Written and Fact Checked by: S. Zulfiqar
Magic mushrooms or shrooms are unique varieties of mushrooms that offer a natural psychedelic effect. For anyone wondering what shrooms are and what makes them so special, this guide will safely explore how to have a fun trip. Magic mushrooms are globally used as a recreational drug thanks to naturally occurring psilocybin. Younger users especially love shrooms because they’re easy to access and offer unique effects.
There are over 200 different types of mushrooms currently available, so it’s essential to know the differences between varieties. When you’re researching what magic mushrooms are and what psilocybin mushrooms are like, keep an eye out for different compounds.
Shrooms containing psilocybin cause amazing psychedelic trips, but mushrooms with amanitin can be harmful or even deadly. However, a little education will prepare you to enjoy a powerful, natural high with very few side effects. So let’s explore modern shroom strains, including how to safely and adequately use magic mushrooms.
What Are Magic Psilocybin Mushrooms?
Unfortunately, shrooms are still fighting a dangerous reputation in mainstream culture. On your search to discover what shrooms are like, you might find negative information about their mind-altering effects. However, magic mushrooms aren’t too different from other drugs. As long as you use them safely and adequately, shrooms pose a low risk.
Psilocybin is the compound that gives shrooms their potent psychedelic effects. When you use psilocybin, expect a mystic, dream-like experience that can last up to six hours. Your trip can include both positive and negative feelings, so try to be open to whatever happens.
Despite their reputation, shrooms are among the safest hallucinogens around. Mushrooms offer low toxicity and don’t cause organ or neurological damage. However, shrooms are an illicit substance in many countries, so they do pose some legal risks. This guide does not condone or endorse using illegal drugs. We’re only here to help you understand side effects and safety concerns.
A Brief History Of Psychedelic Mushrooms
Shrooms have a long historical record, with many studies showing that cultures worldwide have always known what magic mushrooms are. Civilizations such as the Mayans, Aztecs, Vikings, and many African nations used shrooms as a ritual tool for communing with their gods. Magic mushrooms were used in very similar ways across these cultures, despite the vast geographic distances between some of these peoples.
Magic mushrooms came to the United States and western civilization in the 1950s. Researchers were highly interested in the psychedelic effects of mushrooms and LSD, made from the psilocybin in shrooms. As a result, many creatives started taking small doses to help their mood and boost creative potential.
Shrooms hit a bump in the road in the 1970s, when psilocybin was banned by many governments. Authorities were concerned about the strong psychedelic effects and want to perform more research before allowing widespread use. Today, this research is showing that shrooms offer many benefits. The Food and Drug Administration has recently allowed shrooms to be studied as tools against anxiety and depression, signaling a possible shroom renaissance just around the corner.
Shrooms In Canada
Like in the United States, shrooms entered Canadian mainstream culture in the 1950s. Psilocybin was later outlawed by the 1974 Food And Drug Act, with confirmed users facing two convictions. However, its legal status wasn’t enough to keep curious people away. As a result, shrooms continued to gain underground popularity.
Today, Canadian law prohibits dried and fresh psychedelic mushrooms, but spores and young mushrooms are allowed. You can buy a growing kit and spores but cannot possess fully grown mushrooms. As you research what psilocybin mushrooms are, keep the legal issues in mind.
What Is The Legal Status Of Growing Shrooms At Home?
All you need is a spore kit to start growing your own magic mushroom crop. Spores usually arrive in a water substrate, adding to a nutrient base and developing into spawn. Spores and spawns don’t contain psilocybin, so it’s perfectly legal to grow mushrooms through the early stages. However, once the mushroom spawn develops into mycelium and produces psilocybin, they are no longer permitted.
There’s a complicated world of activism surrounding shrooms. One Canadian movement is fighting the 1971 Vienna Convention that regulated psychotropic substances. Since the convention didn’t specifically mention psilocybin, activists argue that shrooms are exempt from these restrictions. Another group opposes the purchase, use, and creation of shrooms and other substances.
A Call For Legalization
The call for decriminalization has grown in the recent past. Many dispensaries have opened after city officials made it clear they weren’t concerned about psychedelic substances. As a result, magic mushrooms are increasingly available in dispensaries in Toronto, Ontario, BC, and Oakland. Some shrooms are even available online for medical use.
What Exactly Is Psilocybin?
What are psilocybin mushrooms, and what makes these varieties different from the mushrooms on your salad or burger? Psilocybin is a naturally occurring chemical compound that creates a mushroom’s “magic” effects. These psychedelic effects have long been associated with magic, religion, and spiritual awakenings across cultures.
Psilocybin mushrooms originated in the tropic and sub-tropic regions of North and Central America. These mushrooms have a distinct appearance. Most have light-coloured or white stems, along with dark ridge gills under dark caps. The cap itself usually has a white or light brown patch in the center.
Shrooms are typically sold fresh or dried. Some people add them to teas and other brews. Determining the dosage can be challenging since the amount of psilocybin varies from shroom to shroom.
If you’re asking the DEA what shrooms are, you’ll see these substances listed on Schedule I due to hallucinogenic properties. Despite being illegal in many countries, shrooms are popular in club, party, and college crowds.
What To Expect From A Shrooms Trip
Expect your shrooms experience to last from four to six hours. This is because psilocybin impacts your frontal cortex, which is the part of your brain that controls your moods and perceptions. It’s normal for your perceptions and pleasure levels to increase during a trip, but the opposite can also happen. Some users also feel detached, hear sounds, and see colours that are more detailed than usual. These feelings describe the standard out-of-body trip experience many people associate with shrooms.
How Are Shrooms Different Than Other Substances?
What are magic mushrooms like compared with other substances you might have tried? Shrooms have a low level of toxicity, which means there’s a low threat of fatal effects. However, it’s still essential to understand how shrooms compare with other substances.
Shrooms Vs. Weed
The main difference between shrooms and weed is that weed doesn’t have a poisonous, deadly strain. Beyond that, the experience of pot and shrooms is very similar. One distinction is in the type of positive effect each substance creates. Weed often provides a calming effect, where shrooms give euphoric highs with hallucinations.
Shrooms Vs. LSD
LSD is made by concentrating the psilocybin found in mushrooms, so it’s considered a more intense trip. LSD effects can last up to 12 hours, around twice as long as using shrooms. LSD also creates intense positive feelings, where shrooms can cause either positive or negative vibes. Buy LSD in Canada.
Shrooms Vs. Acid
Acid and shrooms are both hallucinogens, but they cause different reactions in people. Acid can make it easier for people to interact and build relationships. Most users remain in realistic zones and can essentially keep functioning. Shrooms, on the other hand, make most users focus on their own experience. It can be hard to interact with other people during an intense shrooms trip.
Shroom Products You Can Buy
Dried Shrooms
These are the traditional form of dried magic mushrooms and are available at most dispensaries.
Shroom Chocolate
Chocolate candies are tempered to include psilocybin. Shroom chocolates are a popular shroom product and are widely available.
Shroom Tea
Another traditional way of using magic mushrooms, shroom teas, help mask any bitter mushroom flavour.
Shroom Gummies
Magic Mushroom gummies contain pure psilocybin and are available in a range of cute shapes and delicious flavours.
Shroom Capsules
A more medicinal way of using magic mushrooms, these gelatin shroom capsules contain psilocybin for medical users.
A Conclusion on What are Shrooms
Now that we know what shrooms are let’s find out where to get some. Browse through the Just Cannabis Shroom Shop and find top-grade magic mushrooms at affordable prices. Save now with one of our great deals and exclusive offers. Supply yourself with quality products so your next shroom experience will be one to remember!
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The Beauty of the Blunt, Joint vs. Bongs: The Battle Rages On, Rolling Papers: The Ultimate Guide
References
- Davis, Kathleen. (2019, January 17). What are magic mushrooms and psilocybin? Medical News Today. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850
- Johnson, M W. (2017, June 5). Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin. US National Library of Medicine: National Institutes of Health. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5509636/
- Addiction and Drug Foundation Staff. (2020, October 7). Psilocybin. ADF.org. Available at: https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/psilocybin/
- Wikipedia. (2021). Psilocybin Mushroom. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushroom