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Mushrooms

2017-07-15T16:01:34Z

Anythingnoniding: Improve formatting

[[File:Shroom.png|thumb|300px|Psilocybe Cubensis var. Palenque]]

Terms used to refer to mushrooms include: shrooms, mushies, magic mushrooms and psilocybin mushrooms.

There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanitaspecies). The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes. There are more than 180 species of mushrooms which contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin or psilocin. They have a long history of use in Mexico and are currently one of the most popular and commonly available natural psychedelics. Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.

== History ==
Ethnohistorical sources indicate that teonanacatl, the "divine mushroom" or "flesh of the gods" (Psilocybe mexicana and other species of the genus Psilocybe), was being ritually consumed and used in religious ceremonies in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. During the colonial period, the indigenous use of the mushroom was forbidden and brutally suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition. In spite of this, the mushroom cult has survived underground even into the present day. The psychoactive use of Psilocybe mexicana in Indian shamanism was rediscovered at the end of the 1930s. In the late 1950s, it was found that the Mixe Indians of Coadan, Oaxaca, also used Psilocybe mexicana for shamanic purposes. Psilocybe mexicana was the first mushroom in which Albert Hofmann discovered the LSD-like substances psilocybin and psilocin.

== Usage ==
=== Ritual use ===
The literature from the colonial period contains numerous texts that provide information concerning the mushrooms, their effects, and their ritual and/or medicinal uses.

The Florentine Codex, an early colonial chronicle by the Franciscan missionary Fra Bernardino de Sahagun, written in Aztec, reports: Nanacatl. They are called teonanacatl, "flesh of the gods." They grow in the flatlands, in grass. The head is small and round, the stem long and thin. It is bitter and scratches, it burns in the throat. It makes one foolish; it confuses one, it distresses one. It is a remedy for fever, for gout. Only two, three are eaten. It makes sad, depressed, distressed; it makes one run away, become afraid, hide. He who eats many of them sees many things that scare him and that make him happy. He runs away, hangs himself, throws himself from a cliff, screams, is afraid. It is eaten with honey. I eat mushrooms; I take mushrooms. It is said of one who is haughty, impertinent, vain that: "He has bemushroomed himself". Another Aztec text by Sahagun provides a rudimentary description of the mushroom ritual: The first thing that one ate at such meetings was a black mushroom that they called nanacatl. It has inebriating effects, produces visions, and incites to obscene acts. They already take the thing early on the morning of the festival day and drink cacao before they arise. They eat the mushrooms with honey. When they have made themselves drunk with these, they begin to become excited. Some sing, others cry, others sit in their rooms as if they were deep in sorrow. They have visions in which they see themselves die, and this hurts them bitterly. Others see scenes in which they are attacked by wild animals and believe that they are being eaten up. Some have beautiful dreams in which they believe they are very rich and possess many slaves. But others have quite embarrassing dreams: they have the feeling of being caught while committing adultery or of being wicked forgers or thieves who are now facing their punishment. They all have their visions. When the inebriation that the mushrooms produce is over, they speak of that which they have dreamed, and one tells the other about his visions.

In his Historia de las Indias de Nueva Espane, the missionary Diego Duran noted several times that mushrooms were ingested at festivals and were "drunk like wine", although they were mixed with chocolate. Today, Psilocybe mexicana is still used by shamans of the Mazatec, Mixe, Zapotec, and Cuitlatec in a manner that is quite similar to its pre-Spanish use. Among the Mixe, the most important deity is the Earth Mother Naaxwin or Na:shwin (literally, "the eye of the earth"). The earth is regarded as the source of wisdom; the Earth Mother is omniscient and can see the past, present, and future. Since the mushrooms grow from the earth, they are regarded as extremely wise and full of knowledge. The Mixe originally believed that the mushrooms were born from the bones of primordial shamans and prophets. According to a different version of that belief, which was influenced by Christianity, the mushrooms are regarded as soothsayers because they are equated with the blood of Christ. It is said that as Jesus hung on the cross, blood flowed from his heart to the ground. Numerous flowers and edible mushrooms grew from this blood. Finally, the magic mushrooms emerged and supplanted the plants that had previously turned green. For this reason they are called na:shwin mux, "mushrooms of Mother Earth". Accordingly, the messages of the mushrooms are known as the "voice of the Earth".

Magic mushrooms are used primarily in ritual contexts by the mostly female shamans. They are eaten for divinatory purposes. They are used to recognize the causes of diseases, to predict the death and loss of family members, to locailize lost objects, to uncover thieves and magicians, and to search for answers to familial problems. The mushrooms can also help in finding hidden treasures, discovering ruins, and experiencing ritual knowledge. The mushrooms normally speak Mixe, although they occasionally speak Zapotec as well. Among the Mixe, the old preSpanish tonalamatl divination calendar is still in use. Some shamans use the mushrooms in conjunction with the calendar divination.

Magic mushrooms can be harvested only in summer. It is said that they grow only on sacred ground. When a person encounters a mushroom, he should offer it three candles, kneel before it, and speak the following prayer: Tum'Uh. Thou who art the queen of all there is and who was placed here as the healer of all sicknesses. I say to you that I will carry you from this place to heal the sickness I have in my house, for you were named as a great being of the earth. Forgive this molestation, for I am carrying you to the place where the sick person is, so that you make clear what the suffering is that has come to pass. I respect you. You are the master of all and you reveal all to the sick. The collected mushrooms are carefully placed on the house altar or stored in the village church for three days. Incense is offered to them. They are consumed either fresh or sundried. For three days before ingesting the mushrooms, a person must remain abstinent from sex and refrain from eating poultry, pork, eggs, and vegetables. It also is forbidden to drink alcohol or to use other drugs or medicines. During this time, a person should also refrain from agricultural activities. On the morning of the fourth day, he or she takes a bath and eats a light breakfast (of only foods made from maize; cf. Zea mays). He or she fasts for the rest of the day. On the morning after the session, the person must eat a large quantity of chili peppers; he or she should abstain from meat and alcohol for the following month. The mushrooms are always eaten in pairs and also dosed in pairs: three pair for children, seven pair for women, nine pair for men. Sometimes only the caps are eaten. In each session, a person should eat mushrooms of just a single species, because mixing the species can result in unpleasant, i.e., threatening, visions. Two eggs are laid next to the mushrooms before they are eaten. At the same time, "copal" (incense; the resin of the palm Acrocomia mexicana Karw., from which palm wine is also obtained) is burned and a candle is lit. A prayer is offered to the mushrooms before they are eaten: Thou who art blessed. I am now going to swallow you so that you heal me of the illness I have. Please give me the knowledge I need, thou, who knows all of what I need and of what I have, of my problem. I ask of you the favor that you only tell me and divine what I need to know but do nothing bad to me. I do not wish an evil heart and wickedness. I only wish to know of my problems and illness and other things that you can do for me. But I ask you, please do not frighten me, do not show me evil things but only tell all. This is for the person with a pure heart. You can do many things, and I ask you to do them for me. I now ask your forgiveness for being in my stomach this night. After the mushrooms are swallowed whole with water, one should be quiet.

It is said that the mushrooms, like all other magical plants, do not like noise and will not speak if they feel disturbed. Normally the person who has eaten the mushrooms is accompanied by one or two friends or family members. They should pay attention to the things that the "bemushroomed" person says and fumigate him or her with copal smoke if problems arise. The visions that appear are shaped by culture. First one sees snakes and jaguars. After these have disappeared, the sun and the moon appear as a boy and girl, the children of the wind and the Earth Mother. Often, the "bemushroomed" person only hears voices that give advice, provide diagnoses, or ask about the reasons for ingesting the mushrooms. In these visions, most people obtain profound insights into their state of health and learn how they may become healthy and complete.

== Dosage ==
This is the dose range for dry Psilocybe Cubensis. Fresh mushrooms are 9/10ths water by weight, and require 10 times the dose.
For other types of psilocybes, see [http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_info4.shtml Erowid].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Cubensis)
|-
| Light || 1-2g
|-
| Common || 2-4g
|-
| Strong || 4g+
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Truffles)
|-
| Light || 3-7.5g
|-
| Common || 7.5-12.5g
|-
| Strong || 12.5-15g
|-
| Heavy || 15g+
|}

=== Lemon Tek ===

This will greatly increase intensity, but lower the duration. The comedown is abrupt, yet gentle. Do not expect enough time for introspection.

Preparation of materials:
With dried p. cubensis fruit bodies, it is advisable to grind or macerate the material into a fine powder or small particle size. The more surface area of the fruiting body distributed in a body of liquid will result in greater effect and availability of alkaloids.

Grind the mushrooms to a fine powder, then add them to an acidic solution (e.g. 1 tbps lemon juice, 8oz water), and drink on an empty stomach.

== Duration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 15-60 minutes
|-
| Peak || 2-4 hours
|-
| Total || 4-8 hours
|}

== Effects ==

Psilocybin tends to induce more introspection than other psychedelics.

=== Positive ===
* Mood lift, euphoria
* Increased giggling and laughing

[[File:ShroomFX.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An example of visual effects on mushrooms.]]

* Creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
* Boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny
* Sensation of insight
* Life-changing spiritual experience
* Intense feelings of wonder
* Paradoxical feeling of a normalcy and deep alteration of psyche
* May interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches

=== Neutral ===
* Feeling more emotionally sensitive
* General change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
* Time perception alteration
* Time seems to pass more slowly (minutes seem to take hours)
* Sensitivity to light; lights seem brighter
* Starring and rainbow patterns around pinpoint lights
* Increased detection of motion in peripheral vision
* Open and closed-eye visuals (common at medium or stronger dose)
* Sleepiness, lethargy
* Pupil dilation
* Sensation of energy or buzzing in the nevous system/peripheral limbs
* Memories come to life

=== Negative ===
* Intense feelings of fear
* Headache, usually as effects wear off, sometimes beginning the next day, lasting for up to 24 hours
* Nausea, gas, gastrointestinal discomfort, especially when mushrooms are eaten raw and/or dry
* Mild to severe anxiety
* Dizziness, confusion
* Lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
* Can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders
* Working memory disruption (reduced ability to do tasks requiring current remembering and attention) [ Wittmann 2006 ]

=== After effects ===

* Hangover - rare
* Afterglow - common

== Harm Reduction ==

Mushrooms are known as being relatively safe psychedelics, with no documented causes of death from the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. However, when picking mushrooms it is important to be sure about the species, as many wild mushrooms are poisonous and can cause death - with some poisonous strains looking similar to common psychedelic strains.

It is generally a good idea to avoid psychedelic drugs including mushrooms if you or any of your first or second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandparents) have a current or past history of psychotic disorders like Bipolar or schizophrenia.

Refer to [[Psychedelics#Harm_Reduction|Psychedelic Harm Reduction]] for general information.

== Legal status ==

Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and are not recognized for medical use. However, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered by UN drug treaties.

Psilocybin mushrooms are regulated or prohibited in many countries, often carrying severe legal penalties (for example, the US Psychotropic Substances Act, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Drugs Act 2005, and in Canada the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act).

== Links ==

[https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml Erowid - Psilocybin Mushrooms]

[https://tripsafe.org/shrooms/ TripSafe - Shrooms]

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushroom Wikipedia - Psilocybin mushroom]

[[Category:Psychedelic]]
[[Category:Drugs]]

Mushrooms

2017-07-15T15:59:56Z

Anythingnoniding: Add terms used to indicate mushrooms

[[File:Shroom.png|thumb|300px|Psilocybe Cubensis var. Palenque]]

Terms used to refer to mushrooms include: shrooms, mushies, magic mushrooms and psilocybin mushrooms.

There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanitaspecies). The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes. There are more than 180 species of mushrooms which contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin or psilocin. They have a long history of use in Mexico and are currently one of the most popular and commonly available natural psychedelics. Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.

== History ==
Ethnohistorical sources indicate that teonanacatl, the "divine mushroom" or "flesh of the gods" (Psilocybe mexicana and other species of the genus Psilocybe), was being ritually consumed and used in religious ceremonies in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. During the colonial period, the indigenous use of the mushroom was forbidden and brutally suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition. In spite of this, the mushroom cult has survived underground even into the present day. The psychoactive use of Psilocybe mexicana in Indian shamanism was rediscovered at the end of the 1930s. In the late 1950s, it was found that the Mixe Indians of Coadan, Oaxaca, also used Psilocybe mexicana for shamanic purposes. Psilocybe mexicana was the first mushroom in which Albert Hofmann discovered the LSD-like substances psilocybin and psilocin.

== Usage ==
=== Ritual use ===
The literature from the colonial period contains numerous texts that provide information concerning the mushrooms, their effects, and their ritual and/or medicinal uses.

The Florentine Codex, an early colonial chronicle by the Franciscan missionary Fra Bernardino de Sahagun, written in Aztec, reports: Nanacatl. They are called teonanacatl, "flesh of the gods." They grow in the flatlands, in grass. The head is small and round, the stem long and thin. It is bitter and scratches, it burns in the throat. It makes one foolish; it confuses one, it distresses one. It is a remedy for fever, for gout. Only two, three are eaten. It makes sad, depressed, distressed; it makes one run away, become afraid, hide. He who eats many of them sees many things that scare him and that make him happy. He runs away, hangs himself, throws himself from a cliff, screams, is afraid. It is eaten with honey. I eat mushrooms; I take mushrooms. It is said of one who is haughty, impertinent, vain that: "He has bemushroomed himself". Another Aztec text by Sahagun provides a rudimentary description of the mushroom ritual: The first thing that one ate at such meetings was a black mushroom that they called nanacatl. It has inebriating effects, produces visions, and incites to obscene acts. They already take the thing early on the morning of the festival day and drink cacao before they arise. They eat the mushrooms with honey. When they have made themselves drunk with these, they begin to become excited. Some sing, others cry, others sit in their rooms as if they were deep in sorrow. They have visions in which they see themselves die, and this hurts them bitterly. Others see scenes in which they are attacked by wild animals and believe that they are being eaten up. Some have beautiful dreams in which they believe they are very rich and possess many slaves. But others have quite embarrassing dreams: they have the feeling of being caught while committing adultery or of being wicked forgers or thieves who are now facing their punishment. They all have their visions. When the inebriation that the mushrooms produce is over, they speak of that which they have dreamed, and one tells the other about his visions.

In his Historia de las Indias de Nueva Espane, the missionary Diego Duran noted several times that mushrooms were ingested at festivals and were "drunk like wine", although they were mixed with chocolate. Today, Psilocybe mexicana is still used by shamans of the Mazatec, Mixe, Zapotec, and Cuitlatec in a manner that is quite similar to its pre-Spanish use. Among the Mixe, the most important deity is the Earth Mother Naaxwin or Na:shwin (literally, "the eye of the earth"). The earth is regarded as the source of wisdom; the Earth Mother is omniscient and can see the past, present, and future. Since the mushrooms grow from the earth, they are regarded as extremely wise and full of knowledge. The Mixe originally believed that the mushrooms were born from the bones of primordial shamans and prophets. According to a different version of that belief, which was influenced by Christianity, the mushrooms are regarded as soothsayers because they are equated with the blood of Christ. It is said that as Jesus hung on the cross, blood flowed from his heart to the ground. Numerous flowers and edible mushrooms grew from this blood. Finally, the magic mushrooms emerged and supplanted the plants that had previously turned green. For this reason they are called na:shwin mux, "mushrooms of Mother Earth". Accordingly, the messages of the mushrooms are known as the "voice of the Earth".

Magic mushrooms are used primarily in ritual contexts by the mostly female shamans. They are eaten for divinatory purposes. They are used to recognize the causes of diseases, to predict the death and loss of family members, to locailize lost objects, to uncover thieves and magicians, and to search for answers to familial problems. The mushrooms can also help in finding hidden treasures, discovering ruins, and experiencing ritual knowledge. The mushrooms normally speak Mixe, although they occasionally speak Zapotec as well. Among the Mixe, the old preSpanish tonalamatl divination calendar is still in use. Some shamans use the mushrooms in conjunction with the calendar divination.

Magic mushrooms can be harvested only in summer. It is said that they grow only on sacred ground. When a person encounters a mushroom, he should offer it three candles, kneel before it, and speak the following prayer: Tum'Uh. Thou who art the queen of all there is and who was placed here as the healer of all sicknesses. I say to you that I will carry you from this place to heal the sickness I have in my house, for you were named as a great being of the earth. Forgive this molestation, for I am carrying you to the place where the sick person is, so that you make clear what the suffering is that has come to pass. I respect you. You are the master of all and you reveal all to the sick. The collected mushrooms are carefully placed on the house altar or stored in the village church for three days. Incense is offered to them. They are consumed either fresh or sundried. For three days before ingesting the mushrooms, a person must remain abstinent from sex and refrain from eating poultry, pork, eggs, and vegetables. It also is forbidden to drink alcohol or to use other drugs or medicines. During this time, a person should also refrain from agricultural activities. On the morning of the fourth day, he or she takes a bath and eats a light breakfast (of only foods made from maize; cf. Zea mays). He or she fasts for the rest of the day. On the morning after the session, the person must eat a large quantity of chili peppers; he or she should abstain from meat and alcohol for the following month. The mushrooms are always eaten in pairs and also dosed in pairs: three pair for children, seven pair for women, nine pair for men. Sometimes only the caps are eaten. In each session, a person should eat mushrooms of just a single species, because mixing the species can result in unpleasant, i.e., threatening, visions. Two eggs are laid next to the mushrooms before they are eaten. At the same time, "copal" (incense; the resin of the palm Acrocomia mexicana Karw., from which palm wine is also obtained) is burned and a candle is lit. A prayer is offered to the mushrooms before they are eaten: Thou who art blessed. I am now going to swallow you so that you heal me of the illness I have. Please give me the knowledge I need, thou, who knows all of what I need and of what I have, of my problem. I ask of you the favor that you only tell me and divine what I need to know but do nothing bad to me. I do not wish an evil heart and wickedness. I only wish to know of my problems and illness and other things that you can do for me. But I ask you, please do not frighten me, do not show me evil things but only tell all. This is for the person with a pure heart. You can do many things, and I ask you to do them for me. I now ask your forgiveness for being in my stomach this night. After the mushrooms are swallowed whole with water, one should be quiet.

It is said that the mushrooms, like all other magical plants, do not like noise and will not speak if they feel disturbed. Normally the person who has eaten the mushrooms is accompanied by one or two friends or family members. They should pay attention to the things that the "bemushroomed" person says and fumigate him or her with copal smoke if problems arise. The visions that appear are shaped by culture. First one sees snakes and jaguars. After these have disappeared, the sun and the moon appear as a boy and girl, the children of the wind and the Earth Mother. Often, the "bemushroomed" person only hears voices that give advice, provide diagnoses, or ask about the reasons for ingesting the mushrooms. In these visions, most people obtain profound insights into their state of health and learn how they may become healthy and complete.

== Dosage ==
This is the dose range for dry Psilocybe Cubensis. Fresh mushrooms are 9/10ths water by weight, and require 10 times the dose.
For other types of psilocybes, see [http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_info4.shtml Erowid].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Cubensis)
|-
| Light || 1-2g
|-
| Common || 2-4g
|-
| Strong || 4g+
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Truffles)
|-
| Light || 3-7.5g
|-
| Common || 7.5-12.5g
|-
| Strong || 12.5-15g
|-
| Heavy || 15g+
|}

=== Lemon Tek ===

This will greatly increase intensity, but lower the duration. The comedown is abrupt, yet gentle. Do not expect enough time for introspection.

Preparation of materials:
With dried p. cubensis fruit bodies, it is advisable to grind or macerate the material into a fine powder or small particle size. The more surface area of the fruiting body distributed in a body of liquid will result in greater effect and availability of alkaloids.

Grind the mushrooms to a fine powder, then add them to an acidic solution (e.g. 1 tbps lemon juice, 8oz water), and drink on an empty stomach.

== Duration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 15-60 minutes
|-
| Peak || 2-4 hours
|-
| Total || 4-8 hours
|}

== Effects ==

Psilocybin tends to induce more introspection than other psychedelics.

=== Positive ===
* Mood lift, euphoria
* Increased giggling and laughing

[[File:ShroomFX.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An example of visual effects on mushrooms.]]

* Creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
* Boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny
* Sensation of insight
* Life-changing spiritual experience
* Intense feelings of wonder
* Paradoxical feeling of a normalcy and deep alteration of psyche
* May interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches

=== Neutral ===
* Feeling more emotionally sensitive
* General change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
* Time perception alteration
* Time seems to pass more slowly (minutes seem to take hours)
* Sensitivity to light; lights seem brighter
* Starring and rainbow patterns around pinpoint lights
* Increased detection of motion in peripheral vision
* Open and closed-eye visuals (common at medium or stronger dose)
* Sleepiness, lethargy
* Pupil dilation
* Sensation of energy or buzzing in the nevous system/peripheral limbs
* Memories come to life

=== Negative ===
* Intense feelings of fear
* Headache, usually as effects wear off, sometimes beginning the next day, lasting for up to 24 hours
* Nausea, gas, gastrointestinal discomfort, especially when mushrooms are eaten raw and/or dry
* Mild to severe anxiety
* Dizziness, confusion
* Lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
* Can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders
* Working memory disruption (reduced ability to do tasks requiring current remembering and attention) [ Wittmann 2006 ]

=== After effects ===

* Hangover - rare
* Afterglow - common

== Harm Reduction ==

Mushrooms are known as being relatively safe psychedelics, with no documented causes of death from the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. However, when picking mushrooms it is important to be sure about the species, as many wild mushrooms are poisonous and can cause death - with some poisonous strains looking similar to common psychedelic strains.

It is generally a good idea to avoid psychedelic drugs including mushrooms if you or any of your first or second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandparents) have a current or past history of psychotic disorders like Bipolar or schizophrenia.

Refer to [[Psychedelics#Harm_Reduction|Psychedelic Harm Reduction]] for general information.

== Legal status ==

Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and are not recognized for medical use. However, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered by UN drug treaties.

Psilocybin mushrooms are regulated or prohibited in many countries, often carrying severe legal penalties (for example, the US Psychotropic Substances Act, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Drugs Act 2005, and in Canada the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act).

== Links ==

[https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml Erowid - Psilocybin Mushrooms]
[https://tripsafe.org/shrooms/ TripSafe - Shrooms]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushroom Wikipedia - Psilocybin mushroom]

[[Category:Psychedelic]]
[[Category:Drugs]]

Mushrooms

2017-07-15T15:58:48Z

Anythingnoniding: Add note about increased risk with 1st/2nd degree relatives with psychotic disorders

[[File:Shroom.png|thumb|300px|Psilocybe Cubensis var. Palenque]]

There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanitaspecies). The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes. There are more than 180 species of mushrooms which contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin or psilocin. They have a long history of use in Mexico and are currently one of the most popular and commonly available natural psychedelics. Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.

== History ==
Ethnohistorical sources indicate that teonanacatl, the "divine mushroom" or "flesh of the gods" (Psilocybe mexicana and other species of the genus Psilocybe), was being ritually consumed and used in religious ceremonies in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. During the colonial period, the indigenous use of the mushroom was forbidden and brutally suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition. In spite of this, the mushroom cult has survived underground even into the present day. The psychoactive use of Psilocybe mexicana in Indian shamanism was rediscovered at the end of the 1930s. In the late 1950s, it was found that the Mixe Indians of Coadan, Oaxaca, also used Psilocybe mexicana for shamanic purposes. Psilocybe mexicana was the first mushroom in which Albert Hofmann discovered the LSD-like substances psilocybin and psilocin.

== Usage ==
=== Ritual use ===
The literature from the colonial period contains numerous texts that provide information concerning the mushrooms, their effects, and their ritual and/or medicinal uses.

The Florentine Codex, an early colonial chronicle by the Franciscan missionary Fra Bernardino de Sahagun, written in Aztec, reports: Nanacatl. They are called teonanacatl, "flesh of the gods." They grow in the flatlands, in grass. The head is small and round, the stem long and thin. It is bitter and scratches, it burns in the throat. It makes one foolish; it confuses one, it distresses one. It is a remedy for fever, for gout. Only two, three are eaten. It makes sad, depressed, distressed; it makes one run away, become afraid, hide. He who eats many of them sees many things that scare him and that make him happy. He runs away, hangs himself, throws himself from a cliff, screams, is afraid. It is eaten with honey. I eat mushrooms; I take mushrooms. It is said of one who is haughty, impertinent, vain that: "He has bemushroomed himself". Another Aztec text by Sahagun provides a rudimentary description of the mushroom ritual: The first thing that one ate at such meetings was a black mushroom that they called nanacatl. It has inebriating effects, produces visions, and incites to obscene acts. They already take the thing early on the morning of the festival day and drink cacao before they arise. They eat the mushrooms with honey. When they have made themselves drunk with these, they begin to become excited. Some sing, others cry, others sit in their rooms as if they were deep in sorrow. They have visions in which they see themselves die, and this hurts them bitterly. Others see scenes in which they are attacked by wild animals and believe that they are being eaten up. Some have beautiful dreams in which they believe they are very rich and possess many slaves. But others have quite embarrassing dreams: they have the feeling of being caught while committing adultery or of being wicked forgers or thieves who are now facing their punishment. They all have their visions. When the inebriation that the mushrooms produce is over, they speak of that which they have dreamed, and one tells the other about his visions.

In his Historia de las Indias de Nueva Espane, the missionary Diego Duran noted several times that mushrooms were ingested at festivals and were "drunk like wine", although they were mixed with chocolate. Today, Psilocybe mexicana is still used by shamans of the Mazatec, Mixe, Zapotec, and Cuitlatec in a manner that is quite similar to its pre-Spanish use. Among the Mixe, the most important deity is the Earth Mother Naaxwin or Na:shwin (literally, "the eye of the earth"). The earth is regarded as the source of wisdom; the Earth Mother is omniscient and can see the past, present, and future. Since the mushrooms grow from the earth, they are regarded as extremely wise and full of knowledge. The Mixe originally believed that the mushrooms were born from the bones of primordial shamans and prophets. According to a different version of that belief, which was influenced by Christianity, the mushrooms are regarded as soothsayers because they are equated with the blood of Christ. It is said that as Jesus hung on the cross, blood flowed from his heart to the ground. Numerous flowers and edible mushrooms grew from this blood. Finally, the magic mushrooms emerged and supplanted the plants that had previously turned green. For this reason they are called na:shwin mux, "mushrooms of Mother Earth". Accordingly, the messages of the mushrooms are known as the "voice of the Earth".

Magic mushrooms are used primarily in ritual contexts by the mostly female shamans. They are eaten for divinatory purposes. They are used to recognize the causes of diseases, to predict the death and loss of family members, to locailize lost objects, to uncover thieves and magicians, and to search for answers to familial problems. The mushrooms can also help in finding hidden treasures, discovering ruins, and experiencing ritual knowledge. The mushrooms normally speak Mixe, although they occasionally speak Zapotec as well. Among the Mixe, the old preSpanish tonalamatl divination calendar is still in use. Some shamans use the mushrooms in conjunction with the calendar divination.

Magic mushrooms can be harvested only in summer. It is said that they grow only on sacred ground. When a person encounters a mushroom, he should offer it three candles, kneel before it, and speak the following prayer: Tum'Uh. Thou who art the queen of all there is and who was placed here as the healer of all sicknesses. I say to you that I will carry you from this place to heal the sickness I have in my house, for you were named as a great being of the earth. Forgive this molestation, for I am carrying you to the place where the sick person is, so that you make clear what the suffering is that has come to pass. I respect you. You are the master of all and you reveal all to the sick. The collected mushrooms are carefully placed on the house altar or stored in the village church for three days. Incense is offered to them. They are consumed either fresh or sundried. For three days before ingesting the mushrooms, a person must remain abstinent from sex and refrain from eating poultry, pork, eggs, and vegetables. It also is forbidden to drink alcohol or to use other drugs or medicines. During this time, a person should also refrain from agricultural activities. On the morning of the fourth day, he or she takes a bath and eats a light breakfast (of only foods made from maize; cf. Zea mays). He or she fasts for the rest of the day. On the morning after the session, the person must eat a large quantity of chili peppers; he or she should abstain from meat and alcohol for the following month. The mushrooms are always eaten in pairs and also dosed in pairs: three pair for children, seven pair for women, nine pair for men. Sometimes only the caps are eaten. In each session, a person should eat mushrooms of just a single species, because mixing the species can result in unpleasant, i.e., threatening, visions. Two eggs are laid next to the mushrooms before they are eaten. At the same time, "copal" (incense; the resin of the palm Acrocomia mexicana Karw., from which palm wine is also obtained) is burned and a candle is lit. A prayer is offered to the mushrooms before they are eaten: Thou who art blessed. I am now going to swallow you so that you heal me of the illness I have. Please give me the knowledge I need, thou, who knows all of what I need and of what I have, of my problem. I ask of you the favor that you only tell me and divine what I need to know but do nothing bad to me. I do not wish an evil heart and wickedness. I only wish to know of my problems and illness and other things that you can do for me. But I ask you, please do not frighten me, do not show me evil things but only tell all. This is for the person with a pure heart. You can do many things, and I ask you to do them for me. I now ask your forgiveness for being in my stomach this night. After the mushrooms are swallowed whole with water, one should be quiet.

It is said that the mushrooms, like all other magical plants, do not like noise and will not speak if they feel disturbed. Normally the person who has eaten the mushrooms is accompanied by one or two friends or family members. They should pay attention to the things that the "bemushroomed" person says and fumigate him or her with copal smoke if problems arise. The visions that appear are shaped by culture. First one sees snakes and jaguars. After these have disappeared, the sun and the moon appear as a boy and girl, the children of the wind and the Earth Mother. Often, the "bemushroomed" person only hears voices that give advice, provide diagnoses, or ask about the reasons for ingesting the mushrooms. In these visions, most people obtain profound insights into their state of health and learn how they may become healthy and complete.

== Dosage ==
This is the dose range for dry Psilocybe Cubensis. Fresh mushrooms are 9/10ths water by weight, and require 10 times the dose.
For other types of psilocybes, see [http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_info4.shtml Erowid].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Cubensis)
|-
| Light || 1-2g
|-
| Common || 2-4g
|-
| Strong || 4g+
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Truffles)
|-
| Light || 3-7.5g
|-
| Common || 7.5-12.5g
|-
| Strong || 12.5-15g
|-
| Heavy || 15g+
|}

=== Lemon Tek ===

This will greatly increase intensity, but lower the duration. The comedown is abrupt, yet gentle. Do not expect enough time for introspection.

Preparation of materials:
With dried p. cubensis fruit bodies, it is advisable to grind or macerate the material into a fine powder or small particle size. The more surface area of the fruiting body distributed in a body of liquid will result in greater effect and availability of alkaloids.

Grind the mushrooms to a fine powder, then add them to an acidic solution (e.g. 1 tbps lemon juice, 8oz water), and drink on an empty stomach.

== Duration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 15-60 minutes
|-
| Peak || 2-4 hours
|-
| Total || 4-8 hours
|}

== Effects ==

Psilocybin tends to induce more introspection than other psychedelics.

=== Positive ===
* Mood lift, euphoria
* Increased giggling and laughing

[[File:ShroomFX.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An example of visual effects on mushrooms.]]

* Creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
* Boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny
* Sensation of insight
* Life-changing spiritual experience
* Intense feelings of wonder
* Paradoxical feeling of a normalcy and deep alteration of psyche
* May interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches

=== Neutral ===
* Feeling more emotionally sensitive
* General change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
* Time perception alteration
* Time seems to pass more slowly (minutes seem to take hours)
* Sensitivity to light; lights seem brighter
* Starring and rainbow patterns around pinpoint lights
* Increased detection of motion in peripheral vision
* Open and closed-eye visuals (common at medium or stronger dose)
* Sleepiness, lethargy
* Pupil dilation
* Sensation of energy or buzzing in the nevous system/peripheral limbs
* Memories come to life

=== Negative ===
* Intense feelings of fear
* Headache, usually as effects wear off, sometimes beginning the next day, lasting for up to 24 hours
* Nausea, gas, gastrointestinal discomfort, especially when mushrooms are eaten raw and/or dry
* Mild to severe anxiety
* Dizziness, confusion
* Lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
* Can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders
* Working memory disruption (reduced ability to do tasks requiring current remembering and attention) [ Wittmann 2006 ]

=== After effects ===

* Hangover - rare
* Afterglow - common

== Harm Reduction ==

Mushrooms are known as being relatively safe psychedelics, with no documented causes of death from the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. However, when picking mushrooms it is important to be sure about the species, as many wild mushrooms are poisonous and can cause death - with some poisonous strains looking similar to common psychedelic strains.

It is generally a good idea to avoid psychedelic drugs including mushrooms if you or any of your first or second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandparents) have a current or past history of psychotic disorders like Bipolar or schizophrenia.

Refer to [[Psychedelics#Harm_Reduction|Psychedelic Harm Reduction]] for general information.

== Legal status ==

Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and are not recognized for medical use. However, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered by UN drug treaties.

Psilocybin mushrooms are regulated or prohibited in many countries, often carrying severe legal penalties (for example, the US Psychotropic Substances Act, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Drugs Act 2005, and in Canada the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act).

== Links ==

[https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml Erowid - Psilocybin Mushrooms]
[https://tripsafe.org/shrooms/ TripSafe - Shrooms]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushroom Wikipedia - Psilocybin mushroom]

[[Category:Psychedelic]]
[[Category:Drugs]]

Mushrooms

2017-07-15T15:56:42Z

Anythingnoniding: Update erowid link, add tripsafe and wikipedia links

[[File:Shroom.png|thumb|300px|Psilocybe Cubensis var. Palenque]]

There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanitaspecies). The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes. There are more than 180 species of mushrooms which contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin or psilocin. They have a long history of use in Mexico and are currently one of the most popular and commonly available natural psychedelics. Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.

== History ==
Ethnohistorical sources indicate that teonanacatl, the "divine mushroom" or "flesh of the gods" (Psilocybe mexicana and other species of the genus Psilocybe), was being ritually consumed and used in religious ceremonies in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. During the colonial period, the indigenous use of the mushroom was forbidden and brutally suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition. In spite of this, the mushroom cult has survived underground even into the present day. The psychoactive use of Psilocybe mexicana in Indian shamanism was rediscovered at the end of the 1930s. In the late 1950s, it was found that the Mixe Indians of Coadan, Oaxaca, also used Psilocybe mexicana for shamanic purposes. Psilocybe mexicana was the first mushroom in which Albert Hofmann discovered the LSD-like substances psilocybin and psilocin.

== Usage ==
=== Ritual use ===
The literature from the colonial period contains numerous texts that provide information concerning the mushrooms, their effects, and their ritual and/or medicinal uses.

The Florentine Codex, an early colonial chronicle by the Franciscan missionary Fra Bernardino de Sahagun, written in Aztec, reports: Nanacatl. They are called teonanacatl, "flesh of the gods." They grow in the flatlands, in grass. The head is small and round, the stem long and thin. It is bitter and scratches, it burns in the throat. It makes one foolish; it confuses one, it distresses one. It is a remedy for fever, for gout. Only two, three are eaten. It makes sad, depressed, distressed; it makes one run away, become afraid, hide. He who eats many of them sees many things that scare him and that make him happy. He runs away, hangs himself, throws himself from a cliff, screams, is afraid. It is eaten with honey. I eat mushrooms; I take mushrooms. It is said of one who is haughty, impertinent, vain that: "He has bemushroomed himself". Another Aztec text by Sahagun provides a rudimentary description of the mushroom ritual: The first thing that one ate at such meetings was a black mushroom that they called nanacatl. It has inebriating effects, produces visions, and incites to obscene acts. They already take the thing early on the morning of the festival day and drink cacao before they arise. They eat the mushrooms with honey. When they have made themselves drunk with these, they begin to become excited. Some sing, others cry, others sit in their rooms as if they were deep in sorrow. They have visions in which they see themselves die, and this hurts them bitterly. Others see scenes in which they are attacked by wild animals and believe that they are being eaten up. Some have beautiful dreams in which they believe they are very rich and possess many slaves. But others have quite embarrassing dreams: they have the feeling of being caught while committing adultery or of being wicked forgers or thieves who are now facing their punishment. They all have their visions. When the inebriation that the mushrooms produce is over, they speak of that which they have dreamed, and one tells the other about his visions.

In his Historia de las Indias de Nueva Espane, the missionary Diego Duran noted several times that mushrooms were ingested at festivals and were "drunk like wine", although they were mixed with chocolate. Today, Psilocybe mexicana is still used by shamans of the Mazatec, Mixe, Zapotec, and Cuitlatec in a manner that is quite similar to its pre-Spanish use. Among the Mixe, the most important deity is the Earth Mother Naaxwin or Na:shwin (literally, "the eye of the earth"). The earth is regarded as the source of wisdom; the Earth Mother is omniscient and can see the past, present, and future. Since the mushrooms grow from the earth, they are regarded as extremely wise and full of knowledge. The Mixe originally believed that the mushrooms were born from the bones of primordial shamans and prophets. According to a different version of that belief, which was influenced by Christianity, the mushrooms are regarded as soothsayers because they are equated with the blood of Christ. It is said that as Jesus hung on the cross, blood flowed from his heart to the ground. Numerous flowers and edible mushrooms grew from this blood. Finally, the magic mushrooms emerged and supplanted the plants that had previously turned green. For this reason they are called na:shwin mux, "mushrooms of Mother Earth". Accordingly, the messages of the mushrooms are known as the "voice of the Earth".

Magic mushrooms are used primarily in ritual contexts by the mostly female shamans. They are eaten for divinatory purposes. They are used to recognize the causes of diseases, to predict the death and loss of family members, to locailize lost objects, to uncover thieves and magicians, and to search for answers to familial problems. The mushrooms can also help in finding hidden treasures, discovering ruins, and experiencing ritual knowledge. The mushrooms normally speak Mixe, although they occasionally speak Zapotec as well. Among the Mixe, the old preSpanish tonalamatl divination calendar is still in use. Some shamans use the mushrooms in conjunction with the calendar divination.

Magic mushrooms can be harvested only in summer. It is said that they grow only on sacred ground. When a person encounters a mushroom, he should offer it three candles, kneel before it, and speak the following prayer: Tum'Uh. Thou who art the queen of all there is and who was placed here as the healer of all sicknesses. I say to you that I will carry you from this place to heal the sickness I have in my house, for you were named as a great being of the earth. Forgive this molestation, for I am carrying you to the place where the sick person is, so that you make clear what the suffering is that has come to pass. I respect you. You are the master of all and you reveal all to the sick. The collected mushrooms are carefully placed on the house altar or stored in the village church for three days. Incense is offered to them. They are consumed either fresh or sundried. For three days before ingesting the mushrooms, a person must remain abstinent from sex and refrain from eating poultry, pork, eggs, and vegetables. It also is forbidden to drink alcohol or to use other drugs or medicines. During this time, a person should also refrain from agricultural activities. On the morning of the fourth day, he or she takes a bath and eats a light breakfast (of only foods made from maize; cf. Zea mays). He or she fasts for the rest of the day. On the morning after the session, the person must eat a large quantity of chili peppers; he or she should abstain from meat and alcohol for the following month. The mushrooms are always eaten in pairs and also dosed in pairs: three pair for children, seven pair for women, nine pair for men. Sometimes only the caps are eaten. In each session, a person should eat mushrooms of just a single species, because mixing the species can result in unpleasant, i.e., threatening, visions. Two eggs are laid next to the mushrooms before they are eaten. At the same time, "copal" (incense; the resin of the palm Acrocomia mexicana Karw., from which palm wine is also obtained) is burned and a candle is lit. A prayer is offered to the mushrooms before they are eaten: Thou who art blessed. I am now going to swallow you so that you heal me of the illness I have. Please give me the knowledge I need, thou, who knows all of what I need and of what I have, of my problem. I ask of you the favor that you only tell me and divine what I need to know but do nothing bad to me. I do not wish an evil heart and wickedness. I only wish to know of my problems and illness and other things that you can do for me. But I ask you, please do not frighten me, do not show me evil things but only tell all. This is for the person with a pure heart. You can do many things, and I ask you to do them for me. I now ask your forgiveness for being in my stomach this night. After the mushrooms are swallowed whole with water, one should be quiet.

It is said that the mushrooms, like all other magical plants, do not like noise and will not speak if they feel disturbed. Normally the person who has eaten the mushrooms is accompanied by one or two friends or family members. They should pay attention to the things that the "bemushroomed" person says and fumigate him or her with copal smoke if problems arise. The visions that appear are shaped by culture. First one sees snakes and jaguars. After these have disappeared, the sun and the moon appear as a boy and girl, the children of the wind and the Earth Mother. Often, the "bemushroomed" person only hears voices that give advice, provide diagnoses, or ask about the reasons for ingesting the mushrooms. In these visions, most people obtain profound insights into their state of health and learn how they may become healthy and complete.

== Dosage ==
This is the dose range for dry Psilocybe Cubensis. Fresh mushrooms are 9/10ths water by weight, and require 10 times the dose.
For other types of psilocybes, see [http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_info4.shtml Erowid].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Cubensis)
|-
| Light || 1-2g
|-
| Common || 2-4g
|-
| Strong || 4g+
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral (Truffles)
|-
| Light || 3-7.5g
|-
| Common || 7.5-12.5g
|-
| Strong || 12.5-15g
|-
| Heavy || 15g+
|}

=== Lemon Tek ===

This will greatly increase intensity, but lower the duration. The comedown is abrupt, yet gentle. Do not expect enough time for introspection.

Preparation of materials:
With dried p. cubensis fruit bodies, it is advisable to grind or macerate the material into a fine powder or small particle size. The more surface area of the fruiting body distributed in a body of liquid will result in greater effect and availability of alkaloids.

Grind the mushrooms to a fine powder, then add them to an acidic solution (e.g. 1 tbps lemon juice, 8oz water), and drink on an empty stomach.

== Duration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 15-60 minutes
|-
| Peak || 2-4 hours
|-
| Total || 4-8 hours
|}

== Effects ==

Psilocybin tends to induce more introspection than other psychedelics.

=== Positive ===
* Mood lift, euphoria
* Increased giggling and laughing

[[File:ShroomFX.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An example of visual effects on mushrooms.]]

* Creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
* Boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny
* Sensation of insight
* Life-changing spiritual experience
* Intense feelings of wonder
* Paradoxical feeling of a normalcy and deep alteration of psyche
* May interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches

=== Neutral ===
* Feeling more emotionally sensitive
* General change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
* Time perception alteration
* Time seems to pass more slowly (minutes seem to take hours)
* Sensitivity to light; lights seem brighter
* Starring and rainbow patterns around pinpoint lights
* Increased detection of motion in peripheral vision
* Open and closed-eye visuals (common at medium or stronger dose)
* Sleepiness, lethargy
* Pupil dilation
* Sensation of energy or buzzing in the nevous system/peripheral limbs
* Memories come to life

=== Negative ===
* Intense feelings of fear
* Headache, usually as effects wear off, sometimes beginning the next day, lasting for up to 24 hours
* Nausea, gas, gastrointestinal discomfort, especially when mushrooms are eaten raw and/or dry
* Mild to severe anxiety
* Dizziness, confusion
* Lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
* Can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders
* Working memory disruption (reduced ability to do tasks requiring current remembering and attention) [ Wittmann 2006 ]

=== After effects ===

* Hangover - rare
* Afterglow - common

== Harm Reduction ==

Mushrooms are known as being relatively safe psychedelics, with no documented causes of death from the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. However, when picking mushrooms it is important to be sure about the species, as many wild mushrooms are poisonous and can cause death - with some poisonous strains looking similar to common psychedelic strains.

Refer to [[Psychedelics#Harm_Reduction|Psychedelic Harm Reduction]] for general information.

== Legal status ==

Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and are not recognized for medical use. However, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered by UN drug treaties.

Psilocybin mushrooms are regulated or prohibited in many countries, often carrying severe legal penalties (for example, the US Psychotropic Substances Act, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Drugs Act 2005, and in Canada the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act).

== Links ==

[https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml Erowid - Psilocybin Mushrooms]
[https://tripsafe.org/shrooms/ TripSafe - Shrooms]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushroom Wikipedia - Psilocybin mushroom]

[[Category:Psychedelic]]
[[Category:Drugs]]

LSD

2017-07-11T05:05:13Z

Anythingnoniding: Add tripsafe link

[[File:Lsd_bottle.jpg|thumb|left]]

'''Lysergic acid diethylamide''', abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide (INN) and colloquially as '''acid''', is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open-eyed visuals, synesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture. It is used mainly as an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose. However, acute adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety, paranoia, and delusions are possible.
LSD is the best known and most researched psychedelic. It is the standard against which all other psychedelics are compared. It is active at extremely low doses and is most commonly available on blotter or in liquid form.

== History ==
First synthesized by Albert Hofmann on November 16, 1938, LSD went on to become a staple of the psychedelic world and the centerpiece of the 1960s counterculture.
On April 19, 1943, Hofmann returned to investigate LSD further and ingested 250 micrograms of LSD. Hofmann believed this dose to have a minuscule, threshold effect. He rode his bicycle home and later wrote that, "... little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux ..." This day in history later became known as Bicycle Day and is celebrated by LSD enthusiasts as the world's first LSD trip.

== Dosage ==
{{#tdose: lsd}}

== Duration ==

Note: Duration can be significantly longer with higher doses.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 30-120 minutes
|-
| Total || 8-12 hours
|}

== Effects ==

=== Positive ===
* Mood lift, euphoria, sense of well being
* Closed and open eye visuals, including the saturation of colors, tracers, etc.

[[File:Lsdpatterns.png|thumb|500px|An example of visual effects on LSD]]

* Enhanced audio/tactile senses
* Increase in associative & creative thinking; introspection
* At high doses, feeling of 'oneness' with everything; ego death

=== Neutral ===

* Racing thoughts, thought loops
* Extreme pupil dilation; increased sensitivity to light
* Inability to focus
* Slight increase in body temperature and heart rate
* Time dilation; seconds feel like minutes, minutes like hours

=== Negative ===

* Tension
* Anxiety, restlessness, confusion
* Insomnia
* Nausea
* Dizziness
* Vasoconstriction

=== After effects ===

User may feel "out of it" and generally off the day after, esp. with larger doses. Residual euphoria and a "ready to take on the world" feeling may persist. No bodily harm from recreational doses of LSD, though mental effects from long term chronic use can be negative in some people.

== Harm Reduction ==

LSD is regarded as being an extremely safe psychedelic, being almost impossible to overdose on. However, although extraordinarily uncommon, a few cases have been reported in the medical literature of dangerous overheating following ingestion of large amounts of LSD, including one non-fatal case that brought the patient's body temperature to over 106°F (41°C). LSD may also cause dangerous physiological and psychological reactions when used in conjunction with lithium or tricyclic antidepressants.

See [[Psychedelics#Harm_Reduction|Psychedelic Harm Reduction]] for general information.

== Chemistry and Pharmacology ==
Chemical name: 9,10-Didehydro-N,N-diethyl-6-methylergoline-8ß-carboxamide

The mental effects of LSD can be rapidly reversed by the IM administration of 50 mg chlorpromazine.

=== LD50 ===

The LD50 has not been determined, but some estimates suggest doses higher than 10mg (10,000 µg) may be fatal

=== Reactivity ===

Stable for moderate periods of time under normal temperatures and pressures. Thermal decomposition products of LSD when stored in massive quantities may include dangerous amounts of toxic oxides, carbon, and nitrogen. Long-term storage of LSD should be done by limiting exposure to heat, light, and air; eg. wrapped in aluminium foil, vacuum sealed, and placed in a freezer or refrigerator.

=== Polymerization ===

Hazardous polymerization has not been reported to occur under normal temperatures and pressures.

== Legal status ==

LSD is illegal to possess for recreational purposes in most nations. This includes the US, Canada, Mexico, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Portugal, Russia, UK, and Brazil.

Some exceptions are made in nations where it is used in legitimate research, such as Russia. A license is required.

== Links ==

* [http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd.shtml Erowid]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD Wikipedia]
* [https://tripsafe.org/lsd/ TripSafe]
* [http://www.maps.org/research-archive/w3pb/2008/2008_Passie_23067_1.pdf The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review]

[[Category:Psychedelic]]
[[Category:Drugs]]

MDMA

2017-07-11T05:03:56Z

Anythingnoniding: Fix and update rollsafe link

[[File:Mdma.jpg|thumb|300px|MDMA Crystals]]

'''MDMA''' (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-Methylamphetamine) is an popular drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class known for its empathogenic, euphoric, and stimulant effects, and has also been used in psychotherapy. It most frequently comes in tablet form, although it is also found in capsules or as powder. MDMA is also known as Ecstasy, Molly, XTC, E and several other names.

Because MDMA is so popular and because it goes well with dance parties, the demand for it usually exceeds supply, especially at any given location on any given night. This creates an opening for unscrupulous individuals to sell virtually anything as 'ecstasy'. While 'ecstasy' is the popular name for MDMA, the functional definition of ecstasy is any pill represented as MDMA on the street. Ecstasy pills are notoriously unreliable in content, more so than most other street drugs, and commonly contain either caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamines, other MDXX's, DXM, or in rare cases DOX's, and don't necessarily contain MDMA or any psychoactive. They can also contain very neurotoxic substances (such as PMA, 4-CA, among many others). This problem has led to the development of simple MDMA [[Test Kits]] that may help give the user a general sense of the content of a pill.

The experience is often called rolling.

== History ==

MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck chemist Anton Köllisch.

In the mid-1970s, Alexander Shulgin heard from his students about unusual effects of MDMA; among others, the drug had helped one of them to overcome his stutter. Intrigued, Shulgin synthesized MDMA and tried it himself in 1976. Two years later, he and David E. Nichols published the first report on the drug's psychotropic effect in humans. They described "altered state of consciousness with emotional and sensual overtones" that can be compared "to marijuana, and to psilocybin devoid of the hallucinatory component".

In the early 1980s the drug emerged in the parts of Europe and the United States.

MDMA was first proposed for scheduling by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in July 1984 and was classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S. on 31 May 1985; on an emergency basis. No double blind studies had yet been conducted as to the efficacy of MDMA for psychotherapy.

== Dosage ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Light || 40-75mg
|-
| Common || 75-125mg
|-
| Strong || 125-175mg
|-
| Heavy || 175mg+
|}

== Duration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Oral
|-
| Onset || 20-70 minutes
|-
| Peak || 2-3 hours
|-
| Total || 3-5 hours
|-
| After-effects || 2-24 hours
|}

== Effects ==

=== Postive ===

* Mild to extreme mood lift, euphoria

* Increased willingness to communicate

* Increase in energy (stimulation)

* Ego softening

* Decreased fear, anxiety, and insecurities

* Feelings of comfort, belonging, and closeness to others

* Feelings of love and empathy

* Forgiveness of self and others

* A sense of inner peace and acceptance of self, others, and the world

* Increased awareness of senses (taste, smell, touch, hearing, vision)

* Life-changing spiritual experiences

* Analgesia, anti-nocioception, decreased pain perception

=== Neutral ===

* Decreased appetite

* Visual distortion

* Rapid, involuntary eye jiggling (nystagmus)

* Mild visual hallucinations (uncommon)

* Moderately increased heart rate and blood pressure (increases with dose)

* Restlessness, nervousness, shivering

* Change in body temperature regulation

* Upwellings of unexpected emotion, emotional lability

* Strong desire to do or want more when coming down

=== Negative ===

Negative side effects increase with higher doses and frequent use.

* Inappropriate and/or unintended emotional bonding

* Anxiety or paranoia (less common than opposite)

* Agitation (less common than opposite)

* Tendency to say things you might feel uncomfortable about later

* Mild to extreme jaw clenching (trisma), tongue and cheek chewing, and teeth grinding (bruxia)

* Short-term memory scramble or loss & confusion

* Short periods of swooning, or disconnection from the external world, usually at very high doses or during brief blasts of intense rushing while coming up.

* Muscle tension (common)

* Insomnia, inability to fall asleep when physically tired

* Erectile disfunction and difficulty reaching orgasm

* Increase in body temperature, hyperthermia, dehydration (drink water)

* Hyponatremia (don't drink too much water)

* Nausea and vomiting

* Headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, and vertigo

* Sadness on coming down, sense of loss or immediate nostalgia

* Post-trip crash - unpleasantly harsh comedown from the peak effect

* Hangover the next day, lasting days to weeks

* Possible strong urge to repeat the experience, though not physically addictive

* Possible psychological crisis requiring hospitalization (psychotic episodes, severe panic attacks, etc) (rare)

* Possible liver toxicity (rare)

* Neurotoxicity

* Small risk of death; approximately 2 per 100,000 new users have extreme negative reactions resulting in death (very rare)

==== Hangover ====

Many users [http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_effects_hangover1.shtml report feeling extremely drained the day after MDMA use]. This 'day after' effect means for many MDMA users that they need to plan 2 days for the experience: one for the peak experience and one recovery day, with very little planned. Many users also experience some level of post-MDMA depression, often starting on the second day after the experience and lasting for up to 5 days. A small percentage of users report depressive symptoms for weeks afterwards. Alternately, some users report feeling better than normal for a week or so after taking MDMA. The negative after-effects of taking MDMA appear to be worse with higher frequencies of use, higher dosages, and perhaps total lifetime usage.

= Harm Reduction =

* MDMA rapidly builds tolerance, depletes serotonin and compounds neurotoxicity issues. Look for other drugs and avoid using MDMA more than once every few months.

* Ecstasy tablets are notoriously impure, often containing chemicals other than MDMA. Check out [http://www.ecstasydata.org/ EcstasyData] and [http://pillreports.com/ Pill Reports] for pill testing results. Buy a [[Test Kit]]!

== Health risks ==

As with many drugs, there are some serious risks associated with taking MDMA affecting people with existing health conditions, or in certain cases people who are otherwise very healthy. It is not advisable to take MDMA if any of the following apply to you:
* Health issues with the Heart, Kidneys or Liver
* High blood pressure
* History of having a stroke or heart attack

In rare cases MDMA can cause seizures, overheating, hypothermia, dehydration or water poisoning. It is important to keep an eye on body temperature and hydration while under the effects of MDMA.

There are some studies which suggest that long-term overuse and abuse of MDMA can cause or increase depression.

=== Interactions ===

* MDMA can cause [[Serotonin Syndrome]] when combined with MAOIs. Refer to [[Drug combinations]] for more information.

* [http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_info9.shtml SSRIs and SNRIs block most effects of MDMA.]

== Chemistry and Pharmacology ==

=== Neurotoxicity, by Borax ===

* The neurotoxicity is [https://pay.reddit.com/r/drugs/wiki/mdmaneurotoxicity well established], but studies are largely on mice and rats with [http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/614514 higher dosages than humans tend to use].

* There is an excellent run through of the pharmacodynamics of MDMA neurotoxicity [http://www.dancesafe.org/drug-information/is-mdma-neurotoxic/ here].

* Overall what we know is that the neurotoxicity scales with dose, and is likely to do so exponentially as the body is caused to overheat more and has less anitoxidants to deal with metabolites.

* We don't have any quantitative estimates about damage from normal human doses because it would not be ethical to dose people repeatedly just to see how much it damages them, and it's very hard to gather data from regular users because of the huge number of variables like alcohol and cannabis use, sleep deprivation, environment of MDMA use etc.

* We know that long term users are not [http://jop.sagepub.com/content/24/2/175 mentally impaired] but those *abusing* the drug do show a reduced ability to enjoy it and suffer a more intense comedown, indicating that there is something going on at higher doses.

* Another discussion about MDMA neurotoxicity can be found [https://pay.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/12v5f8/research_suggests_no_neurotoxicity_in_mdma/c6ye9xc here].

=== MDMA purity myths, by Borax ===

The 84% claims are based around either a poor understanding of the science or are a deliberate attempt to pass off inferior product as high quality.

You should read [https://pay.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/xihdo/rdrugs_ama_series_mdma_aka_ecstasy_e_x_molly/c5moa3i this discussion], but basically if anyone claims their MDMA is 84% pure then they have performed no analysis at all and should not be trusted.

With almost all, the name is an abbreviation for Drug.salt. In the case of MDMA, it is MDMA.HCl, amphetamine is usually amphetamine.H2SO4 and LSD is LSD.tartrate. Because these forms are ubiquitous, nobody bothers to mention the second bit because it's irrelevant. All doses you see for MDMA are referring to the HCl salt, which means that MDMA which is sold as "the purest you can get, 84%", is treated as 100% pure.

The reason sellers do this is because they usually don't have very pure MDMA, and they want people to make the mistake you have made and take more to account for crappy product. It is dishonest, confusing and misleading and if you have a choice you should avoid this vendor.

=== Production ===

MDMA is generally synthesised from naturally occurring safrole, extracted from the sassafras tree, making it a semi-synthetic drug.

== Legal Status ==

MDMA is legally controlled in most of the world under the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances and other international agreements, although exceptions exist for research and limited medical use. In general, the unlicensed use, sale or manufacture of MDMA are all criminal offences.

== Images ==

<gallery mode="packed-hover">
Image:Mdma.jpg|''MDMA Crystals''
Image:Mdma2.jpg|''MDMA Crystals''
Image:Bitcoin.png|''Bitcoin MDMA Pill''
Image:Mdma3.png|''MDMA Crystals''
Image:Mdma7.jpg|''MDMA Crystals''
</gallery>

== Links ==

[https://pay.reddit.com/r/Borax/comments/w5c1x/a_stepbystep_guide_to_reducing_mdma_neurotoxicity/ A step-by-step guide to reducing MDMA neurotoxicity]

[https://pay.reddit.com/r/drugs/wiki/mdmaneurotoxicity Studies on MDMA neurotoxicity]

[https://pay.reddit.com/r/DrugNerds/comments/15m9sf/mdma_supplementation/ MDMA Supplementation]

[https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/ Erowid MDMA vault]

[https://rollsafe.org/ RollSafe - MDMA Info]

[[Category:Drugs]]

[[Category:Stimulant]]