Effects Of Magic Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a favorite pizza topping around the world, but some mushrooms are beloved for more than just their taste. There are many people who enjoy the psychedelic effects of magic mushrooms. Mushrooms or “shrooms” are a psychotropic fungus that has been used throughout history by various indigenous cultures in order to produce an altered state of consciousness during religious rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations. Magic mushrooms are widely used in modern times as an organic recreational drug, largely due to the fact that mushrooms can be found in the wild or even grown at home, inexpensively and easily. Magic mushrooms are illegal in the United States and are classified as a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance. If you’re asking “what are magic mushrooms?” – you’ll find your answer here.
History of Mushroom Use
Based on representations in rock paintings, many historians believe that magic mushrooms may have been in use since 9000 years before the birth of Christ, at least in North American cultures. Among Aztec and Mayan ruins in Central America, statues and other artifacts of what appear to be mushrooms have been unearthed. Many believe that the substance that the Aztecs called the “flesh of the gods” was indeed, mushrooms. In these cultures, mushrooms were used to bring on a trance, cause visions, and allow the user to communicate with the gods. The word “berserk” has some ties to the use of magic mushrooms. Legendary Berserkers were Norse warriors who were infamous throughout history for fighting a in a trance-like vehemence, thought to have been fueled by pre-battle consumption of magic mushrooms.
Mushrooms and the Sixties Hippie Movement
The notion of the magic mushroom having a long and holy use in history is somewhat controversial. Some folks point out that none of the evidence that has been presented in regards to the historical use of mushrooms is definitive, and that people see what they want to see in ancient sculptures, paintings and manuscripts. Regardless, Westerners began to enjoy the effects of magic mushrooms in the middle of the twentieth century following an article that appeared in Life magazine in 1957 by Gordon Wesson, a mycologist who had traveled to Mexico to study mushrooms and ended up consuming magic mushrooms during a ceremony that he participated in with the Mazatec peoples of Southern Mexico. This article spurred the use of magic mushrooms in what became known as the hippie movement of the 1960s.
Magic Mushrooms Effects and Psilocybin
Magic mushrooms effects are caused by psilocybin. Psilocybin is a psychedelic drug similar to LSD (they both act on the central nervous system). There is no way to really predict or measure the amount of psilocybin that is found in an individual mushroom. Nonetheless, the size, strain, and age of the mushroom can be a key indicator of how potent it will be. Magic mushrooms can be ingested raw, mixed in with food, or brewed and used to make magic mushroom tea. Mushrooms can also be dried for later use.
Magic Mushroom Trips
Being high on mushrooms is known as “being on a trip” or “tripping on shrooms”, among other things. Until an individual user determines the effects of magic mushrooms personally, it is often advisable to start slowly and try just a small amount before deciding to increase their intake. This can prevent the user from “tripping” too hard and can also reduce the chance of being poisoned by consuming the wrong type of mushroom.
User trip reports document the startling high that magic mushrooms can bring. One user reported that during a trip, “Reality was still escaping me. I had no sense of time, a small amount of blending of the senses, and at times I couldn’t tell if I had my eyes closed or open”. (Source: http://www.shroomery.org/11551/My-Hardest-Trip)
Effects of Magic Mushrooms
A small dose of magic mushrooms produces feelings of relaxation, much like the feeling of being high on marijuana. Muscles relax, pupils dilate, and auditory perception becomes distorted. Magic mushrooms users report finding humor in things that they ordinarily would not consider being funny. Users also report laughing a lot. Higher doses of magic mushrooms are similar to an LSD experience, with psychedelic effects including feelings of euphoria, visual hallucinations, and seeing intense colors. Some users have described one of the effects of magic mushrooms as causing less psychological confusion than LSD while increasing their emotional awareness. A “trip” on magic mushrooms can last for five hours or longer, depending on the potency of the shrooms ingested.
Physical Effects of Magic Mushrooms Use
One problem that often arises with the use of magic mushrooms or shrooms is ingestion of mushrooms that are poisonous. Ingesting the wrong type of mushroom can lead to stomach ailments, including stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting – and more seriously, death. And since the use of magic mushrooms obviously impairs judgment, driving or operating machinery while under the influence can be dangerous. Like all hallucinogens, magic mushrooms can prompt the manifestation of underlying mental problems, sometimes causing symptoms that are akin to schizophrenia. So-called “bad trips” have been reported by many mushroom users. Bad trips on magic mushrooms are characterized by panic, anxiety, and confusion, and users have reported flashbacks to tripping on mushrooms even months after ingesting them. Since magic mushrooms are illegal, possessing mushrooms or supplying them to another person can land you in jail.
Long Term Effects of Magic Mushrooms
Ingesting magic mushrooms has not been shown to cause any long term physical problems. There is really no clear cut answer when it comes to the long term mental effects of magic mushroom consumption. Some studies have been done to suggest that heavy use of magic mushrooms can lead to some cognitive impairments and emotional problems due to the long term effects of serotonin levels on the brain. Use of magic mushrooms for an extended time period has also been linked to HPPD, or hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder. With occasional use, no evidence suggests any detrimental long term effects of magic mushrooms use.
