Mushroom questions

I have a few questions regarding psychoactive mushrooms, in particular Psilocybe Cubensis.

1. Many of my friends believe that the effects of mushrooms are the result of poisening, eg symptoms of a high fever. myth or fact?

2. How likley is it to get a bad trip compared to LSD?

1. No, it's not a poison.

2. Set and setting affect the trip more than the drug used normally.

more likely to get a bad trip............ but also if used right more likely to get a much more spiritual and organic experience, if thats what your after.

peace

^^ I think you're just more likely to have a high dose than with LSD because they are so plentiful, hence more ppl trip da fuck out.

that definatly is a factor but i'd argue that the mushrooms naturally have more of an edge to them.

But yeh like acid they heightien your senses and tune you into your own energies and those around you... which is to much for some people. But if you know how to let go into an acid trip you should be fine on mushies

In not sure about other types but Psilocybe Cubensis left me lying on my bed going crazy because I thought I was going to DIE!
Not to mention they leave you feeling like absolute scum of the earth.

just went out the other day with my mate spreading spores everywhere injecting cowsh!t etc... gettin them out n around... Spreadin the love...

BTW to those ppl that boil their shrooms... Do u boil ur LSD ? Nope... Well same with mushies ur gettin rid of half the stuff!

i recommend swallowinga few whole then drinking a glass of water slowly behind it!

U sydney folk look in ur woodchips....

how do you guys feel after a mushroom trip physically? i felt kind of sick for a day afterwards.

Also i had a moderate dose of cubensis and found it far more predictable than lsd (ive only had it once). It felt like i was lingering on the punchline of an eternal joke, i could not stop laughing. and i found almost all the hallucinations to be tactile as opposed to lsd that created structural visuals (eg book case leaning over me, bean bag looking like a walrus, arms dripping). I would imagine that for this reason mushrooms would be less likley to produce a negative experience?

i feel absolutly fantastic after a mushroom trip.
have a nice deep dreamy sleep and wake up feeling top of the world with a nice outlook on things.

Depending on which species of psilocybe one finds. If it is a P. cubensis, the chances of poisoning are virtually nil. On the other hand, there is one species, P. azurescens ("Flying Saucer") mushroom which has been known to cause temporary paralysis in some people. This is not due to psilocybin, however.
During the Mushroom Symposium, I have asked a mycologist by the name of Dr. Paul Stamets, if this momentary paralysis was due to the transformation product of either psilocyn or psilocybin and he told me that it wasn't. It was due to another compound which can be eliminated by boiling this species briefly into tea.
If you check with the MERCK INDEX, you will find that psilocybin is not as readily destroyed by hot water as certain ergolines are. Indeed, the natives of South America brew the leaves of Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi during their Ayahuasca ceremonies. The Chacruna leaves contain DMT and are not decomposed by the temperature of boiling water.
Psilocin is not as stable as psilocybin, but not to the degree where a quick boiling of P. azurescens would destroy the product. appearantly, the other substance which is unrelated to the tryptamines has a lower boiling point and can be safely removed by this method.
All that aside, P. cubensis is not a poison as we generally understand it to be.
In California one must be careful and not mistake the deadly Gallerina autumnalis for Psilocybe cyanescens. The way to identify this deadly fungus is with its saffron or light brown/orange colored spores during a spore print. Also, it does not bruise blue like P. cyanescens will. Some examples of Gallerina I have seen have "wavy" caps like cyanscens, but most of them lack the nipple and none of them bruise blue or have purple/brown spores.
For more information on spotting the deadly fungi during a foray, please click here:
http://www.mikoweb.com
and look up under California mushrooms, then click on the name of the species in question.
Good luck, stay safe, good health with happiness and peace.
Love and Spiritual Discovery
--NN

Hi Deformed_Neuron:

You're welcome.

I needed to point something out to others about the one strain of Psilocybe mushroom which contains a toxin that is unrelated to tryptamines. The species in question is Psilocybe azurescens. I have observed instances where a person would no longer be able to button his shirt, tie his shoelaces, walk, or spread his fingers completely for a few hours after ingesting this strain either raw or dried. Dr. Paul Stamets acknowledges this and said that boiling the Psilocybe azurescens would evaporate this toxin without destroying the tryptamines which are present in this world's most potent species. Using this procedure, there should not be a problem with this strain. Other strains such as P. cyanescens, P. cyanofibrillosa, P. cubensis, etc... DO NOT contain this toxin. As I pointed out, the problem is solved by careful boiling of P. azurescens for about a minute which is long enough to evaporate the substance in question. Dr. Stamets is a mycologist who also is in charge of a company called: Fungi Perfecti. Feel free to write to him about Psilocybe azurescens and he will respond.

Please understand that I did not write this to cast dispersions on the Magic Mushroom, or to frighten others. I have done this because I care enough to write this as a public service announcement. Again, I have pointed out how to solve this problem without any worries.

You are correct in saying that one has to be in the right frame of mind, to know the source, and being in the company of those one trusts. Speaking for myself, I never take them for "a good night out." There would have to be a purpose for me to use it as a religious sacrament. I usually "enflame myself in prayer" during a trance. To me, it represents a tool and a valuable one at that. The importance of set and setting is foremost and thought through beforehand. I appreciate you pointing this out, however, for the sake of a few novices who may not be too familiar with such things.

It is also important to have "baby sitters" during the Experience as people who will "talk you down" during moments of rough navigation. I have been a "baby sitter" myself in numerous occasions. We would talk as one soul to another with a calm voice that expresses love, empathy, and courage. We would not make eye contact at that crucial time because eye contacts can be intimidating and fear has no place for a sitter if that sitter is going to guide them away from a crash landing and serve as a grounding wire or a lightning rod. Touch is also important. A hug does wonders to an aching soul.

Many thanks for pointing out the valuable lessons which we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

With love and respect,
--NN