Gymnopilus sp.
, and who gorge
themselves on our tax dollars.
I met Jochen Gartz shortly after the fall of
the Berlin Wall at the third symposium of the
European College for the Study of Consciousness
(ECSC) in Freiburg, Germany. Our encounter was
my first contact with a researcher from the former
East Germany. Jochen Gartz's enthusiastic lecture
was a truly consciousnessexpanding event, his
words breaking down traditional borders and
crossing over into new territory. The magic
mushrooms spoke through him - with no trace of
dogma or ideology - in
the tradition of true anarchy that is the hallmark of
mushroom magic. What I heard was unbelievable.
Jochen spoke of a "new" psychedelic mushroom
and its migration. The mycelia had spread in
concentric circles outward from Leipzig, jumping
all political borders. Finally, when the mycelia
reached West German soil, the hated Berlin Wall
crumbled. Could there possibly be a connection
between the evolution of the magic mushroom and
the evolution of our consciousness? Could a
mushroom have contributed to the resolution of
our political conflicts?
In the past, politicians, even popes, had
their own jesters and magicians, who functioned as
pressure release valves in the machinations of
political power struggles. It is obvious that a
country whose chancellor is being pelted with
eggs, urgently needs a new breed of magician who
are able to readjust reality. But today, no aspiring
magician should go about this task without this
book as a guide for the wondrous journey into the
realm of magic mushrooms.
Christian Rdtsch
Figure 5 - "Anthropomorphic Beings Engaged in Mushroom Dance"
10,000-year-old rock drawing in Tassili, Sahara (Algeria)
CHAPTER 1
I BELIEVE THE TIME HAS COME FOR A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF NEW
FINDINGS FROM THE FIELDS OF MYCOLOGY, TAXONOMY AND NATURAL
PRODUCTS CHEMISTRY
When R.G. Wasson, R. Heim and A.
Hofmann began their interdisciplinary research
program to study the Mexican species of
mushrooms and their usage in Mexican
mushroom cults, their efforts culminated in a
1958 landmark report that described the isolation,
molecular structure and synthesis of the
mushrooms' active ingredients: psilocybin and
psilocin. Several years later, these substances
were also identified in a species of mushroom in
Europe, Psilocybe semilanceata, which became the
first in a series of newly discovered species. Since
then, psychoactive mushrooms from other genera
have been reported with increasing frequency.
As part of my analytical work dedicated
to the identification of naturally occurring
chemicals, I had the good fortune to be part of a
research team that studied alkaloids found in a
variety of mushroom species. Now I believe the
time has come for a comprehensive review of
new findings from the fields of mycology,
taxonomy and natural products chemistry.
Wasson and his successors have already provided
detailed accounts pertaining to the history and
study of the Me own
cause of death and disease, bloated stomachs and
insanity. Beliefs such as these have survived to
the present day. They persist, for example,,, as
figures of speech, s u c h as the slick Austrian
description of a societal misfit as someone "who
ate those madness-inducing mushrooms."
But, there is another, very different,
magic mushroom legacy as well.
Flesh of the Gods for Devil Worshippers
The Old World. Mycenaean civilization
began with a mushroom trip -Mushrooms were
an ingredient in the ambrosia of Dionysus.
Porphyrius, the fourth century Latin poet and
contemporary of Emperor Konstantin, knew
that magic mushrooms were the children of the
gods.
WHO WAS THE FIRST MAGICIAN?
A quasi-cannibalistic ritual, the act of eating the
children of the gods unlocked one's power to
experience the truly divine. But not all
mushrooms enable human beings to enter the
realm of divine consciousness. This magic power
resides in only those fungi known as "fool's
mushrooms", which were considered poisonous
and believed to be the spawn of the Devil
throughout the late Middle Ages and well into
modern times.
The New World: The Aztecs in Mexico
referred to a number of small, inconspicuous
mushrooms as teonartacatl, or "flesh of the
Gods." These sacred mushrooms were eaten
during the course of rituals intended to contact
the Gods in order to learn about the world and the
realm of the divine. These magic mushroom
rituals thoroughly spooked the Catholic
Spaniards. The mushroom eaters, commonly
thought of as Devil worshippers, were hounded
by the Inquisition. Still, all good things survive
the tests of time, so the cult of magic mushroom
eaters did not become extinct. Like mycelia
underground, the cult continued to flourish, and
at the proper time in recorded history, in 1957,
the fruit of the fully grown mushroom re-surfaced
to draw widespread public attention. Valentine
and Gordon Wasson became the heroes of the
modern neo-mycophilic movement.
Back to the Old World: The revelations
and insights gained from the use of psychoactive
mushrooms were so magically wonderful, that
our native European "fool's mushrooms" - which
were gene ; considered inedible - had to be
recognized as closely related to the magic
mushrooms of Mexico, the flesh of the Aztec
Gods. The souls of magic mushrooms in Mexico
and Germany are essentially made from the same
substance: psilocybin.
Jochen Gartz has made an extraordinary
contribution to the field of mycology by embracing
Germany's magic mushrooms and the scientific
study and testing of these fungi. The research
efforts upon which this book is based require
nothing less than a fearless, brave and courageous
consciousness, free of prejudice and mycophobia. I
am convinced that a researcher's consciousness
infused by the spirit of the magic mushroom is
capable of far deeper scientific insights than we
can ever expect from the usual ivory tower
academics, isolated from reality
It has been suggested by an Australian physician that the general public in Australia, as well as members of its drug using subculture, The majority of adverse physical effects or negative psychological reactions produced by "magic mushrooms" generally result from inappropriate set and expectation, or because of improper dosage, which may vary considerably among consumers, different mushroom species, or even within an individual species. The question of dosage is often confused by the variation in the source of the hallucinogenic mushroom species which is consumed. For example, Psilocybe cubensis, when picked and eaten from its natural dung (manure) habitat, produces a relatively mild mindaltering experience, which is evident from the large amounts of fresh specimens needed to achieve a threshold experience. However when grown in vitro (indoor laboratory cultivation and/or illicit cultivation), Psilocybe cubensis apparently can produce a more potent strain capable of inducing a very intense visual, sometimes quite disturbing, experience. This dosage assumes that the consumption of 1 to 3 gm of dried material would be too low if the mushroom specimen came from a wild source. This low potency for Psilocybe cubensis has been confirmed by research scientists Margot & Watling, (1981), who were surprised by the comparatively small amounts of psilocybin and psilocin which they extracted from wild specimens collected from five different locations in Australia. This suggests that a much larger dose would be required to produce significant hallucinations. It is possible that the chemicals most likely degenerated between the time that they were harvested and the time of analysis. However, it should be noted that a strain of Psilocybe cubensis producing different flushes (harvests) will vary somewhat in potency between flushes.
what season dose Gymnopilus sp. grow in
. For that reason, freeze-dried samples for biochemical analysis are stored at -10°C prior to alkaloid extractions or chromatography testing. In addition to the reports from Finland, investigators in North America have noted that psilocybin's decay rate is slowest in Psilocybe semilanceata, compared to other species. (1) R = H2P03 (2) R = H Figure 19 - Structural formulas for psilocybin (1) and psilocin (2). CH3 CH3 Psilocybe semilanceata Figure 20 - Distribution pattern of Psilocybe semilanceata in Germany and adjacent areas. Locations are indicated by black dots. CHAPTER 3.2 PSILOCYBE CYANESCENS - POTENT MUSHROOMS GROWING ON WOOD DEBRIS At least one other Psilocybe species in addition to Psilocybe semilanceata is known to exist in Europe. At this point, I must emphasize that the differentiation of single species within the Psilocybe genus is subject to considerable controversy among eminent taxonomists. For example, there are different methods of distinguishing the Hypholoma genus from the Stropharia genus. The Widespread Distribution of Psilocybe cyanescens While Psilocybe semilanceata is a species that has long been clearly defined and is well known by this name, there are, according to Krieglsteiner, other strongly bluing mushrooms that can be described as belonging to the "Psilocybe cyanescens complex". These are all mushrooms that grow on raw compost and plant debris. In accordance with current states of knowledge, the following names in the literature are merely synonyms for Psilocybe cyanescens Wakefield emend. Krieglsteiner: different herbariums. However, the microscopic data pertaining to the Psilocybe species are poorly delineated and oftentimes overlap. It is therefore imperative that additional mycological studies of Psilocybe cyanescens be performed. To this end, fresh mushroom samples from various European locations should be used, and biochemical methods must be included in the investigation. Guzman's division of Psilocybe cyanescens by geographic area, however, definitely turned out to be inaccurate. According to his system, -North Africa was home to Psilocybe mairei, while Psilocybe cyanescens were found in England and Holland and Psilocybe serbica supposedly grew in Serbia and Bohemia. The geographic distribution of the entire species seems to cover a vast area, with variations along climate and terrain at locations where samples were collected. Such disparate morphologies are to be expected when dealing with "young" species, that is, species that have not yet firmly established themselves and are still expanding into new locations. Figure 7 (p. 14) displays locations in Europe and North Africa where samples of Psilocybe cyanescens have been found. - Hypholoma cyanescens R. Maire - Hypholoma coprinifacies (Rolland ss. Herink) Pouzar - Geophila cyanescens (R. Maire) Kuhner & Romagnesi - Psilocybe serbica Moser & Horak - Psilocybe mairei Singer - Psilocyb
What Season Dose Gymnopilus Sp. Grow In
e creek on wood chips of Carpinus, Alnus and Salix, on raw compost mixtures of Picea, Pinus and Larix needles, as Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Figure 21 - Fruiting curve of Psilocybe cyanescens based on observations at several locations in the former Czechoslovakia. The mycelia make use of different kinds of plant debris and even grow on wet cardboard, where they develop into rhizomorphs just like they would in nature. Rhizomorphs are thick strands of mycelia that serve to transport nutrients and water. They also develop intense blue stains (see Figure 22). Figure 23 Distribution pattern of Psilocybe cyanescens in Germany and adjacent areas (according to Krieglsteiner). Locations are indicated by black dots. Figure 22 Psilocybe bohemica rhizomorphs growing on wet cardboard. Figure 24 - Psilocybe cyanescens at a natural location (USA). Figure 25 - Psilocybe bohemica on twigs and leaves. Impressive Experiences Psilocybe bohemica is a very psychoactive species. Its effects are vividly documented in the following account of one natural scientist's experience as part of controlled clinical trials in Prague: About 30 mg of psilocybin in mushroom tissue was prepared in hot water, with effects already noticeable ten minutes after ingestion. I grew increasingly quiet. At first, my legs began to tingle, then my underarms as well. Aside from a deeper breathing rhythm, few other somatic effects were noted. Initially there were fits of laughter caused by unusual cognitive associations; this laughter also affected the two "sober" guides. A growing hyperacuity interfered with the ability to listen to music, so that Vivaldi's "Springtime" caused painful stabs inside the brain. I compared the pain to that caused by a "sawing knife". The experimenters appeared bloated and yellow... Existing bodily characteristics, such as thinning hair stimulated a person's illusionary transformation into a monk with tonsure. Their voices also appeared reverent and, from a somewhat paranoid point of view, these gentlemen at times seemed to be working a switching station that, for some reasons, was my enemy. At the same time, I found both of them to be quite likeable. During this time period, the other female subject perceived fantastic images of moving colors and saw visions of her whole life unfolding behind closed eyes. During this period, I had the distinct impression that an electrical current was flowing through my body, which was not an uncomfortable sensation. About three hours later, the gentlemen retired to the kitchen and the nature of the experience changed quite drastically. At first I felt as if my legs were increasingly merging into the wall, a very comfortable experience. In a state of utter clarity of consciousness, I finally felt as if I had no body at all. I said. "The most descriptive expression is the experience of a pure soul". Using words as triggers, we were able to induce shared experiences o
There are more than 1 dozen species of "magic mushrooms" in Australia and New Zealand. Four of these species are dung (manure) inhabiting mushrooms. They include Psilocybe cubensis and/or Psilocybe subcubensis (known locally as "gold caps" and/or "gold tops"), Psilocybe subaeruginosa, and Copelandia cyanescens (the latter is known locally as "blue meanies"). These four species contain the mind altering alkaloids psilocybine and psilocine and are the most common hallucinogenic mushrooms in Australia. In New Zealand, the most commonly used species are Copelandia cyanescens and Psilocybe semilanceata, the latter species is recognized throughout the world as the Psilocybesemilanceatainromania "liberty cap"). This species only occurs in manured soil and does not grow directly from the dung of cattle, sheep or other four legged farm animals. Psilocybe cubensis the most popular of these species, is well known throughout much of the world; however, this species is not known to occur in New Zealand. Other species described in this guide are known to occur in manured soil, in pastures, meadows, grazing lands, some lawns and in the bark mulch and woodchips of deciduous woods.
More than half of Australia's beef cattle can be found in the coastal areas of Queensland e creek on wood chips of Carpinus, Alnus and Salix, on raw compost mixtures of Picea, Pinus and Larix needles, as Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Figure 21 - Fruiting curve of Psilocybe cyanescens based on observations at several locations in the former Czechoslovakia. The mycelia make use of different kinds of plant debris and even grow on wet cardboard, where they develop into rhizomorphs just like they would in nature. Rhizomorphs are thick strands of mycelia that serve to transport nutrients and water.They also develop intense blue stains (see Figure 22). Figure 23 Distribution pattern of Psilocybe cyanescens in Germany and adjacent areas (according to Krieglsteiner). Locations are indicated by black dots. Figure 22 Psilocybe bohemica rhizomorphs growing on wet cardboard. Figure 24 - Psilocybe cyanescens at a natural location (USA). Figure 25 - Psilocybe bohemica on twigs and leaves.
Impressive Experiences Psilocybe bohemica is a sp. Gymnopilus very psychoactive species. Its effects are vividly documented in the following account of one natural scientist's experience as part of controlled clinical trials in Prague: About 30 mg of psilocybin in mushroom tissue was prepared in hot water, with effects already noticeable ten minutes after ingestion. I grew increasingly quiet. At first, my legs began to tingle, then my underarms as well. Aside from a deeper breathing rhythm, few other somatic effects were noted. Initially there were fits of laughter caused by unusual cognitive associations; this laughter also affected the two "sober" guides. A growing hyperacuity interfered with the ability to listen to music, so that Vivaldi's "Springtime" caused painful stabs inside the brain. I compared the pain to that caused by a "sawing knife". The experimenters appeared bloated and yellow... Existing bodily characteristics, such as thinning hair stimulated a person's illusionary transformation into a monk with tonsure. Their voices also appeared reverent and, from a somewhat paranoid point of view, these gentlemen at times seemed to be working a switching station that, for some reasons, was my enemy. At the same time, I found both of them to be quite likeable. During this Species time period, the other female subject perceived fantastic images of moving colors and saw visions of her whole life unfolding behind closed eyes. During this period, I had the distinct impression that an electrical current was flowing through my body, which was not an uncomfortable sensation.
About three hours later, the gentlemen retired to the kitchen and the nature of the experience changed quite drastically. At first I felt as if my legs were increasingly merging into the wall, a very comfortable experience. In Magic Mushrooms Galway a state of utter clarity of consciousness, I finally felt as if I had no body at all. I said. "The most descriptive expression is the experience of a pure soul". Using words as triggers, we were able to induce shared experiences o went in waves. Increasingly, all colors in her immediate surroundings coalesced into shades of green. The hallucinations were fearsome; the heads of monsters became visible and a wall opened up into an abyss. There was a succession of human figure with animal heads. The next day, everything was back to normal. The oldest child (age 14) also saw her parents' hair color turn green, had dilated pupils and watched geometric shapes appear on the wall. The youngest child (age 11) experienced cramps and lost consciousness. In 1960, Singer and Guzman suggested that Panaeolus cyanescens might contain psilocybin, because of the intense blue staining they had observed. It wasn't until after the intoxications in Menton had been publicized, that a research team working with A. Hofmann detected 0.2% of psilocybin in the mushrooms. Considering the powerful effects, however, this concentration appears to be too low to cause such impressive reactions. Later on, Sandoz Laboratories reported the level of psilocybin in dried samples as 0.8%, along with 1.2% psilocin. The level of psilocin, however, may have been falsely elevated by the presence of serotonin and its derivates in the mushroom sample that was being tested. According to Stijve, a mushroom sample collected by J.W. Allen in Thailand contained 0.4% - 1.05% of psilocin, with only trace amounts of psilocybin; serotonin was present in large amounts, comparable to concentrations found in all Panaeolus species. Apparently, Panaeolus cyanescens produces more psilocin than psilocybin. Still, I was able to detect 0.4% of psilocybin in mycelia cultivated on malt agar, with no other indole compounds present. Discussion of the Panaeolus species would remain incomplete without pointing out that those subjectively terrifying psychoses reported in 1965 cannot be attributed to a specific mushroom ingredient, but were likely precipitated by the circumstances (set and setting) surrounding the incident. The effects described by J. Allen in Hawaii after eating 20 specimens paint a different picture altogether: With radio music playing softly in the dark, euphoria began to come on in waves. After 20 minutes, visions became so intense that I tried to close my eyes. Whenever 1 did close my eyes, my eyelids felt as if they were being sprayed from the outside. Colors were sharp and clear, but I always quickly opened my eyes again. Colors were dancing like laser beams to the rhythm of the music. The stars in the sky assembled in clusters that reached all the way into my soul. I was a little scared at the idea that the ocean water might rush up all the way into our hut. Other than that, feelings of euphoria were overwhelming. At times, I was overcome by fits of laughter. That night, I slept like "a prince ". The following morning I gathered up my belongings and had to walk back across the pasture where I had collected the mushrooms the day before. I noticed a lot o
Macroscopically, it is extremely difficult to
distinguish from Psilocybe semilanceata. Unlike
the latter species, however, Psilocybe pelliculosa
will grow in forests on wood chips and sawdust.
Beug and Bigwood were able to furnish
analytical proof in support of the claim that
Psilocybe pelliculosa is weaker in its psychotropic
effects than comparable species. Psilocybe
pelliculosa contains about 30-50% of the amount
of psilocybin found in Psilocybe cyanescens (slang
names: Blue wavy, Cyan, Grandote), a species
common across the Pacific Northwest. It fruits
primarily in parks, forming partial fairy rings. This
species did not become popular
among users until the mid-1970s. species still fruits most abundantly in the fall.
A New Psychoactive Mushroom Mushroom Trips as a Popular Sport
Several additional Psilocybe species have
been found in the Pacific Northwest, even though
the taxonomic classification of most of these
species remains inadequate, despite the fact that
monographs such as those by P. Stamets offer quite
detailed descriptions of the psychotropic
mycoflora. In the mid-1970s, Guzman and Ott
reported a rather spectacular Psilocybecyanescensmushroomexpert event concerning the
spread of a "new" mushroom species. During the
fall of 1972, large numbers of a strongly bluing
gilled mushroom with a distinct ring pattern were
found at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The fruiting bodies were found growing on bark
mulch, which came from a central distribution
point and which had been spread widely across the
campus by gardeners. Due to the bluing reaction,
students at the university assumed that the
mushroom contained psilocybin, a belief that was
confirmed later on. The sudden appearance of
massive numbers of fruiting bodies quickly
inspired students at the university to use the
mushrooms as a hallucinogen.
In my opinion, it is still uncertain if the
mushroom really appeared spontaneously, or
whether it fruited on bark debris simply because the
substance had previously been mixed with spawn
derived from fruiting bodies that originated
elsewhere.
In Where Does Gymnopilus Sp Grow any case, in 1976, the mushrooms were
named Psilocybe stuntzii Guzman & Ott (slang
name: "blue veil" or "stuntzees", (see Figures 54
and 71). Today, the species can be found growing
on bark and on lawns in parks, on golf courses,
football fields and gardens in numbers so large that
it is considered the second most important species
in terms of usage, after Psilocybe semilanceata. In
addition, Panaeolus subbalteatus is another
regionally important mushroom species (slang
name: "red cap"), even though its users believe it to
be slightly more poisonous than the Psilocybe
species. Still, the mushroom is used quite
frequently, because it begins to fruit during the
spring. The Psilocybe species, on the other hand, do
not appear until fall and continue to grow into early
winter, when temperatures consistently drop below
freezing, which inhibits further fruiting of the
spe