You may have heard friends talking about doing psychedelic mushrooms and have wondered what they are all about. Psychedelic mushrooms are a specific kind of mushroom that contain something called psilocybin. They also contain a tiny amount of a second hallucinogen called psilocin. When ingested these substances cause hallucinations. The mushrooms grow naturally in the USA, Mexico and South America. Many people mistakenly believe that because they are mushrooms, they are not illegal, but they are actually classified as a Schedule I drug in America., so you can be arrested and charged with possession for having them. They are in the same drug class as LSD and heroin.
Mushrooms come either fresh or dried and they have caps with dark undersides and long, gray, skinny stems. When dried they often become rust colored and have some off-white patches.
Because mushrooms taste very bitter, most people brew them in a tea or hide them in food to make ingesting them easier. The high hits about 20 minutes-to-an-hour after they are taken and can last for about six hours.
The negative effects of taking mushrooms include muscle weakness, vomiting and nausea, sleepiness and becoming physically uncoordinated. Though studies have concluded there are no physically addictive properties in mushrooms, you do build a tolerance if you take a lot in a short time period. Some people have panic attacks while on mushrooms and in extreme cases, psychosis can occur.
Distorted perceptions of sight, sound and touch can be expected with a mushroom high. Users typically change their environment several times during a trip to experience the sensations in each new room or area. Objects can appear wavy, things might look like they are melting and moving objects can have visible trails behind them when viewed. Many people have described a heightened spiritual awareness on mushrooms, while others react with anxiety and paranoia.
Because many mushrooms look alike, one danger of ingesting these is in not knowing if you have the drug or if you have purchased poisonous mushrooms. Due to their illegality, there is no lab or government department overseeing their distribution. You have no way of really knowing where your mushrooms came from or if they really are safe to eat. The risks are great.