Magic mushrooms are not a topping you ask for on your pizza. Rather, these veggies contain psilocybin. Magic mushrooms are psychedelic, which means they produce hallucinations and/or altered state(s) of awareness. Users who consume magic mushrooms are looking to “trip”, or to experience the effect of the psychedelic drugs on the user’s mental or physical state.

Psychedelic mushrooms were first used around 9000 B.C. in religious rituals. The first recorded use was by the Spanish in the 16th century. The drug later became mainly grown in South America, and is a relatively recent arrival in the U.S. At first, scientists experimenting with the drug used the pill form of psilocybin. The drug’s U.S. heyday was during the late 1960s and 1970s. There was an explosion in usage and popular knowledge in 1976, when cultivation methods became more well-known to the public. However, today, magic mushrooms are an illegal drug because psilocybin has been classified as a Schedule 1 drug, and as such, buying, selling, trading, or even giving away psilocybin-containing mushrooms, or spores (which don’t yet have psilocybin) could lead to imprisonment in most U.S. states.

Psilocybin is most commonly ingested in the forms of either dried mushroom caps or stems. Sometimes, users cut the “‘shrooms’” with LSD (aka “acid”) hoping to get a more intense (and what some claim will be a longer) trip. Another legal substance that possibly lengthens the trip is vitamin C.

Compared with many other psychedelics, psilocybin causes a sometimes-emotional trip in the user. The short-term effect on health is, when good, a spiritual or out-of-body experience, where time seems to slow to a halt, and the user feels connected to the universe. For this type of “good trip”, the user’s mindset and the environment must be positive before “tripping”. There is typically a higher likelihood of obtaining a good trip when magic mushrooms are taken alone, or in a small group.

However, the short-term effects on health include nausea and increased tolerance. The relatively high incidence of nausea among users, combined with the possibility of a bad/emotional trip, render psilocybin a hallucinogen for more experienced users. At this time, research is inconclusive on the physical long-term effects of psychedelic mushrooms.

Some good news is that mushrooms have been used with some success to treat individuals with anxiety disorders, major depression, and some forms of addiction(s), and are prescribed in some states to alleviate such disorders. Also, since psilocybin has low toxicity (this substance exits the body quicker than caffeine), it is generally not dangerous to take. According to studies done on rats, it has been estimated that a one hundred thirty pound individual would have to consume forty pounds of fresh mushrooms (a third of his or her body weight!) to be in a lethal dose range.

Again, magic mushrooms are not what you order as a pizza topping. Instead, these veggies are classified as a Class 1 psychedelic/hallucinogenic, with imprisonment being one potential consequence.

DISCLAIMER: Turn Up does not condone the illegal consumption of drugs, including psilocybin. Improper use of psilocybin can lead to severe legal consequences, including a permanent criminal record and trouble securing employment or obtaining acceptances to graduate programs. The safest way to avoid such complications is to abstain from psilocybin or to use the drug only under a healthcare professional’s guidance. None of the aforementioned is to be construed as medical or legal advice from Turn Up.