The Amanita muscaria, that mythical red mushroom with white spots also known as fly swatter or false cap, is often used as a representation of magic mushrooms, especially when it comes to advertising. Although this picturesque mushroom produces trips, it is not thanks to psilocybin, but to muscimol. When Amanita muscaria dries completely, its consumption provides a strong, but more unpredictable psychedelic effect.
Psychedelic chemistry of magic mushrooms
Psilocybin, psilocin, beocystin, and norbeocystin are tryptamine-type hallucinogens. These compounds are present in various fungi, and in abundant quantities in the Psilocybe genus, which is a species spread throughout the world.
In the human body, psilocybin is converted to psilocin, which binds to serotonin receptors due to its similarity to the chemical structure of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). It was precisely the inventor of LSD, Dr. Albert Hofmann, who in 1955 first extracted and isolated the entheogenic tryptamines from Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe cubensis, and later named them psilocybin and psilocin.
Psilocybin is metabolized into psilocin by removal of a phosphate group. Psilocin is a potent entheogen that produces an effect similar to that of LSD and at comparatively low doses of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
Beocystine and norbaeocystine are two hallucinogens with weak effectiveness, but still belong to the category of tryptamines. According to currently available information, beocystin and norbaeocystin are only found in mushrooms, and are produced primarily in association with the psilocybin/psilocin complex.
Psilocybin mushroom cultivation
Growing Magic mushroom chocolate bar is a simple and effective way to have a constant supply of psilocybin. And best of all, magic mushrooms can be grown both indoors and outdoors without much effort. As long as you keep the humidity and temperature under control, you’ll get multiple batches.
Growing magic mushrooms indoors vs outdoors
Both outdoor mushroom gardens and indoor grow kits can produce great results. As long as you maintain optimal conditions, there’s no reason you shouldn’t get multiple harvests and plenty of psilocybin-packed mushrooms. And as for which environment to choose, it will all depend on your personal preferences.
To have an outdoor magic mushroom garden, you will need a suitable location with plenty of indirect sunlight, and with grass or bushes around it. You will also want to make sure that the plantation is not too far away, as you will need to visit it frequently during fruiting. This place should also not be too dry, because fungi prefer a moist environment. If all these requirements are a challenge, it’s time to consider growing indoors.
Growing magic mushrooms indoors is easier; especially when using spore prints or already colonized grow kits. However, just like with outdoor growing, there are a few requirements you’ll need to meet to ensure a successful harvest.
The temperature must remain constant (about 18-28°C), as well as the exposure to light and humidity (95-100% RH). The biggest risk indoor grower’s face is contamination, so regardless of where you decide to place your mushrooms, the less contact you have with them, the better.