Is it dangerous to eat magic mushrooms before they have dried out? Also, a little bird told me that ‘shrooms are not at all illegal until they are dried out. I live in England so I’m not really interested in America’s point of view on this. Finally I would like to know a little bit about how magic mushrooms affect you and their health hazards for a long-term user. –Sam, via email
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If you didn’t want to hear America’s point of view, Sam, you probably would have been smarter not to ask an American. But never mind–I’ll endeavor to make this column parochial-limey-accessible. By “magic mushrooms” I’ll assume you mean your classic Psilocybe semilanceata (“liberty cap”) mushrooms and their kin, and not others that can cause a high, such as fly agaric. The active ingredients in magic mushrooms are psilocin and psilocybin (the latter breaks down into the former). Psilocin attaches itself to serotonin receptors in your brain, where it stimulates neurons, and this stimulation in the absence of real (or anyway external) stimuli is what leads to a sense of altered reality.
Contrary to legend, magic mushrooms are no more or less dangerous when dried. Drying mushrooms merely preserves them and helps prevent the growth of mold. The pharmacological effects of magic mushrooms, which start about 30 minutes after eating and last for several hours, include confusion, a sense of well-being and connection to others or the universe, and for those so inclined, religious experiences. Hallucinations are common–many report the sensation that inanimate objects are “breathing.” Uncontrollable laughter is common as well.
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