​Ganoderma lucidum
​
Some mushrooms or extracts are used or studied as possible treatments for diseases, including polysaccharides, glycoproteins and proteoglycans.Currently, several extracts have widespread use in Japan, Korea and China, as adjuncts to radiation treatments and chemotherapy, even though clinical evidence of efficacy in humans has not been confirmed.
Historically, mushrooms have been thought to hold medicinal value in traditional Chinese medicine. They have been studied in modern medical research since the 1960s, where most studies use extracts, rather than whole mushrooms.
In some countries, extracts of polysaccharide-K, schizophyllan, polysaccharide peptide, or lentinan are government-registered adjuvant cancer therapies

Psychoactive mushrooms

Psilocybe zapotecorum, a hallucinogenic mushroom
Mushrooms with psychoactive properties have long played a role in various native medicine traditions in cultures all around the world. They have been used as sacrament in rituals aimed at mental and physical healing, and to facilitate visionary states. One such ritual is the velada ceremony. A practitioner of traditional mushroom use is the shaman or curandera (priest-healer).

Psilocybin mushrooms possess psychedelic properties. Commonly known as "magic mushrooms" or "'shrooms", they are openly available in smart shops in many parts of the world, or on the black market in those countries that have outlawed their sale. Psilocybin mushrooms have been reported as facilitating profound and life-changing insights often described as mystical experiences. Recent scientific work has supported these claims, as well as the long-lasting effects of such induced spiritual experiences.

Psilocybin, a naturally occurring chemical in certain psychedelic mushrooms such as Psilocybe cubensis, is being studied for its ability to help people suffering from psychological disorders, such as obsessive–compulsive disorder. Minute amounts have been reported to stop cluster and migraine headaches. 

A double-blind study, done by the Johns Hopkins Hospital, showed psychedelic mushrooms could provide people an experience with substantial personal meaning and spiritual significance. In the study, one third of the subjects reported ingestion of psychedelic mushrooms was the single most spiritually significant event of their lives. Over two-thirds reported it among their five most meaningful and spiritually significant events. On the other hand, one-third of the subjects reported extreme anxiety.

However, the anxiety went away after a short period of time. Psilocybin mushrooms have also shown to be successful in treating addiction, specifically with alcohol and cigarettes.

A few species in the Amanita genus, most recognizably A. muscaria, but also A. pantherina, among others, contain the psychoactive compound muscimol. The muscimol-containing chemotaxonomic group of Amanitas contains no amatoxins or phallotoxins, and as such are not hepatoxic, though if not properly cured will be non-lethally neurotoxic due to the presence of ibotenic acid. The Amanita intoxication is similar to Z-drugs in that it includes CNSdepressant and sedative-hypnotic effects, but also dissociation and delirium in high doses.


Psilocybin mushrooms

also known as psychedelic mushrooms, are mushrooms that contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Common colloquial terms include magic mushrooms and shrooms. They are used mainly as an entheogen and recreational drug whose effects can include euphoria, altered thinking processes, closed and open-eye visuals, synesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences.

Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include 

Over 100 species are classified in the genus Psilocybe.

Psilocybin mushrooms may have been used since prehistoric times. They are possibly depicted in Stone Age rock art in Europe and Africa, and have a history of use in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Many cultures have used these mushrooms in their religious rites and ceremonies.


History

Archaeological evidence suggests that psilocybin-containing mushrooms have been used by humans since prehistoric times. It has been argued that prehistoric rock art near Villar del Humo, Spain, offers evidence that Psilocybe hispanica was used in religious rituals 6,000 years ago, and that art at the Tassili caves in southern Algeria dating from 7,000 to 9,000 years ago may show the species Psilocybe mairei.

Hallucinogenic species of the psilocybe genus have a history of use among the native peoples of Mesoamerica for religious communion, divination, and healing, from pre-Columbian times to the present day. Mushroom stones and motifs have been found in Guatemala. A statuette dating from ca. 200 AD and depicting a mushroom strongly resembling Psilocybe mexicana was found in a west Mexican shaft and chamber tomb in the state of Colima. A Psilocybe species was known to the Aztecs as teonanácatl (literally "divine mushroom" - agglutinative form of teó (god, sacred) and nanácatl (mushroom) in Náhuatl) and were reportedly served at the coronation of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II in 1502. Aztecs and Mazatecs referred to psilocybin mushrooms as genius mushrooms, divinatory mushrooms, and wondrous mushrooms, when translated into English. Bernardino de Sahagún reported ritualistic use of teonanácatl by the Aztecs, when he traveled to Central America after the expedition of Hernán Cortés.
After the Spanish conquest, Catholic missionaries campaigned against the cultural tradition of the Aztecs, dismissing the Aztecs as idolaters, and the use of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, like other pre-Christian traditions, were quickly suppressed. The Spanish believed the mushroom allowed the Aztecs and others to communicate with devils. In converting people to Catholicism, the Spanish pushed for a switch from teonanácatl to the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist. Despite this history, in some remote areas the use of teonanácatl has remained.
The first mention of hallucinogenic mushrooms in European medicinal literature appeared in the London Medical and Physical Journal in 1799: a man had served Psilocybe semilanceata mushrooms that he had picked for breakfast in London's Green Park to his family. The doctor who treated them later described how the youngest child "was attacked with fits of immoderate laughter, nor could the threats of his father or mother refrain him."


European Use

Psilocybe subaeruginascensIn 1955, Valentina and R. Gordon Wasson became the first known Caucasians to actively participate in an indigenous mushroom ceremony. The Wassons did much to publicize their discovery, even publishing an article on their experiences in Life in 1957. In 1956 Roger Heim identified the psychoactive mushroom that the Wassons had brought back from Mexico as Psilocybe, and in 1958, Albert Hofmann first identified psilocybin and psilocin as the active compounds in these mushrooms.
Inspired by the Wassons' Life article, Timothy Leary traveled to Mexico to experience psilocybin mushrooms firsthand. Upon returning to Harvard in 1960, he and Richard Alpert started the Harvard Psilocybin Project, promoting psychological and religious study of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs. After Leary and Alpert were dismissed by Harvard in 1963, they turned their attention toward promoting the psychedelic experience to the nascent hippiecounterculture.
The popularization of entheogens by Wasson, Leary, authors Terence McKenna and Robert Anton Wilson, and others has led to an explosion in the use of psilocybin mushrooms throughout the world. By the early 1970s, many psilocybin mushroom species were described from temperate North America, Europe, and Asia and were widely collected. Books describing methods of cultivating Psilocybe cubensis in large quantities were also published. The availability of psilocybin mushrooms from wild and cultivated sources has made it among the most widely used of the psychedelic drugs.
At present, psilocybin mushroom use has been reported among some groups spanning from central Mexico to Oaxaca, including groups of Nahua, Mixtecs, Mixe, Mazatecs, Zapotecs, and others. An important figure of mushroom usage in Mexico was María Sabina, who used native mushrooms, such as Psilocybin Mexicana in her practice.


Occurrence

Non-Psilocybe species of psilocybin mushroom include Pluteus salicinus , Gymnopilus luteoviridis, and Panaeolus cinctulus, formerly called Panaeolus subbalteatus.

Psilocybin is present in varying concentrations in about 200 species of Basidiomycota mushrooms. In a 2000 review on the worldwide distribution of psilocybin mushrooms, Gastón Guzmán and colleagues considered these to be distributed amongst the following genera: 
Guzmán increased his estimate of the number of psilocybin-containing Psilocybe to 144 species in a 2005 review.
Many of these are found in ;
  • Mexico (53 species), with the remainder distributed in the US and Canada (22),
  • Europe (16),
  • Asia (15),
  • Africa (4), and
  • Australia and associated islands (19). 

In general, psilocybin-containing species are dark-spored, gilled mushrooms that grow in meadows and woods of the subtropics and tropics, usually in soils rich in humus and plant debris. 

Psilocybin mushrooms occur on all continents, but the majority of species are found in subtropical humid forests. 

Psilocybe species commonly found in the tropics include P. cubensis and P. subcubensis. P. semilanceata—considered by Guzmán to be the world's most widely distributed psilocybin mushroom—is found in Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, but is entirely absent from Mexico.


Effects

Psilocybin

PsilocinThe effects of psilocybin mushrooms come from psilocybin and psilocin. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for the psychedelic effects. Psilocybin and psilocin create short-term increases in tolerance of users, thus making it difficult to abuse them because the more often they are taken within a short period of time, the weaker the resultant effects are. Psilocybin mushrooms have not been known to cause physical or psychological dependence (addiction).

Poisonous (sometimes lethal) wild-picked mushrooms can be mistaken for psilocybin mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms can look very similar to certain psyilocybin containing mushrooms, and extreme care is advised when picking them outdoors.

As with many psychedelic substances, the effects of psychedelic mushrooms are subjective and can vary considerably among individual users. The mind-altering effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last from three to eight hours depending on dosage, preparation method, and personal metabolism. The first 3–4 hours of the trip are typically referred to as the 'peak' in which the user experiences more vivid visuals, and distortions in reality.

However, the effects can seem to last much longer to the user because of psilocybin's ability to alter time perception.
In internet surveys, some psilocybin users have reported symptoms of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, although this is uncommon and a causal connection with psilocybin use is unclear. There is a case report of perceptual disturbances and panic disorder beginning after using psilocybin mushrooms in frequent cannabis users with a pre-existing history of derealization and anxiety.

Despite risks, mushrooms do much less damage in the UK than other recreational drugs.Magic mushrooms were rated as causing some of the least damage in the UK compared to other recreational drugs by experts in a study by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Other researchers have said that psilocybin is "remarkably non-toxic to the body's organ systems", explaining that the risks are indirect: higher dosages are more likely to cause fear and may result in dangerous behavior.

One study found the most desirable results may come from starting with very low doses first, and trying slightly higher doses over months. The researchers explain the peak experiences occur at quantities only slightly lower than a sort of anxiety threshold. Although risks of experiencing fear and anxiety increased somewhat consistently along with dosage and overall quality of experience, at dosages exceeding the individual's threshold, there was suddenly greater increases in anxiety than before. In other words, after finding the optimum dose, returns diminish for using more (since risks of anxiety now increase at a greater rate).


Sensory

Noticeable changes to the auditory, visual, and tactile senses may become apparent around 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion, although effects may take up to two hours to take place. These shifts in perception visually include enhancement and contrasting of colors, strange light phenomena (such as auras or "halos" around light sources), increased visual acuity, surfaces that seem to ripple, shimmer, or breathe; complex open and closed eye visuals of form constants or images, objects that warp, morph, or change solid colours; a sense of melting into the environment, and trails behind moving objects. Sounds seem to be heard with increased clarity; music, for example, can often take on a profound sense of cadence and depth.

Some users experience synesthesia, wherein they perceive, for example, a visualization of color upon hearing a particular sound.


Emotional

As with other psychedelics such as LSD, the experience, or "trip", is strongly dependent upon set and setting. A negative environment could contribute to a bad trip, whereas a comfortable and familiar environment would set the stage for a pleasant experience. Psychedelics make experiences more intense, so if a person enters a trip in an anxious state of mind, they will likely experience heightened anxiousness on their trip. Many users find it preferable to ingest the mushrooms with friends, people with whom they are familiar, or people who are familiar with 'tripping'. Users have stated that you can enhance your trip by being in an environment or setting where you are unlikely to panic.


Spiritual and well being

In 2006, the United States government funded a randomized and double-blinded study by Johns Hopkins University which studied the spiritual effects of the active compound psilocybin. The study involved 36 college-educated adults (average age of 46) who had never tried psilocybin nor had a history of drug use, and who had religious or spiritual interests. The participants were closely observed for eight-hour intervals in a laboratory while under the influence of psilocybin.

One-third of the participants reported the experience was the single most spiritually significant moment of their lives, and more than two-thirds reported it was among the top five most spiritually significant experiences. Two months after the study, 79% of the participants reported increased well-being or satisfaction; friends, relatives, and associates confirmed this. They also reported anxiety and depression symptoms to be decreased or completely gone. Fourteen months after the study, 64% of participants said they still experienced an increase in well-being or life satisfaction.

Despite highly controlled conditions to minimize adverse effects, 22% of subjects (8 of 36) had notable experiences of fear or paranoia. All subjects had never taken a hallucinogenic trip before. The authors, however, reported that all these instances were "readily managed with reassurance."


As medicine

For more health related information on the main psycho-active ingredient, see psilocybin.

Psilocybe villarrealiae, which is only known to a small area of Mexico.
Advocates for advanced research in the field of ethnobotany have been asking for medical investigation of the use of synthetic and mushroom-derived psilocybin for the development of improved treatments of various neurological disorders, including chronic cluster headaches, following numerous anecdotal reports of benefits. 

There are also studies which include reports of psilocybin mushrooms sending both obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) and OCD-related clinical depression (both being widespread and debilitating mental health conditions) into complete remission immediately and for up to months at a time, compared to current medications which often have both limited efficacy and frequent undesirable side-effects. 

Recent studies done at Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich conclude, when used properly, psilocybin acts as an antidepressant as suggested by fMRI brain scans. The active components of psilocybin mushrooms have also been found to treat alcoholism and other addictions. The drugs potential as treatment to alcoholism is also similar to results found in relation to LSD in the 1950s and 60s.


Dosage

Dosage of mushrooms containing psilocybin depends on the potency of the mushroom (the total psilocybin and psilocin content of the mushrooms), which varies significantly both between species and within the same species, but is typically around 0.5–2.0% of the dried weight of the mushroom. A typical dose of the common species Psilocybe cubensis is about 1.0 to 2.5 g,while about 2.5 to 5.0 g dried mushroom material is considered a strong dose. Above 5 g is often considered a heavy dose.

The concentration of active psilocybin mushroom compounds varies not only from species to species, but also from mushroom to mushroom inside a given species, subspecies or variety. The same holds true even for different parts of the same mushroom. In the species Psilocybe samuiensis, the dried cap of the mushroom contains the most psilocybin at about 0.23%–0.90%. The mycelium contains about 0.24%–0.32%.


Legality

Main article: Legal status of psilocybin mushrooms

Psilocybe alleniiPsilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and are not recognized for medical use. However, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered by UN drug treaties.

Psilocybin mushrooms are regulated or prohibited in many countries, often carrying severe legal penalties (for example, the US Psychotropic Substances Act, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Drugs Act 2005, and in Canada the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act).

Magic mushrooms in their fresh form still remain legal in some countries such as Austria. On November 29, 2008, the Netherlands announced it would ban the cultivation and use of psilocybin-containing fungi beginning December 1, 2008. The UK ban on fresh mushrooms (dried ones were illegal as they were considered a psilocybin-containing preparation) introduced in 2005 came under much criticism, but was rushed through at the end of the 2001-2005 Parliament; until then, magic mushrooms had been sold in the UK.
New Mexico appeals court ruled on June 14, 2005, that growing psilocybin mushrooms for personal consumption could not be considered "manufacturing a controlled substance" under state law. However, it still remains illegal under federal law.

While this mushroom has been banned in many countries, it has been legalized in a few others. However, in India narcotics officials are confused. "Magic mushroom contains psilocin which is banned in India, but we cannot arrest people who possess the mushroom because it has not been declared illegal," he said


tea recipies

Simple Mushroom Tea

  1. Chop or crush mushrooms.
  2. Use 1 cup of water per person and/or 1 cup of water per 5 grams.
  3. Heat water to boiling, pour hot water over mushrooms.
  4. Wait 5-10 minutes, strain water into drinking cup.
  5. Pour a second amount of water over strained mushrooms.
  6. Drink first infusion.
  7. Strain second infusion into drinking cup and drink.


Zam's Mushroom Elixir Recipe
I would say that mushroom tea is by far the least 'gross' way to go with mushrooms. (though to each their own for sure). I've played with various tea-admixtures and have recently been using:

  1. Yogi Tea brand Licorice Tea
    Much MUCH better than it sounds if you havent tried it. Extremely interesting / magical flavor. Highly recommended. Other brands of 'licorice spice' are ok.
  2. Small amount of Fresh Ginger - (as a stomach helper).
  3. A little squeeze of a fresh orange
    Not too much. Adds a little acidity and a nice round flavor.
  4. Sometimes Damiana
    A very mildly stimulating herb that I find interesting by itself. Set your own admixture herbs according to your tastes and preferences.
I boil the water, pour it over the tea and let it sit until not mouth-burny, and then strain. You don't have to swallow the mushroom parts if they upset your stomach, a majority of the active ingredients of the mushrooms will be extracted into the water. The resulting tea has a very -magical- or -weird- flavor but is not at all like chewing mushrooms into paste in your mouth. 

I personally find the idea of 'hiding' the mushrooms inside other edibles to be less than appealing because I often don't want much (or anything) in my stomach at the time.



Zam's Mushroom Elixir Ritual
A ritual that I've been developing goes something like this:

  1. Start a pot of at least 3 cups of water boiling per person.
  2. chop mushrooms while waiting for water to heat up
  3. place mushrooms in small tea pot or ceramic bowl with spout
  4. pick your favorite herbs, you might consider stomach helpers like ginger, mint, etc or some mildly stimulating herb if you find mushrooms 'sleepy' (damiana, a tiny bit of green tea, etc). I would recommend against trying a new tea or herb for the first time as part of your mushroom Elixir, so work with the herbs beforehand- everyone has very different tastes. I have personally found that Yogi brand Licorice tea (with black pepper) combines very well with Teonanctl - think about taste combinations- mushrooms taste 'earthy' to me with a mysterious bite.
  5. pour ~1 cup hot/almost boiling water over them and go about your pre-mushroom rituals, change clothing, clear a space, get your blanket, find your jacket, prepare an altar, or whatever would make the experience more focused or magical, make you comfortable, try to have everything you are planning on needing prepared before you drink, etc.
  6. Music / Sound: I choose a mellow, meditative music for the drinking period to help me focus and relax.
  7. After 10+ mins, pour the 1 cup Mushroom Elixir into your ritual drinking vessel, straining with a tea strainer (available everywhere) or get a little teapot that has a built in strainer.
  8. Pour another cup of water over the wet mushrooms
  9. Hold the Mushroom Elixir and reflect on where you are, why you are choosing the Mushroom today. Drink slowly and relax into the taste. Imagine that you enjoy it :)
  10. wait at least 5-10 mins before straining off the second cup, then pour another 1/2 - 1 cup of water over mushrooms for a third extraction.
  11. drink 2nd extraction and save the third for later.
  12. relax and lie back and await the peak. I find that if I remain still during the peak, I experience very little stomach unpleasantness.
 
  • I don't notice any loss of potency from swallowed dry to the Elixir.
  • I do experience far less stomach distress with tea.
I find that it is quite pleasant to drink the mushroom tea slowly, the effects come on quickly in the tea form and by the time I've finished my first cup, I can feel the Mushroom approaching. By the time I've finished the second cup, there are distinct alerts. I save the third extraction for an hour or more after the first two and find that when I go back to drinking it while bemushroomed to be an interesting and positive experience and the effects also are increased by the third cup at T+60-120. I wouldn't recommend drinking the 3rd cup much after 2 hours as I've found trying to extend the mushroom experience after that to be somewhat unrewarding.


Wholistic Psilo-Tea Recipe


I have issues with substances hitting my system well and quickly, causing stomach discomfort in many situations that I find detracts from at least the onset of my substances of choice. And as I am an accomplished explorer of the somatic realms, and I intend to continue to be, I utilized my herbal skills to develop a recipe for maximum effect with minimum discomfort. Now that this is a 'tried and true' recipe (I have had associates request that I prepare it for them on their excursions with quite a few repeat requsts) I share it with the fine folks at Erowid. prepare the following : 

1. One quarter ounce of dried psilocybin bearing carpophores per two to three servings (adjust according to your known tolerances and limits; I will reiterate many others when I say 'IF YOU DONT KNOW BETTER, USE CAUTION IN YOUR DOSAGES') I have split a half ounce three ways with excellent result, keep in mind these are dry weights. 
2. one kiwi (peeled) and diced, one half orange or grapefruit, one small lime. 
3. Loose tea in a teaball or cheesecloth bag, seperated from the mushrooms. (I prefer green) 
4. Two tablespoons each (dry weight) of Peppermint leaf, wintergreen leaf and spearmint leaf. 
5. One teaspoon each of catnip and ma huang (also called ephedra, listed elsewhere in the Erowid.org archives). 

AS FOLLOWS: 

1. begin boiling your water, zest (remove part of the outer peel) the citrus and put 2/3's of the zest (try to get two full teaspoons of just the outer peel) in with your tea (in the cheesecloth bag) add the Ma Huang and the catnip to the cheesecloth bag, but not the loose mint. 

2. Add the 'teabag' to the water and boil for fifteen minutes, reduce heat, and remove the 'teabag'. 

3. Add the loose mint, diced kiwi, and remainder of the citrus zest, simmer until the water has cooled from it's boil to a slow roll (about 10 minutes). 

4. Add your mushrooms, simmer another ten minutes and juice your citrus into the resulting brew. (you may add the citrus flesh if you like, it eases the munching of the mush, one of my favorite parts) 

relax and smoke a reefer (if you are so inclined) prepared this way, psilocybian mushrooms begin to come on in less than twenty minutes fairly predictably. The last time I prepared this tea my companion was well on her way before she finished her cup. I have experienced far less stomach discomfort using this method, and have had a smooth transition and ride every time. I would love to know how this recipe works for all of you, so post your results! Perhaps even this superior brew can be improved