Understanding Psilocybin and Magic Mushrooms: The Ultimate Guide

As you probably know, not all mushrooms are created equal. Some mushroom species are known for their hallucinogenic effects. The psychoactive substances found in some of these mushrooms are responsible for these effects. 

One of these hallucinogenic substances is psilocybin. It is found in a specific type of mushroom that grows in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and South America. Due to the unique effects, these mushrooms also go under the name of magic mushrooms.

Its effects resemble the effects of other psychoactive and hallucinogenic drugs. It can cause sensory distortion and induce feelings of extreme happiness and euphoria. The use of psilocybin has been the subject of many studies, including the one done at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

Psilocybin is placed in the Schedule I controlled substances category. The authorities in many countries, including the United Nations, didn’t find a legitimate medical purpose for psilocybin, but they did see a high potential for abuse. Most people take it as a recreational drug.

In 2020 psilocybin became legal to use in Oregon. If other states decide to follow this example, you will be able to purchase it legally. But before you do, you should definitely do thorough research. Here is everything you need to know about magic mushrooms and psilocybin.

What is psilocybin?

Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic substance found in some hallucinogenic mushroom species. Currently, we know about 180 species of mushrooms that contain psilocybin and psilocin. Psilocybin is not directly responsible for inducing the hallucinogenic effects. In fact, after psilocybin ends up in our bodies, we convert it into psilocin. Psilocin is the substance that induces the magic mushroom effect.

While there are many psilocybin-containing mushrooms, the two most notable magic mushrooms species come from Mexico – Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe Mexicana. Our civilization can’t take credit for discovering psilocybin mushrooms. They were discovered by the ancient civilizations, including the Indians of Mexico. They used magic mushrooms in religious ceremonies. For instance, Aztecs considered them sacred and even called them “God’s flesh.”

What is the chemical name of psilocybin?

The compound found in psilocybin mushrooms is 4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine. We can extract it either from fresh or dried psilocybin mushrooms. Chemists classified psilocybin as an indole-alkylamine, also know as tryptamine.

The chemical structure of psilocybin is very similar to lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD, and it has similar effects as LSD. This is the main reason why it has a high potential for abuse.

What is psilocin?

Psilocin is a hallucinogenic compound also found in magic mushrooms but in considerably lower concentrations than psilocybin. However, when psilocybin enters our body, it converts it into psilocin and releases its effects. The only difference between psilocybin and psilocin is one phosphate group. Psilocybin has a phosphate group at the oxygen atom, while psilocin doesn’t.

How do psilocybin and psilocin work in the brain?

Whether psilocybin is extracted from fresh or dried psilocybe mushrooms, it works the same in the brain and induces the same effects. Psilocybin produces an experience similar to one produced by LSD and even mescaline. However, it has a quite specific path in our bodies. It induces the effects because of the action on the 5-HT receptors found in the central nervous system.

Psilocybin action on 5-HT receptors

5-HT receptors are serotonin receptors. Serotonin is one of the most important hormones that our bodies secrete naturally. It is responsible for regulating our mood, happiness, and feelings of well-being. It also plays an important role in regulating sleeping, digestion, and eating.

Psilocybin and psilocin activate the 5-HT receptors. But not just any 5-HT recepotrs. They specifically target ones found in the prefrontal cortex. This part of our brain is responsible for regulating our perception, cognition, and mood.

Psilocybin also affects other areas of the brain.

Psilocybin doesn’t only activate the 5-HT receptors in the prefrontal cortex. Being a hallucinogenic drug, it also affects other regions of the brain. More specifically, the regions that regulate our panic responses and arousal. This is why the psilocybin experience is unique for every person.

Alternative names for psilocybin

Psilocybin is the official name of the compound extracted from hallucinogenic mushrooms. However, people refer to it by its many names. It’s important to know some of the most common synonyms of psilocybin. Magic mushrooms and shrooms are the two most commonly used ones, but there are a couple more:

• simple Simon
• cubes
• mushroom soup
• little smoke
• purple passion
• sacred mushrooms
• mushies
• boomers
• zoomers

Psilocybin mushrooms: The use

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms have distinctive stems. They are longer than in other species. Stems can be either gray or white. The cap of a magic mushroom is unique looking too. On their underside, they feature dark grills.

Dried magic mushroom looks different than when it’s fresh. They have this beautiful brown colour with a reddish rust tone. You can easily tell dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms from regular ones.

People often consume them as tea, or they add them to their favourite food. Psilocybin gives magic mushrooms a bitter taste, so people often decide to mask them with some of their favourite flavours.

The current state of psilocybin

Being a hallucinogenic drug, the effects of psilocybin are pretty much similar to ones of LSD. Its effects started drawing attention in the early 2000s. It’s mainly because people got quite interested in trying a magic mushroom. The recent survey on drug use tells us that almost 9% of participants tried psilocybin at least once in their life.

The most notable study is the one we’ve already mentioned at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research in 2006. Meanwhile, the Controlled Substances Act classifies psilocybin remains as a Schedule I controlled substance.

The only logical reason for this is the bad trip effect psilocybin can induce. The bed trip is often described as a bad experience that can range from being mildly unpleasant to terrifying. On the other hand, psilocybin is not an addictive substance. There are no withdrawal symptoms when you decide to stop using it. It also doesn’t cause psychological and physiological addiction.

There are some countries and states that decriminalized it, though. For instance, Denver and Oakland in the US and Canada have decriminalized psilocybin and made it legal for use in specific cases.

As of recently, FDA has granted psilocybin a breakthrough therapy designation. What does it mean? It’s great news for people who consider using psilocybin for its therapeutic effects. The breakthrough therapy designation makes it possible for certain institutions to study psilocybin as a potential treatment for depression.

How is psilocybin taken?

This particular species of mushrooms don’t taste great. This is why many people become inventive when they want to take psilocybin unless they are taking capsules. For instance, they mask the unpleasant flavour by putting the mushrooms in a tea. They also blend mushrooms and put them into delicious smoothies and fruity beverages.

Effects of psilocybin

Every hallucinogenic mushroom that has the ability to alter the serotonin pathway in the brain, such as the psilocybin mushroom, can alter a variety of things. For instance, psilocybin can alter mood and sensory perception. Other effects of psilocybin can alter blood pressure, body temperature, muscle control, appetite, and sexual behaviour.

Psilocybin is found in various forms in the market – it is accessible as dried psilocybin mushroom powder, capsules, and even edibles. The effects of psilocybin depend on the dose of psilocybin, individual tolerance, in what form it is taken, and whether it is taken with other foods or not.

So, for instance, if you drink them in a tea brings the effects significantly faster than consuming psilocybin edibles or taking capsules.

Psilocybin induces a psychedelic experience that resembles a hypnagogic experience. It simply means that it puts you somewhere in between the state of wakefulness and dream. The average dose of psilocybin mushrooms is anywhere between 1 and 2.5 grams. It is more than enough to:

• alter psychological functioning
• increase introspection
• intensify emotional experiences

Other effects of psilocybin include:

• perceptual changes
• synesthesia
• emotional shifts
• distorted sense of time

Perceptual changes are not the same in all people. Some people may see halos around lights and objects, while others see geometric patterns clearly even with their eyes closed. Some see colours more vividly, have distorted vision, or see tracers.

Psilocybin can also affect emotions and thoughts. People who take it often experience a sense of openness. The emotions they feel intensify. They are ready to think about the things and experience feeling they often ignore in their day-to-day lives. They experience the world and people in it in a different way allowing it to delight them. They feel more connected to the world and have this profound sense of peace.

One of the recent double-blind studies finds out that psilocybin can produce positive changes in psychological functioning and promote prosocial behaviours and attitudes. Study participants were more open to feeling interpersonal closeness and gratitude, and they were more forgiving.

Another double-blind study examined the effects of psilocybin on people experiencing severe anxiety and depression due to life-threatening cancer. The study found out that psilocybin exhibits anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects. The participants experienced benefits in existential distress, quality of life, and improved attitudes towards death.

Finally, a double-blind study outlines the effects of psilocybin on mindfulness and psychosocial functioning. They recorded no changes in the placebo group. However, the experimental group experienced large positive changes in psychosocial functioning and had enhanced post-intervention mindfulness.

How long does it take to feel psilocybin effects?

Whether you consume psilocybin capsules or take mushrooms containing psilocybin, it usually takes anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes to start feeling the effects. Why does it take time? Our bodies need to convert psilocybin into psilocin. Once converted, it will start to act on the 5-HT serotonin receptors in the brain.

In about 90 minutes, psilocybin effects will be the strongest. However, in some individuals, the effects can take up to 2 hours to peak. Over the course of the 6 hours following ingestion, a person will continue to feel the effects. 6 hours is the time the body needs to metabolize psilocin. After the 6 hours elapse, the metabolite psilocin ends up in the bloodstream and gets eliminated through the kidneys.

All psilocybin effects can be divided into two categories – physical and mental effects.

Physical effects that may occur:

• increased temperature
• increased blood pressure
• increased heart rate
• nausea
• headache
• yawning

Mental effects that may occur:

• enhanced introspection
• changed perception of time and space
• relaxation
• nervousness
• paranoia
• panic reactions

There are some rare instances when psilocybin can cause long-term changes in personality. These changes can persist for over a year. Some people can have flashback experiences even after the initial 6 hours have passed. There are some indications that psilocybin plays a role in developing hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD). But there is insufficient research data to support these indications.

What is the half-life of psilocybin?

Since psilocybin gets converted into psilocin, we can only discuss the half-life of psilocin in the human body. Half-life is a term that stands for the time it takes the body to eliminate half the drug. The general rule is that body needs 6 half-lives to completely remove the substance from the system. The human body can eliminate two-thirds of a dose of psilocin in approximately three hours. Psilocin is eliminated through the kidneys.

There is a study that confirms these findings. Participants were healthy adults and were administered a dose of psilocybin orally. Although there were some minor discrepancies, most participants experienced the peak levels of psilocybin 80 minutes after taking it.

We used the term approximately intentionally because not everyone metabolizes psilocin at the same speed. Yes, the dose is the main factor here, but a person’s age, weight, and tolerance are also important factors that can decrease or prolong the half-life of psilocin.

Besides half-life, the effects of psilocybin can also differ from person to person. It appears that the person’s mindset plays a vital role in this situation and can affect the experience to a great extent. We will return to the factors that affect its effects in much more detail later in the guide.

If you are employed, it’s very important to know whether the tests can discover psilocybin in urine, blood, and hair. Some employers have very rigorous anti-drug policies and perform regular drug tests to ensure that employees are not using any. Positive results can lead to immediate notice.

Furthermore, if you are on probation, you may be required to take drug tests regularly, depending on your conviction. A positive test means that you are in violation of your probation terms, and you may easily end up being incarcerated again. Learning a thing or two about tests can help you determine whether or not to take psilocybin in the first place.

Here is everything you need to know about psilocybin and relevant drug tests.

Can tests discover psilocybin in urine?

Drug testing companies usually order the standard five- and nine-panel drug tests. However, these tests don’t include tests for psilocybin and psilocin. It doesn’t mean that there are no drug tests able to detect psilocybin in urine.

If your employer or probation officer decides to use one of these tests, your results will probably be positive. These tests are very sensitive, and they can detect even small traces of the drug in the urine. On the bright side, the drug is only detectable in urine for up to 24 hours after ingestion.

Can tests discover psilocybin in blood?

Blood testing is less common than urine testing. Nevertheless, in some cases, employers and probation officers might require it. The common blood tests for drugs don’t include tests for this drug. The situation is similar to urine drug tests, meaning that there are blood tests for psilocybin.

Your results can be positive, and you can face serious consequences. But the drug remains in the blood for a very short time. Your results will be positive only the blood test is done within hours after use.

Can tests discover psilocybin in hair?

Human hair is a map that professionals can use to discover what food you’ve been eating and the quality of water you’ve been drinking. Long story short, there are traces of psilocybin in your hair as well. It is found in the hair follicles and stays there for up to 90 days.

But these tests are not common. It’s simply because they require large hair samples, and they are not considered as friendly as urine and blood tests. This is why hair drug tests are usually done post-mortem and even then, under very specific circumstances.

Why do psilocybin detection times differ?

It’s not easy to determine the detection time of chemicals after one consumes mushrooms containing psilocybin. It’s because every human body is unique. Some individuals take more time than others to eliminate the chemical from their systems than others.

One of the most important factors to consider is the species of mushrooms. Simply put, every mushroom species contains a different concentration of psilocybin. The fact that there are more than 180 species out there complicates things. Here are just a few examples to paint the picture:

• psilocybe liniformans contains 0.16% of psilocybin
• psilocybe tampanensis contains 0.68% of psilocybin
• psilocybe azurenscens contains 1.78% of psilocybin

Other factors affect the detection times of psychedelic mushrooms. The most noteworthy include frequency of use, dosage, and type of mushroom. However, the factors such as metabolism, hydration level, general health, and age also play an important role. Let’s see how some of these factors affect the detection times.

Body mass – people with high BMIs excrete the psychedelic substances faster than people with low BMIs. The detection time for them is usually short.

Age – age is an important factor because it affects blood flow. More specifically, the blood flow to the liver and kidneys. People older than 65 have reduced blood flow, and their bodies need more time to eliminate the drug from their system.

Hydration levels – people who are well-hydrated support their livers and kidneys functions. They can excrete the chemicals faster than the people who don’t drink enough water during the day. In well-hydrated people, detection times are shorter.

Physical activity – physically active people have higher metabolism rates than people who don’t particularly enjoy physical activities. A higher metabolism rate helps excrete the psychedelic drug out of the system. Physically active people have shorter detection times than those who are not.

Type of consumption – it’s not the same if you make a tea out of dried mushrooms or get an intravenous injection of psilocybin. The half-life when intravenously injected is significantly shorter than when it is consumed as tea, capsules, or edible.

The health of liver and kidneys – healthy kidneys and liver can excrete drugs much faster than kidneys and liver suffering from a disease. Detection time is shorter in people with healthy organ systems than in those suffering from liver or kidney disease.

Can you get psilocybin faster out of your body?

To understand whether you can excrete psilocybin faster or not, you need to understand how drug tests work. Most drug tests tailored to discover this psychedelic specifically use tandem mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography. It usually takes up to 8 days to receive the drug test results.

The higher concentration of the drug in your system, the easier it becomes for these tests to detect it. You can speed up the excretion process to some extent if you start drinking more water than usual. However, it will not be enough to avoid detection if you’ve recently consumed magic mushrooms.

The only thing that works is to stop using the mushrooms. It will give your body enough time to metabolize psilocin and excrete it through urine.

Can you overdose on psilocybin, and what is a bad trip?

Although magic mushrooms are very attractive, you should be very cautious when using them. Always make sure to take the recommended doses because you can overdose on psilocybin. Nausea and vomiting are the two most common symptoms of psychedelic substance overdose. You may experience anxiety which can build up to a panic attack or paranoia.

People who overdosed on this chemical also report experiencing muscle weakness, flashbacks, and poor coordination. Ultimately, the overdose can cause a bad trip. A bad trip doesn’t necessarily have to follow an overdose. It can be a result of a bad set and setting as well. The common symptoms that indicate a bad trip include:

• confusion
• loss of awareness
• lack of coordination
• exposure to overwhelming emotions and thoughts

A bad trip can also signify that a person needs more psychosocial support from friends and family. There are plenty of ways to prevent the bad trip from occurring during the psychedelic experience. People afraid of going down the bad trip valley should take care of their basic physical needs, start with lower doses, and ensure they are not overstimulated. It can also be helpful to have a close friend or family member nearby.

Tips to safely get psilocybin

Every hallucinogenic mushroom has to be properly identified by an expert before you consume them. There are too many species to approach this subject lightly. If you enjoy harvesting wild mushrooms by yourself, make sure to have them inspected by an expert in the niche.

Consuming magic mushrooms can lead to poisoning if you take the wrong species. The studies even suggest that it may cause irreparable liver damage, which can only be treated with a liver transplant.

If you decide to purchase magic mushrooms in a retail or online store, you should also exercise caution. This is a lucrative market, and many people have decided to seek profit in it. The result? There are many sellers with no experience and only interested in profit. How do you shop safely then? Here are some tips to help you do it properly.

First of all, you want to make sure that the mushrooms are sold under a registered trademark. Purchasing products from a reputable company operating within a market is always a safer option than purchasing from some shady website that offers mushrooms at very attractive prices.

There are several things you can do to check the reputation of a business. Feel free to head to their official website and look for customer testimonials and product reviews. You can learn a lot about a business from these copies. You can even extend your research to social media platforms and brain hacker forums and groups.

The quality of the product should also be one of your major concerns. You should always keep your eyes peeled for the ingredients label and lab tests, especially if you decide to go for capsules or edibles. Ingredients label will tell you exactly what’s inside and in what concentration.

The lab tests, on the other hand, are proof of purity. Many manufactures and producers hire 3rd party independent labs to vouch for their products’ purity. Look for lab results as they are often put online on the product pages.

You should also consider whether it is legal to possess magic mushrooms in your state or country. Otherwise, you risk being arrested for possession of illegal drugs, and you may face serious charges.

Finally, consider what you want to achieve. For instance, if you want to reap only the mental benefits of mushrooms, you should consider micro-dosing. To do it, you will need to get products that contain microdoses of psilocybin. If you want to get the full onset of effects, dried mushrooms and edibles are more viable options for you.

Is psilocybin legal?

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Generally speaking, hallucinogenic mushrooms are not legal to grow, buy/sell or consume in most countries. For instance, in the US, psilocybin is considered a substance with a high potential for abuse, and therefore, it is classified as a Schedule I substance as defined in the Controlled Substances Act.

It is not safe enough to use even under medical supervision. In the US, psilocybin also has no currently accepted medical use in treatment. On the other hand, the before-mentioned survey on drug use tells us that 9% of people have tried it at least once.

The situation is slowly changing. In November 2020, psilocybin was decriminalized in the state of Oregon. The state passed Measure 109, making it legal for people who are 21 years of age or older. In this instance, psilocybin was recognized as an alternative treatment for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Thanks to the new law, people with these conditions will be able to access psilocybin more easily. Washington, DC followed the footsteps of Oregon and decriminalized psilocybin the same year.

Being categorized as a Schedule I drug, psilocybin remains inaccessible to doctors who want to use it in clinical trials. Currently, only the researchers have access to it in the US. But in order to use it in the research, they need a special permit issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. It can only be accepted for medical use if it gets reclassified as a Schedule II drug. Schedule II drugs come with strict restrictions and supervision because they have high addiction potential.

Meanwhile, Canada has given a temporary legal exemption to psilocybin. The government officials, including Health Canada, saw great potential in psilocybin. They decided to give it a try and use it to help ease emotional suffering in people with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions. However, Canada has even gone one step further.

Health Canada has enabled a number of health care professionals to possess and consume hallucinogenic mushrooms containing psilocybin. While it might sound controversial, there is a logic behind this decision. In order to prescribe this therapy, doctors need to understand what psilocybin does. There is no better way to discover how to best use it for struggling patients but to use the drugs and see how they work.

Currently, in Canada, cancer patients can use psilocybin as the drug for end-of-life care. While the focus is mainly on enabling the use of the drug in palliative care, the government also allows its use in patients with unresolved trauma.

Use of psilocybin and relevant medical studies

Besides the studies that we’ve already mentioned, two additional ones examine the use of psilocybin with patient care and treatment.

The study at New York University’s Langone Medical Center in New York City included 29 patients with advanced cancer. The experimental group received a single psilocybin dose, while the control group received vitamin B. Since it was a cross-over study, patients switched treatments after 7 weeks.

The New York University study revealed that up to 80% of the patients on psilocybin reported significant relief from distress, and they had lower test scores on anxiety and depression scales.

The Johns Hopkins study included 51 patients with advanced cancer too. The participants were given a small dose of psilocybin. After 5 weeks, they received a higher dose. The researchers assessed the participants after 6 months. The results were in line with the ones from the New York University study. Approximately 80% of participants experienced statistically significant relief. They had lower scores on both depression and anxiety scales. The effects of psilocybin lasted for 6 months.

What the future holds for psilocybin

The researchers at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are continuously working on discovering the psilocybin effects on the human body and psyche. They are specifically focused on discovering how it affects brain function, biological markers of health, cognition, mood, and behaviour. Since the research includes healthy volunteers, the university had to obtain a special permit to use hallucinogenic mushrooms.

So far, the researchers at Johns Hopkins were able to report that the studies in the future will also be focused on evaluating whether psilocybin is a viable treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, anorexia nervosa, alcohol use in people with depression, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and opioid addiction.

Besides Canada, which has already approved the use of psilocybin in the treatment of depression and unresolved trauma, the US is also working towards reclassifying psilocybin. FDA designated psilocybin as a breakthrough therapy for depression in November 2019. The Usona Institute is responsible for the project designed to speed up the review of drugs under investigation and research. Drugs designated as breakthrough therapy are potential treatments for patients with unmet medical needs.

At the moment, the clinical trial at the Usona Institute is in Phase 2. The researchers are evaluating psilocybin as a potential treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. In order to get the best possible results, the researchers will use different study designs, including double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled ones. The study participants are 80 patients with MDD. They are between 21 to 65 years of age.

If the study proves psilocybin is a viable treatment for MDD, the DEA will reclassify it to Schedule II controlled substance, and it will become available for patients.

Conclusion

Magic mushrooms are quite potent, and they can provide you with a unique experience. Hopefully, this guide helped you learn everything you wanted to know about the effects of psychedelic mushrooms. As you can see, they are the subject of many studies, and some countries such as Canada legalized them for medical use. If you want to try psilocybin mushrooms but have a preexisting physical or mental condition, consider seeking medical advice from a professional before taking psilocybin.