causes psychosis-like symptoms, because it stimulates serotonin-2 receptors.

People with cluster headaches have reporter very positive effects. Their pain reduced substantiall, or even disappeared completely, through the use of Psilocybe Cubensis.

Finally, research has shown that Psilocybin can serve in the treatment of mental disorders. This investigation is still running however, and some safetynorms must still be formulated.

Variations

The list of Psilocybe species counts more than one hundred species, of which only a few are included in this encyclopedia. Psilocybe Cubensis has multiple variants. The most common variations are: Psilocybe cubensis "Amazonian", Psilocybe cubensis "Brazil", Psilocybe cubensis "Cambodian", Psilocybe cubensis "Cuba", Psilocybe cubensis "Ecuador", Psilocybe cubensis "Golden Teacher", Psilocybe cubensis "Gulfcoast" Psilocybe cubensis "Huautla," Psilocybe cubensis "Matias Romero, Psilocybe cubensis" Mazatapec "Psilocybe cubensis" Orissa India ", Psilocybe cubensis" Palenque ", Psilocybe cubensis" Tasmanian ", Psilocybe cubensis" Thai ", Psilocybe cubensis" Transkei ".

The variants differ in size, but the rest of their features are almost identical. Because they are originated from various countries, the circumstances under which they grow best, are mutually a little different.

Usage

According to Hofmann the average dose for adults is four to eight miligram. The scientific literature contains graphs which can serve as a tool to estimate the appropriate dose. The percentage of dry mushroom is equal to the number of centigrams per gram. You can thus multiply this with ten to find out the number of miligram psilocybin per gram mushroom.

When using fresh mushrooms, the following dosage scheme is often recommended:

5-10 grams for a light trip for starters.

15-25 grams for an average trip.

30-25 grams for a trip from the highest level for the real psychonauts.

Unfortunately there is no reliable way to convert the weight of fresh magic mushrooms to the weight of dry mushrooms. They contain about ninety percent water
(ten grams moist = one gram dry), but the proportion is different for each type.

Use seven to ten fresh mushrooms (about ten grams), or one to two grams of dried magic mushrooms per dose.

According to most psychonauts, the best way to consume magic mushrooms is via mushroomtea. Put the dried mushrooms in hot water, wait five to ten minutes and pour off the liquid. Then, let the mushrooms soak in hot water again. If desired you can add honey or sugar to the liquid.

The mushrooms, fresh or dried, can also be mixed with orange juice, hot chocolate, honey-water and spices.

Warnings

Keep in mind that psilocybin, like most other hallucinogens, can encourage psycho and psychiatric illnesses and psychotic gusts. This can happen when someone has suffered from there illnesses in the past. Don't take magic mushrooms when you're stressed, or when you feel sad or depressed. People suffering from schizophrenia or a related mental illness, are strongly discouraged to use magic mushrooms. In that case absolutely don't use magic mushrooms.

Side effects

Common side effects are: a lower body temperature, farting, an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach and / or nausea. However, not everyone experiences these side effects. Keep in mind that these reactions are perfectly normal and don't let them influence your mood negatively. A negative mood isn't good for the rest of the trip.

Combinations

However after the consumption of MAO-inhibitors only half a dose of psilocybin is needed and the trip could be prolonged with two hours, combining psilocybin with MAO-inhibitors is discouraged. MAO-inhibitors can have a big impact, so caution is needed

Smoking marijuana when the trip has just begun, will significantly reduce the brightness in the head that the magic mushrooms cause. When smoked during the peak of the trip, the THC reaches a synergy with the psilocybine/cine which speeds up the trip. After that the trip drops back to a calmer level. When marijuana is smoked at the end of the trip, the effects will reoccur. You experience the effects like you did at the time of the peak, but now with much more activity.

Breeding

Psilocybe cubensis can be bred from sports in various ways. Many good and detailed descriptions can be found on the internet.

Don't you like to buy all the supplies and to spend much time on cultivating your own magic mushrooms? Don't worry. There are many breedingsets for sale, that help to harvest up to two or four hundreds grams of fresh Maxican mushrooms. At the time the mushrooms are sold, they don't contain psilocybin or psilocine yet and therefore magic mushrooms are completely legal in many countries.

Storage

Fresh mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for about two weeks. However, it is better to consume them as soon as possible after purchasing. Alternatively you can dry them before use. Dried mushrooms are slightly less strong, but have the advantage that they can be stored for years.