Magic mushrooms

Magic mushrooms, psilocybin mushrooms, shrooms, hal­lu­cino­genic mushrooms, …

Mushroom statues dating back several millennia were found in Mexico. The Mexicans kept their rituals and cult surrounding magic mushrooms secret from the Spanish conquerors for four centuries.

It was not until 1955 that non­indige­nous people first consumed magic mushrooms outside of any ritual. The mushrooms were first cultivated arti­fi­cial­ly in 1957.

Good to know …

• Psilocybin is an alkaloid found only in certain mushrooms (e.g. pointed rib bald, Mexican, Hawaiian).
• After consumption, the body’s metabolism produces a breakdown product, psilocin, which causes the psychedelic effect.
• The appropriate set (mental health of those taking the drug) and setting (sur­round­ings, context) are par­tic­u­lar­ly important when taking psychedelic drugs.
• Based on current knowledge, psilocybin mushrooms do not cause a physical dependency and the risk of psychic dependence is also considered low. Nev­er­the­less, risks may be associated with consumption. (see p. 3)
• So-called ​“truffles” are underground outgrowths of mushrooms containing psilocybin and have the same action potential as the mushrooms themselves.

Psychoactive mushrooms = a risk-free natural drug?

Even if magic mushrooms grow in nature, eating them is not without risk. In particular, there is a risk of a ​“bad trip” or ​“horror trip”. This risk increases if you are already suffering from psy­cho­log­i­cal problems (such as anxiety) before consuming these mushrooms.

Do all magic mushrooms have the same effect and can you pick them yourselves?

No, not all psy­choac­tive mushrooms have the same effect. In addition to the effects being perceived differently, there are major variations in the con­cen­tra­tion of the active ingredient psilocybin between different mushrooms. Even for the same species of mushroom, there may be a different con­cen­tra­tion of psilocybin. This is also a risk when picking mushrooms, as not all mushrooms of the same variety and size have the same con­cen­tra­tion of active substance. Another risk of self-picking is coming across mushrooms that are highly toxic. Eating certain mushrooms can be fatal.

There is no such thing as a risk-free consumption of legal and illegal drugs!

When consuming any legal and / or illegal drug, the sub­jec­tive­ly perceived effects depend on various factors (how consumed, dose, age, gender, environment, mood as well as experience and expectation).

Consumption of any drug can result in addiction.

The consumption of legal and illegal drugs is to be discouraged:

• During adolescence (physical and mental development)
• When driving and during other activities requiring a ​“clear head” (e.g. sport, when operating machinery, …)
• At the workplace / at school
• During pregnancy and breast­feed­ing
• If there are previous medical conditions

Particular care is also required:

• If the quality of the product is unknown and cannot be checked
• In the event of combined use, e.g. alcohol and other drug
• When medication is taken at the same time