9 Mind-Blowing Facts about Psilocybin Mushrooms

9 Mind-Blowing Facts about Psilocybin Mushrooms

When you look at Psilocybin mushrooms, these little white-and-brown things look like just about any other kind of fungus that you have seen countless times in life.

Nothing even seems different about these innocuous mushrooms, let alone be magical! But, looks really can be deceiving because these unique kinds of mushrooms, or shrooms, are known to have potent psychoactive properties.

Psilocin and psilocybin are the two essential components in these mushrooms that have a substantial impact on the human mind. People can undergo a wide range of situations after having shrooms, from euphoria to hallucinations, and from vomiting to nausea. So, here are nine mind-blowing facts about psilocybin mushrooms. Read on to find out more about them!

Over 200 Species of Psilocybin Mushrooms Exist

There are many kinds of psychoactive mushrooms available in the world. You might have heard about these two popular names:
  • Amanita muscaria: The red-and-white mushrooms that frequently make their appearance in fairy tales.
  • Claviceps purpurea: The fungus used to synthesize LSD
These are all called magic mushrooms, but their impacts on the human mind are different. Perhaps, you have heard the term being used so widely for psilocybin mushrooms because they are the most popular out of all varieties. There are nearly 200 species of mushrooms that have psychoactive compounds, and many among these are species of psilocybin mushrooms. Three of the most widely known species of psilocybe mushrooms are:
  • Psilocybe cubensis (the Golden Teacher)
  • Psilocybe semilanceata (the Liberty Cap)
  • Psilocybe cyanescens (the Wavy Cap)

There are many more variants, and each comes with its flavor of the psychedelic experience.

Psilocybin Mushrooms Are Legal In Many Countries

Though psilocybin mushrooms are not legal in most countries, many countries have made it legal to grow, consume, and purchase these mushrooms. You can buy magic truffles, which are an initial stage of mushroom development, in Holland without going against the law. There are other countries, like the Czech Republic and Jamaica, where you can grow such psychedelic mushrooms.

They Are Schedule 1 Drugs

The U.S. has a stricter policy when it comes to psilocybin mushrooms. These mushrooms are considered to be Schedule 1 drugs, along with cocaine and heroin. Though, it is a bit inaccurate to put all of these under the same category. So, what it means is that according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, psilocybe mushrooms have a strong potential for abuse. The DEA also considers these mushrooms to have no accepted medical usage, and thus, illegal to use.

Psilocybin Mushrooms Might Help In Overcoming Addiction

A study carried out at Johns Hopkins University indicated that Psilocybin, which is one of the major psychoactive compounds found in these mushrooms, might help overcome nicotine addiction. According to the same study, Psilocybe mushrooms might be useful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders. However, none of these effects can be claimed with certainty until further investigation. 

They Dissolve the Control Mechanism of Your Brain

The psychedelic experience that psilocybe mushrooms induce might break up the normal control mechanisms of your brain. It facilitates an unusual state of consciousness and might even induce feelings of joy and relaxation. Studies have reported that the consumption of minimal doses of psilocybin mushrooms can spark greater creativity in people. In this study, participants who had tiny doses had better ideas on solving a task. They were noticeably more innovative, flexible, and fluent in the possibilities that they thought of.

Psilocybin Mushrooms Might Induce Neurogenesis

As per the medical scientists, when you enter adulthood, your brain stops generating new cells. But studies show that shrooms can produce new brain cells. This is the reason that these mushrooms are being tested as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.

Psilocybin Mushrooms Come With a Long and Intriguing History

Though most Western civilization has just awakened to discover the potency of psychoactive mushrooms, they are not new to the rest of the world. Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in parts of Central America for spiritual and religious ceremonies. Psilocybe mushrooms were called ‘teonanacatl’ by the Aztecs, which translated to ‘the flesh of the gods.’ Moreover, there are many rock paintings made in the Mesolithic period in the Tassili n’Ajjer region of Algeria that depict the ceremonial and ritualistic use of these mushrooms.

They Might Have Been Important In the Evolution 

Psilocybin mushrooms have several mind-blowing theories surrounding it, and a few of these make sense too. Terence McKenna, the renowned American psychonaut and philosopher, had put forward a theory suggesting that psilocybe mushrooms were crucial in the physical and psychological evolution of human beings. He suggested that consuming psilocybe cubensis, the mushroom species usually growing out of cow dung, made Homo erectus develop higher visual acuity and consequently become better hunters. This apparently increased humankind’s chances of evolution and survival.

You can Grow Them At Home

You can grow psilocybin mushrooms and Psilocybe Cyanescens Magic Truffles in your home, provided they are legal in your country. Growing these mushrooms is as simple as getting a growth kit from online, and watering it regularly. You will also have full control over your produce this way. However, one should exercise extreme caution in growing and consuming these psychedelic mushrooms. These are not something to be taken lightly because the impact is potent. Make sure you have complete responsibility for your actions and experiences.

Summing Up

According to the researchers, the psilocybe mushrooms can reduce your fear as well as post-traumatic stress to some extent. They might affect your emotion, which in turn helps you become more positive and creative. However, these facts do not have concrete evidence. There is still a lot to learn about how psilocybe mushrooms affect the brain and bring in behavioral changes. Thanks to the advancement of modern science and years of research, a lot of facts have already been uncovered about these mushrooms. Hopefully, we will get to know more in the days to come. Article by Sophia Cooper
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