The effects of magic mushrooms (?shrooms?) and magic truffles (a.k.a. sclerotia) can be quite mind-bending. There are many different varieties of mushroom that induce psychedelic states. The most common genus is Psilocybe, which contains species such as Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe mexicana.
The psychoactive effects induced are due to alkaloids found in magic mushrooms and truffles called psilocybin and psilocin. All species contain different concentrations of these alkaloids, and will therefore induce unique effects. After consuming shrooms or psychedelic truffles, you will begin to experience interesting physiological sensations and perceptions; a state of body and mind considered by many as a spiritual adventure.
From this point on, we will mostly refer to ?a shroom trip? when discussing our trip tips, but be aware that the experiences induced by both shrooms and magic truffles are equally trippy and identical in terms of effects.
BASICS OF TRIPPING ON SHROOMS FOR BEGINNERS
The shroom experience makes it feel as though time and space are no longer restricted by their usual barriers. A common result of tripping is a bending of depth perception and distance. Something that is 5 meters away could be perceived as being 50 meters away (depending on the dose consumed, of course).
Your senses begin to change their natural status quo. Taste, vision, hearing, smell, and touch become complex and are interpreted in interesting ways. After a significant dose of shrooms, it?s as though a kaleidoscope has usurped your regular senses. Many consumers begin to giggle, experience euphoria, and feel a sense of oneness with the universe. Mushroom trips, just like most psychedelic trips, are very unique to the individual. Some may experience more visual effects, others may experience more introspective effects.
First, we don?t recommend breaking the law of any country. Do your due diligence and ensure that your shroom consumption is legal or decriminalised. That being said, here are some smart practices to make the magic mushroom experience as pleasurable and positive as possible.
1. SET AND SETTING
Following the ?set and setting? rule is crucial. The ?set? refers to the mental state of the consumer ? which should be positive, optimistic, and relaxed before consumption. The ?setting? refers to the physical environment and company of the tripper. Being around supportive, positive individuals you?re comfortable with will help boost the good vibes of the experience.
Tripping on psychoactive substances magnifies your interpretation of everything. If you?re feeling uncomfortable in a strange place with strange people, the trip can become frightening or produce anxiety. On the contrary, if you feel positive and amazing, the trip will be excellent.
2. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A TRIP SITTER
Having a ?trip sitter?, which is a sober friend assigned to look after the tripper, is a smart choice for novice shroom consumers. It creates a more safe atmosphere and resolves many practical problems that the tripper may not be able to handle on their own. Some trip sitters take small doses of shrooms, but not enough to experience a real trip. This way, they provide the person who?s tripping with stability, while also understanding what they?re going through.
3. CALCULATE THE CORRECT SHROOM DOSAGE
In terms of dosing, the best way to begin with any drug is to start slow and then top up after the peak has been reached. It?s never a good idea to take that ?full? dose for the first time, because it might be stronger than expected. Some magic mushrooms are stronger than others, so you must do your research. It often happens that those who have been tripping for years suggests too large of a dose, because that?s what they consider to be a ?light? dose.
According to Erowid Psilocybin Mushroom Vault, a quarter gram of dried shrooms is a threshold dose, meaning that this dosage is necessary for the user to begin feeling the effects. However, it also depends on the weight and mental state of the individual. At this dose, colours might become slightly brighter and senses might be slightly altered, but not much more.
For a more powerful trip, users usually take more than half a gram of dried mushrooms. The more powerful the dose gets, different psychedelic sensations will unveil. For example, with small doses, you may feel light alterations to your senses; with higher doses, you can expect more amplified and ?transcendent? effects.
Shrooms cause pupils to dilate, spiritual introspections to unfold, time to distort, and even full-blown visual and auditory hallucinations. With shrooms, most lower-level hallucinations occur behind closed eyelids. Geometric patterns show themselves and move around in unique ways.
With higher doses, the patterns can turn into floating inter-dimensional objects and entities, and hallucinations can manifest in front of your very eyes. They are handy tools online to help you find the appropriate dose, like this Magic Mushroom Dosage Calculator by Zamnesia.
4. WHAT TO WATCH FOR WHEN PURCHASING SHROOMS
Under legal circumstances, it?s always best to buy products like this from a respected smart shop or other specialist stores. Unless you?re an expert mycologist, you shouldn?t go into a forest and try to find magic mushrooms, as you may mistake one species for another and eat something toxic.
You can purchase special magic mushroom grow kits where you care for the culture and grow the desired species of shroom. This will allow you to know exactly what it is you?re going to consume. Read the instructions on the kit and follow directions to a tee.
Usually, when you purchase ready-to-use products versus the grow-your-own kind, you purchase them by grams or ounces, depending on where you live. Buying by the number is not a thing.
5. HOW TO SAFELY USE MAGIC MUSHROOMS
Just like with any substance, it?s essential to understand dosing and dangers. Obviously, shrooms should not be consumed by minors. With that said, lethal overdoses on mushrooms rarely (if ever) occur. In fact, the Global Drug Survey recently rated magic mushrooms as the safest recreational drug in the world.
However, having a ?bad trip? can definitely turn some individuals off from ever pursuing a psychedelic journey again. If a very large dose is taken in the wrong set and setting, the experience can feel quite unpleasant, albeit short-lived. Bad trips can be vivid and disturbing, whether you take shrooms, LSD, DMT, or another consciousness-expanding entheogen.
When explored correctly, they can deliver amazing experiences, but they must be approached with caution and respect. You should not drive or operate any heavy machinery under the influence of shrooms. Another ?danger? that you may experience is having an epic realisation that disintegrates the ego. Even good trips can be intense, with major epiphanies enlightening you in ways you never could have imagined.
