Amanita Muscaria is a species of mushroom that can when processed properly, produce effects similar to those of psilocybin. The difference is that while psilocybin remains illegal across most of the United States, amanita mushrooms and their alkaloids are legal.
What Is Amanita Muscaria?
Also known as fly agaric, this mushroom can be found in North America, Europe, the UK, Central Asia, Brazil, and South Africa in abundant quantities during its peak growing season.
Part of the reason that these mushrooms seem to fruit so prolifically is that, without processing, they are very poisonous, so they tend to stick around longer without being eaten by insects and critters.
While it’s very much inadvisable to go out and start picking fly agaric mushrooms in the wild, those who want to try them can learn more about safe ways to obtain the substance online.
Psychoactive Effects
After proper processing to remove the poisonous compounds, amanita mushrooms can be used to attain psychoactive effects.
Contrary to what some people think, though, they don’t contain either psilocybin or psilocin, the two compounds associated with most “magic mushrooms.” Instead, they contain a different psychoactive ingredient called muscimol.
When taken in proper concentrations after professional processing, muscimol acts on the GABA-A receptors. As a result, it tends to have more sedative and deliriant effects than psilocybin, making it a very different experience even for experienced psychonauts.
The effects of fly agaric usually begin 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion. Some people report strong visions, particularly during dreams, and others have what they consider deep religious insights.
While awake, people typically report dream-like sensations and an inability to tell whether or not things are real. The effects last four to ten hours depending on the dose and the person’s individual response to muscimol.
How Poisonous Is Fly Agaric?
Fly agaric ingestion doesn’t usually kill people, but it will make people feel very sick, particularly when ingested in raw form. Part of the problem is that it contains high concentrations of muscarine, which causes distressing physical effects.
However, concentrations of ibotenic acid may also be partially to blame.
Cytotoxic Properties
When fresh, amanitas contain a large concentration of ibotenic acid. While this substance is technically psychoactive, it is also a powerful neurotoxin. Ibotenic acid has such strong cytotoxic properties that scientists sometimes use it to model Alzheimer’s disease in model organisms.
In other words, it’s not something that people want to consume in any large amount.
Some people believe that drying fly agaric caps can eliminate ibotenic acid. However, while this process does decarboxylate some of it, converting it into psychoactive and non-toxic muscimol, drying alone results in a product that is still poisonous.
The only way to guarantee a safe experience when taking Amanita Muscara is to purchase it in already altered form from a company that verifies 100% conversion of the ibotenic acid into muscimol using lab testing.
People have been using amanita mushrooms for spiritual purposes for millennia after processing them using traditional methods. Modern Americans are much better off taking lab-tested products than they are experimenting with this potentially poisonous mushroom at home.