| 'Magic' Mushrooms |
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| 'Magic' Mushrooms |
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| What are they? |
The original 'magic mushroom' is in fact another - not so common - hallucinogenic fungi seen in the UK called Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). This is easily recognisable as a red toadstool with white warts, often depicted in cartoons as the cute red and white spotted variety from 'Alice In Wonderland'.
| Medicinal uses |
| Use/abuse of mushrooms |
 Dried Psilocybe mushrooms |
Those who chose to injest mushrooms eat them fresh - immediately after picking - or preserve them by drying to be eaten later. Some people brew a 'tea' made from them or use them in cooking.
Mushrooms were popular as an hallucinogenic drug in the 'hippie' culture of the late 1960's and 1970's. They have retained their popularity partly because they are seen as a 'natural' high and also because they cost nothing to obtain.
| How do they work? |
Fly Agaric contains mycoatropine and muscarine, together with two other less poisonous compounds, muscimol and ibotenic acid. These are seriously nasty chemicals which basically irritate the brain and have an hallucinogenic effect. They also induce sweating and can cause delerium and coma.
| What effect do they have? |
At low doses euphoria, a sense of well being and a feeling of detachment occur, along with some mild distortion of perception. There is less dissociation than occurs with LSD and so less chance of a 'bad trip' as the user still has some control over his or her thought processes. Nevertheless, the effect of psilocybe mushrooms is unpredictable and depends on the setting in which they are taken and the mental or emotional state of the user.
At high doses visual distortions and vivid hallucinations can take place.
Most mushrooms containing psilocybin cause some nausea and other physical symptoms before the mental effects take over.
Fly Agaric
The hallucinogenic agents in this fungus are more toxic that those found in psilocybe and the intensity of the experience is higher. After the mushroom is eaten, individuals often vomit and may have a severe headache for a short time. The heart rate speeds up and the pupils dilate.
The mental effects resemble a state similar to extreme alcoholic intoxication, with the added complication of vivid hallucinations. Bizarre behaviour of users is common, ranging from non-stop talking or shouting to complete unawareness of their surrounding.
The duration of the hallucinogenic experience depends on the amount of mushrooms eaten and can range from 7-8 hours to 2 days. The user usually then falls into a deep sleep and on waking will not remember his or her behaviour while 'high'.
| Consequences of using mushrooms |
Natural does not mean harmless.
The main risk to health from eating philocybe mushrooms comes from mistaken identity - collecting and eating poisonous varieties of mushrooms instead of the ones possessing the desired hallucinogenic properites. Some of these other fungi can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion. Distinguishing hallucinogenic mushrooms from poisonous ones can be very difficult and sometimes almost impossible.
Risks to physical safety are likely to result from an individual's behaviour while under the influence of psilocybin. This may include irresponsible behaviour which could lead to an accident or injury.
Fly Agaric
Fly Agaric is poisonous as well as being hallucinogenic. Its toxicity is mainly due to the presence of mycoatropine which causes disorders of mental activity. The content of another poisonous agent, muscarine, is relatively small. Permanent physical damage or even death can be caused by eating them.
Fly Agaric itself is moderately toxic, but it should be remembered that species from the Amanita genus cause 95 percent of all deaths from mushroom poisoning. Fly Agaric's closest relatives are Amanita virosa (Destroying Angel) and Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) - the names say it all.
So, consuming Fly Agaric can be very dangerous for an individual's physical safety as so much depends on correct identification of the fungi. If a person is collecting mushrooms to eat for their hallucinogenic properties, one mistake could be their last mistake. Death by Amanita poisoning is reportedly an excruciating way to die. Even more horrifying is that the fatal symptoms only start to appear 2-3 days after eating the mushrooms - and by then it's too late.
There are no significant withdrawal symptoms from hallucinogenic mushrooms and no physical dependence appears to take place. There may be a strong desire to repeat the experience, which could be indicative of some degree of psychological dependence.