WHAT ARE PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS AND PSILOCYBIN?

What are psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin?

What are psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin?

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In lush meadows and decaying tree stumps across the world, slender, light brown mushrooms charged with psychedelic powers arise. The fantastic properties of these mushrooms have been revered by humans throughout the ages, with evidence of their use dating back into prehistory.

Magic mushrooms, and the psychoactive compound in them, psilocybin, activate specific serotonin receptors in the brain, causing changes in mood, thoughts, feeling, or behavior. Incredibly, there are more than 100 varieties of psychedelic mushrooms growing wild on every continent except Antarctica.

Shrooms have left a lasting imprint on human history and culture. They’re thought to have been an evolutionary catalyst that may have expedited human development. Psychedelic mushroom expert Terence McKenna once asserted, “Homo sapiens ate [their] way to higher consciousness.”

These fungi have opened the door for many to step into the world of psychedelics, and magic mushroom imagery permeates popular culture—some argue that the story of Alice in Wonderland can be read as a metaphor for a perception-altering mushroom trip.

What’s so unique about the psilocybin molecule found in magic mushrooms? What does our lengthy relationship with shrooms reveal about our origins? And what trips might mushrooms take us on in the future?

What are magic mushrooms?
The magic of magic mushrooms comes from the psilocybin that lies within them. “Psilocybin is a molecule… produced by over 100 mushroom species, likely to fend off various insects and/or microorganisms,” explained Marshall Tyler, Director of Research at Field Trip Health. “When these mushrooms are consumed by humans, the liver converts psilocybin into the psychoactive molecule psilocin.”

There are different varieties of psychedelic mushrooms scattered across the globe. Psilocybe cubensis, also affectionately referred to as the “Golden Teacher,” is the most common. Other popular magic mushrooms include “Liberty caps” (Psilocybe semilanceata), “Wavy caps” (Psilocybe cyanescens), and “Flying Saucers” (Psilocybe azurescens). Most psilocybin mushrooms tend to have light-brown to gold-colored caps with slender stems.

Shroom hunters can pick out magic mushrooms by their trademark feature of blue bruising: Stems turn a blue shade when picked, a giveaway that psychoactive molecules lie within.

Besides growing in the wild, psilocybin can also be formulated synthetically. The compound was first isolated from Central American mushrooms (Psilocybe mexicana) by renowned Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1957, who earlier synthesized LSD.

What is psilocybin?
Psilocybin is one of the major chemical compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. It’s what’s known as a prodrug, meaning it needs to be metabolized by the body to become pharmacologically active. After oral consumption, psilocybin is rapidly converted into psilocin, a psychoactive compound.

While psilocybin receives most of the credit for its mood and perception-altering properties, psilocin is most likely the molecule that delivers the psychoactive effects.

psilocybin psilocin seratonin
Chemical structure of three compounds: psilocybin, psilocin, and serotonin. Psilocybin is produced by magic mushrooms and can be converted into the active drug psilocin. Psilocin’s psychedelic effects come from its similarity to serotonin, a natural transmitter in the brain. (Leafly)
There’s a partial analogy with cannabis. The cannabis plant does not contain THC; it produces THCA (THC-acid), which is non-intoxicating. Our bodies can’t convert THCA into THC, it needs to be activated with temperature, such as a lighter when smoking, or an oven when making cannabutter. However, with psilocybin mushrooms, activation occurs through the body’s metabolism.

psilocybin into psilocin
Cannabis plants produce THCA; when decarboxylated, or “activated,” by heat, such as from a lighter, it converts to THC. Similarly, Psilocybe mushrooms produce psilocybin, which converts to the psychedelic drug psilocin after ingestion of magic mushrooms. (Leafly)
In cannabis, “THC content” refers to the total potential amount of THC, assuming all THCA is converted into THC. Likewise, the “psilocybin content” of mushrooms is the total psilocin content: How much psilocin the body will be exposed to after psilocybin is metabolized into psilocin. Buy Psychedelics Online

In 2019, the FDA classified psilocybin therapy as a breakthrough therapy for two clinical trials investigating the effects of it on severe depression and major depressive disorder. This designation was intended to “expedite the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition.”

Pharmacologically, evidence suggests that psilocybin has a very low toxicity and is well-tolerated, though more up-to-date research is needed. While psilocybin is still classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, federal attitudes appear to be changing.

Read more of Leafly’s guide to psychedelics

The use of magic mushrooms in rituals and ceremonies has been woven throughout history. Evidence reaching back to 10,000 BCE in the form of mushroom art on rocks in Kimberley, Australia, points to psilocybin use. There’s also proof littered throughout literature across the ages that diverse global cultures have dabbled in shrooms.

The Teonanácatl, or “God mushrooms,” of the Aztecs were immortalized in text by the Spanish in the 16th century. The mythical substance Soma, mentioned in the ancient Hindu text the Rig Veda, was argued to be derived from magic mushrooms.

For ethnomycologist Terence McKenna, the consumption of magic mushrooms irrevocably influenced the trajectory of human evolution (aka his stoned ape theory), contributing to advances in language, culture, religion, and even hunting, a belief echoed by ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson.

Wasson’s writing on magic mushrooms saw awareness of the fungi spread to psychedelic chemists such as Albert Hofmann. Hofmann then launched into research to isolate the active compound in mushrooms and uncover its uses.

Other leading figures in the psychedelic movement founded the famous, and controversial, Harvard Psilocybin Project in the early 1960s, notably Timothy Leary and Ram Dass. The project investigated and documented the effects of psychedelics on Harvard graduate students.

Research into the therapeutic applications of magic mushrooms essentially ground to a halt in 1970 following the introduction of the Controlled Substances Act in the US. This trend is being reversed today as researchers lean back into psilocybin research.

How does psilocybin make you feel?
Shrooms are known for their profound effects on consciousness and perception. Taking a moderate dose, the experience usually lasts between 4-6 six hours, with the peak occurring 2-3 hours after consumption. Taking a larger dose will increase the length and intensity of the trip.

Psilocybin can invoke a wildly diverse range of responses in consumers. Those who trip on shrooms commonly report changes in perception and time, including dream-like feelings, illusions, hallucinations, and synesthesia, or a mixing of the senses, such as sounds triggering color and other visuals.

Consumers often report altered sensory experiences such as flowing patterns or fractal images, a sense of time being drawn out, and personal insights that feel deeply meaningful. These trips can be extremely positive experiences but can also be frightening and disorientating.

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