Fly Agaric Mushroom Info Amanita muscaria
Posted: Wed 28th Apr 2010 02:41 pm
Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
Fly Agaric Mushroom Information
Amanita muscaria is the botanical name of the fungi more commonly known as the fly agaric mushroom. The Amanita genus contains both edible and poisonous species of mushrooms. There are over 600 different species of Amanita in the genus.
The fly agaric mushroom itself is rarely toxic to humans, but some species of Amanita are. They are thought to be involved in a majority of human deaths from eating poison mushrooms.
Although it does not look like Amanita muscaria, the most deadly mushroom in the Amanita genus is Amanita phalloides, more commonly known as the death cap, or deadly white cap. Amanita phalloides alone, is thought to be involved in about half of human deaths that result from eating poison mushrooms.
Scientific Classification Of Amanita muscaria
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Homobasidiomycetae
Subclass: Hymenomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species: Amanita muscaria
The name of the mushroom (muscaria) is derived from the Latin word musca, which means fly. It was traditionally thought that this was because Amanita muscaria can be used as an insecticide to kill flies.
However, there exists no firm evidence the fly agaric was ever used in Europe (as a fly killer) before mediaeval times. It has been argued that the fly reference can be attributed to demonic possession.
This is a linguistic reflection of the inebriating potency of Amanita muscaria and its shamanic and religious past, filtered through the dark glass of mediaeval religious intolerance. (reference 1)
History Of Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria probably originated in Asia or Europe. From there it spread to cover most parts of the northern hemisphere. In more recent times it has been transported (unintentionally by humans) to areas of the southern hemisphere.
Today it can be found scattered across the globe, from places as far north as Alaska and Siberia to areas as far south as Australia, South Africa, and South America.
Although written records of the human use of Amanita muscaria date back only to sometime around the early 1600's, the shamanic use of Amanita muscaria is thought to go back 5000-7000 years.
The earliest evidence of Amanita muscaria being used as an intoxicant is based on analysis of languages from northern Asia. Sometime around 4000 BCE, the Uralic language split into two branches. Both of these branches contain similar root words for intoxication.
In these languages the root word pang can be used to mean both intoxicated and the Amanita muscaria mushroom. These linguistic similarities suggest that Amanita muscaria was known to be intoxicating before 4000 BCE.
The Hindu religion has four books of Vedas (the main scriptural texts of Hinduism). The Vedas are possibly the worlds oldest religious texts that are still in use.
The RigVeda (which was completed orally before 1500 BCE) is a collection of hymns dedicated to the gods. It tells of the ritual consumption of the psychoactive drink called soma.
The SamaVeda is a collection of hymns to be chanted by the priests during important sacrifices in which the juice of the soma plant (mixed with milk and other ingredients) was offered to various gods.
In his 1968 book, R. Gordon Wasson speculated that soma referred to Amanita muscaria. There is some debate about Amanita muscaria being the soma mentioned in the Vedas.
In China, Amanita muscaria has been used as an herb since before the time of Christ. It was also a traditional symbol of good fortune, good health, and longevity. It even has associations with immortality.
A statue of Amanita muscaria was found in Nayarit, Mexico. This statue has been dated to 100 AD, suggesting that Amanita muscaria has been used since ancient times in coastal Mexico.
A fresco in Plaincourault Abbey (Indre, France) from 1291 shows Adam and Eve standing on either side of the biblical tree of knowledge. The tree itself looks like Amanita muscaria. See the image here.
The first written reference to Amanita muscaria being used as an intoxicant dates back to 1626. In that year, a Jesuit missionary in Quebec, Canada wrote a letter to his brother in France about the Indian practice of ingesting Amanita muscaria to become intoxicated.
The letter states that "they assure you that after death they go to heaven, eat mushrooms and have intercourse with each other". (reference 2)
In 1658, a Polish prisoner of war wrote about a culture from western Siberia that "eat certain fungi in the shape of fly agaric, and thus they become drunk worse than on vodka, and for them that's the very best banquet". (reference 3)
In 1730, Filip Johann von Strahlenberg, a Swedish Colonel who spent 12 years in Siberia as a prisoner of war, wrote a book called An Historico-Geographical Description of the North and Eastern Parts of Europe and Asia.
The book includes a detailed description of the practice of ingesting tea made from Amanita muscaria. It goes on to describe the practice of drinking the urine of those who have ingested the mushroom in order to become intoxicated. (reference 4)
The active ingredient is excreted in the urine of those consuming the mushrooms. In Siberia, it was not uncommon for the poor to consume the urine of wealthy people who consumed Amanita muscaria mushrooms. This may sound like a bad means of getting intoxicated but the urine drinkers seemed to get as high as the actual mushroom eaters, for free.
Most people see Christmas as a Christian tradition. However, many of the symbols related to Christmas are derived from much older Pre-Christian practices from Northern Europe. Many of these people considered Amanita muscaria to be sacred.
Most of the major symbols related to Christmas (flying reindeer, christmas trees, gift giving, santa claus, etc) may be based on the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of Amanita muscaria mushrooms. (reference 5)
In 1970, John Marco Allegro published a book called the mushroom and the cross. The theme of the book is that Christianity and Judaism are based on a cult whose god was Amanita muscaria.
In fact, (the book goes on to claim) Jesus Christ was the personification of Amanita muscaria. John Marco Allegro thought the cult was secretive in its writings and he made interpretations that are difficult to follow and verify.
Description Of Amanita muscaria
The Amanita muscaria is a very popular mushroom. It is commonly referred to as the red mushroom with white spots.
It has been used as an image for such things as books, children's stories (like alice in wonderland), greeting cards, postage stamps, and for many other purposes.
When it is young, the mushroom is wrapped in a white universal veil. At this point it looks like a large white egg covered in white material. This stage is a common characteristics of the Amanita genus. The egg shape is retained until the mushroom pushes its way out of the white casing.
As the mushroom grows, the top of the white veil will break and the white speckled warts (they can be washed off in a strong rainstorm) on the red cap will be all that remain of the veil. The rest of the veil will stay attached to the stalk of the mushroom.
When fully grown, the cap usually measures from 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) in diameter and it is usually a distinct blood red color. However, some varieties have a cap that is orange or yellow in color and even specimens that have a red cap will turn yellow as they age.
Images of Amanita muscaria:
--- 1 amanita muscaria in 3 stages of development
--- 2 dried cap of amanita muscaria
--- 3 yellow subspecies (amanita muscaria var. formosa)
Fresh Amanita muscaria mushrooms have white flesh and a bland taste. After drying, the flesh will darken to a dark cream to pale brown color and they will taste very bad, to most people.
Chemistry Of Amanita muscaria
Most mushrooms with psychoactive effects are called magic mushrooms and Amanita muscaria is considered a magic mushroom by some people. However, mushrooms from the Psilocybe genus are expected by most people when buying or growing magic mushrooms.
If you have ever done magic mushrooms before, they were probably a species of Psilocybe, not Amanita muscaria or any other mushroom with psychoactive properties. There are some major differences in these two types of mushrooms.
Psilocybe mushrooms are more potent than Amanita muscaria mushrooms. It takes a smaller dose of Psilocybe mushrooms to achieve a similar level of intoxication than would be needed if using muscaria.
Psilocybe mushrooms are easier on the body than Amanita muscaria mushrooms are. Nausea, sleepiness, and other discomforts associated with the ingestion of muscaria are reduced when a person consumes Psilocybe mushrooms.
The primary chemicals with psychoactive effects are different in Psilocybe mushrooms when compared to Amanita muscaria. Mushrooms from the Psilocybe genus have psilocybin and psilocin as the main active ingredients.
Amanita muscaria has chemicals called muscimole and ibotenic acid that produce psychoactive effects. Psilocybe and Amanita are not chemically related with regard to their psychoactive properties and therefore produce markedly different psychoactive effects.
It is illegal to ingest Psilocybe mushrooms (in most countries) but it is legal to ingest Amanita muscaria (in most countries). Therefore, Amanita muscaria should be much cheaper than any psychoactive species of Psilocybe mushroom.
How To Use Fly Agaric Mushrooms (Amanita muscaria)
The fly agaric mushroom is rarely toxic to adults but doses higher than 20 fresh mushrooms may be fatal to small children or those in ill health. To be safe, never ingest more than 10 fresh mushrooms or over 30 grams of dry mushrooms (at one time) when ingesting this type of mushroom.
It is best to use dried fly agaric mushrooms rather than fresh ones, because hallucinogenic chemicals are more concentrated and less toxic when the mushrooms have dried. You can buy fly agaric mushrooms here, look for the Amanita muscaria section of their site or do a search for Amanita muscaria. They ship from the USA to most countries.
Smoking: Dry fly agaric mushrooms can be smoked alone or added to tobacco, marijuana, or other herbs. Smoke a joint or two worth of material and see what you think. If you like the results, you can smoke a joint of fly agaric mushrooms when you want to. If you don't feel anything after smoking it, try drinking it in tea or taking it in a capsule.
Tea: Try using 1 gram (or more) of dry fly agaric mushrooms to make fly agaric tea. Start with a gram and work your way to a higher dose each time you try (until you find a dose you like). Wait wait 3-4 days (or longer) between attempts. See this for more information about making herbal tea and other methods of consuming herbs.
When drinking fly agaric tea, it is recommended that you add sugar and a real bag of tea to the mixture when it is being made. If not, find some way to mask the taste. Otherwise it may be so bad that you won't be able to consume it.
Oral Ingestion: Dry fly agaric mushrooms can be broken into small pieces (or turned into a powder by using a coffee grinder) then put into empty capsules and swallowed. Try 1 gram on your first attempt and increase the dose size by 1 gram each time you try. Wait wait 3-4 days (or longer) between attempts.
Extracts: Amanita muscaria extract is available commercially. This is a concentrated form of Amanita muscaria. Extracts are usually rated according to how much more potent a they are when compared to the same amount of fly agaric mushrooms.
For example, an extract rated 10x is ten times stronger than the same amount of fly agaric mushrooms. Use in small doses or follow the manufacturers instructions.
At lower size doses, Amanita muscaria can produce a mild pleasant feeling, clearer thinking is reported by some users. At medium size doses, a feeling of drunkenness similar to that produced by alcohol can occur. At higher doses, hallucinations are possible.
Like most drugs that can cause hallucinations, fly agaric mushrooms can cause a user to experience feelings of terror or peace. Your response will vary depending on your frame of mind, your surroundings, and the dose size.
Effects can be felt 30-120 minutes after ingestion. The peak will start 1-3 hours after ingestion and can last 6-10 hours. After effects can last another 1-6 hours. Alcohol can intensify intoxication. Marijuana can ease any feelings of nausea and intensify intoxication.
low dose = 1-5 grams dried (1-2 fresh mushrooms)
medium dose = 5-10 grams dried (2-4 fresh mushrooms)
high dose = 10-30 grams dried (4-10 fresh mushrooms)
It is best to start a low dose and work your way up gradually. A first time user who was given a large dose of fly agaric mushrooms at a shamanic ceremony described his experience this way "I had no power on my own. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, I didn't think. I wasn't in my body any longer". (reference 6)
Collecting Amanita muscaria For Personal Use
Amanita muscaria will only grow in conjunction with various species of birch, fir, pine, spruce, and other similar trees. In Australia it has formed a new association with southern beech (genus Nothofagus).
The association with these various trees is a symbiotic one. Amanita muscaria enhances mineral uptake for the tree and in return it gets carbohydrates from the root of the tree. This relationship means that if the host trees are not available, Amanita muscaria will not grow there.
Varieties of Amanita muscaria can be found throughout most parts of the globe. The mushrooms will grow in most climates that are capable of sustaining plants and fungi.
References
reference 1 - pharmacotheon: entheogenic drugs, their...
reference 2 - psychedelics encyclopedia
reference 3 - diary of muscovite captivity - published 1874
reference 4 - soma: divine mushroom of immortality
reference 5 - mushrooms and mankind
reference 6 - plants of the gods
copyright © www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/
[/b]
Fly Agaric Mushroom Information
Amanita muscaria is the botanical name of the fungi more commonly known as the fly agaric mushroom. The Amanita genus contains both edible and poisonous species of mushrooms. There are over 600 different species of Amanita in the genus.
The fly agaric mushroom itself is rarely toxic to humans, but some species of Amanita are. They are thought to be involved in a majority of human deaths from eating poison mushrooms.
Although it does not look like Amanita muscaria, the most deadly mushroom in the Amanita genus is Amanita phalloides, more commonly known as the death cap, or deadly white cap. Amanita phalloides alone, is thought to be involved in about half of human deaths that result from eating poison mushrooms.
Scientific Classification Of Amanita muscaria
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Homobasidiomycetae
Subclass: Hymenomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species: Amanita muscaria
The name of the mushroom (muscaria) is derived from the Latin word musca, which means fly. It was traditionally thought that this was because Amanita muscaria can be used as an insecticide to kill flies.
However, there exists no firm evidence the fly agaric was ever used in Europe (as a fly killer) before mediaeval times. It has been argued that the fly reference can be attributed to demonic possession.
This is a linguistic reflection of the inebriating potency of Amanita muscaria and its shamanic and religious past, filtered through the dark glass of mediaeval religious intolerance. (reference 1)
History Of Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria probably originated in Asia or Europe. From there it spread to cover most parts of the northern hemisphere. In more recent times it has been transported (unintentionally by humans) to areas of the southern hemisphere.
Today it can be found scattered across the globe, from places as far north as Alaska and Siberia to areas as far south as Australia, South Africa, and South America.
Although written records of the human use of Amanita muscaria date back only to sometime around the early 1600's, the shamanic use of Amanita muscaria is thought to go back 5000-7000 years.
The earliest evidence of Amanita muscaria being used as an intoxicant is based on analysis of languages from northern Asia. Sometime around 4000 BCE, the Uralic language split into two branches. Both of these branches contain similar root words for intoxication.
In these languages the root word pang can be used to mean both intoxicated and the Amanita muscaria mushroom. These linguistic similarities suggest that Amanita muscaria was known to be intoxicating before 4000 BCE.
The Hindu religion has four books of Vedas (the main scriptural texts of Hinduism). The Vedas are possibly the worlds oldest religious texts that are still in use.
The RigVeda (which was completed orally before 1500 BCE) is a collection of hymns dedicated to the gods. It tells of the ritual consumption of the psychoactive drink called soma.
The SamaVeda is a collection of hymns to be chanted by the priests during important sacrifices in which the juice of the soma plant (mixed with milk and other ingredients) was offered to various gods.
In his 1968 book, R. Gordon Wasson speculated that soma referred to Amanita muscaria. There is some debate about Amanita muscaria being the soma mentioned in the Vedas.
In China, Amanita muscaria has been used as an herb since before the time of Christ. It was also a traditional symbol of good fortune, good health, and longevity. It even has associations with immortality.
A statue of Amanita muscaria was found in Nayarit, Mexico. This statue has been dated to 100 AD, suggesting that Amanita muscaria has been used since ancient times in coastal Mexico.
A fresco in Plaincourault Abbey (Indre, France) from 1291 shows Adam and Eve standing on either side of the biblical tree of knowledge. The tree itself looks like Amanita muscaria. See the image here.
The first written reference to Amanita muscaria being used as an intoxicant dates back to 1626. In that year, a Jesuit missionary in Quebec, Canada wrote a letter to his brother in France about the Indian practice of ingesting Amanita muscaria to become intoxicated.
The letter states that "they assure you that after death they go to heaven, eat mushrooms and have intercourse with each other". (reference 2)
In 1658, a Polish prisoner of war wrote about a culture from western Siberia that "eat certain fungi in the shape of fly agaric, and thus they become drunk worse than on vodka, and for them that's the very best banquet". (reference 3)
In 1730, Filip Johann von Strahlenberg, a Swedish Colonel who spent 12 years in Siberia as a prisoner of war, wrote a book called An Historico-Geographical Description of the North and Eastern Parts of Europe and Asia.
The book includes a detailed description of the practice of ingesting tea made from Amanita muscaria. It goes on to describe the practice of drinking the urine of those who have ingested the mushroom in order to become intoxicated. (reference 4)
The active ingredient is excreted in the urine of those consuming the mushrooms. In Siberia, it was not uncommon for the poor to consume the urine of wealthy people who consumed Amanita muscaria mushrooms. This may sound like a bad means of getting intoxicated but the urine drinkers seemed to get as high as the actual mushroom eaters, for free.
Most people see Christmas as a Christian tradition. However, many of the symbols related to Christmas are derived from much older Pre-Christian practices from Northern Europe. Many of these people considered Amanita muscaria to be sacred.
Most of the major symbols related to Christmas (flying reindeer, christmas trees, gift giving, santa claus, etc) may be based on the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of Amanita muscaria mushrooms. (reference 5)
In 1970, John Marco Allegro published a book called the mushroom and the cross. The theme of the book is that Christianity and Judaism are based on a cult whose god was Amanita muscaria.
In fact, (the book goes on to claim) Jesus Christ was the personification of Amanita muscaria. John Marco Allegro thought the cult was secretive in its writings and he made interpretations that are difficult to follow and verify.
Description Of Amanita muscaria
The Amanita muscaria is a very popular mushroom. It is commonly referred to as the red mushroom with white spots.
It has been used as an image for such things as books, children's stories (like alice in wonderland), greeting cards, postage stamps, and for many other purposes.
When it is young, the mushroom is wrapped in a white universal veil. At this point it looks like a large white egg covered in white material. This stage is a common characteristics of the Amanita genus. The egg shape is retained until the mushroom pushes its way out of the white casing.
As the mushroom grows, the top of the white veil will break and the white speckled warts (they can be washed off in a strong rainstorm) on the red cap will be all that remain of the veil. The rest of the veil will stay attached to the stalk of the mushroom.
When fully grown, the cap usually measures from 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) in diameter and it is usually a distinct blood red color. However, some varieties have a cap that is orange or yellow in color and even specimens that have a red cap will turn yellow as they age.
Images of Amanita muscaria:
--- 1 amanita muscaria in 3 stages of development
--- 2 dried cap of amanita muscaria
--- 3 yellow subspecies (amanita muscaria var. formosa)
Fresh Amanita muscaria mushrooms have white flesh and a bland taste. After drying, the flesh will darken to a dark cream to pale brown color and they will taste very bad, to most people.
Chemistry Of Amanita muscaria
Most mushrooms with psychoactive effects are called magic mushrooms and Amanita muscaria is considered a magic mushroom by some people. However, mushrooms from the Psilocybe genus are expected by most people when buying or growing magic mushrooms.
If you have ever done magic mushrooms before, they were probably a species of Psilocybe, not Amanita muscaria or any other mushroom with psychoactive properties. There are some major differences in these two types of mushrooms.
Psilocybe mushrooms are more potent than Amanita muscaria mushrooms. It takes a smaller dose of Psilocybe mushrooms to achieve a similar level of intoxication than would be needed if using muscaria.
Psilocybe mushrooms are easier on the body than Amanita muscaria mushrooms are. Nausea, sleepiness, and other discomforts associated with the ingestion of muscaria are reduced when a person consumes Psilocybe mushrooms.
The primary chemicals with psychoactive effects are different in Psilocybe mushrooms when compared to Amanita muscaria. Mushrooms from the Psilocybe genus have psilocybin and psilocin as the main active ingredients.
Amanita muscaria has chemicals called muscimole and ibotenic acid that produce psychoactive effects. Psilocybe and Amanita are not chemically related with regard to their psychoactive properties and therefore produce markedly different psychoactive effects.
It is illegal to ingest Psilocybe mushrooms (in most countries) but it is legal to ingest Amanita muscaria (in most countries). Therefore, Amanita muscaria should be much cheaper than any psychoactive species of Psilocybe mushroom.
How To Use Fly Agaric Mushrooms (Amanita muscaria)
The fly agaric mushroom is rarely toxic to adults but doses higher than 20 fresh mushrooms may be fatal to small children or those in ill health. To be safe, never ingest more than 10 fresh mushrooms or over 30 grams of dry mushrooms (at one time) when ingesting this type of mushroom.
It is best to use dried fly agaric mushrooms rather than fresh ones, because hallucinogenic chemicals are more concentrated and less toxic when the mushrooms have dried. You can buy fly agaric mushrooms here, look for the Amanita muscaria section of their site or do a search for Amanita muscaria. They ship from the USA to most countries.
Smoking: Dry fly agaric mushrooms can be smoked alone or added to tobacco, marijuana, or other herbs. Smoke a joint or two worth of material and see what you think. If you like the results, you can smoke a joint of fly agaric mushrooms when you want to. If you don't feel anything after smoking it, try drinking it in tea or taking it in a capsule.
Tea: Try using 1 gram (or more) of dry fly agaric mushrooms to make fly agaric tea. Start with a gram and work your way to a higher dose each time you try (until you find a dose you like). Wait wait 3-4 days (or longer) between attempts. See this for more information about making herbal tea and other methods of consuming herbs.
When drinking fly agaric tea, it is recommended that you add sugar and a real bag of tea to the mixture when it is being made. If not, find some way to mask the taste. Otherwise it may be so bad that you won't be able to consume it.
Oral Ingestion: Dry fly agaric mushrooms can be broken into small pieces (or turned into a powder by using a coffee grinder) then put into empty capsules and swallowed. Try 1 gram on your first attempt and increase the dose size by 1 gram each time you try. Wait wait 3-4 days (or longer) between attempts.
Extracts: Amanita muscaria extract is available commercially. This is a concentrated form of Amanita muscaria. Extracts are usually rated according to how much more potent a they are when compared to the same amount of fly agaric mushrooms.
For example, an extract rated 10x is ten times stronger than the same amount of fly agaric mushrooms. Use in small doses or follow the manufacturers instructions.
At lower size doses, Amanita muscaria can produce a mild pleasant feeling, clearer thinking is reported by some users. At medium size doses, a feeling of drunkenness similar to that produced by alcohol can occur. At higher doses, hallucinations are possible.
Like most drugs that can cause hallucinations, fly agaric mushrooms can cause a user to experience feelings of terror or peace. Your response will vary depending on your frame of mind, your surroundings, and the dose size.
Effects can be felt 30-120 minutes after ingestion. The peak will start 1-3 hours after ingestion and can last 6-10 hours. After effects can last another 1-6 hours. Alcohol can intensify intoxication. Marijuana can ease any feelings of nausea and intensify intoxication.
low dose = 1-5 grams dried (1-2 fresh mushrooms)
medium dose = 5-10 grams dried (2-4 fresh mushrooms)
high dose = 10-30 grams dried (4-10 fresh mushrooms)
It is best to start a low dose and work your way up gradually. A first time user who was given a large dose of fly agaric mushrooms at a shamanic ceremony described his experience this way "I had no power on my own. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, I didn't think. I wasn't in my body any longer". (reference 6)
Collecting Amanita muscaria For Personal Use
Amanita muscaria will only grow in conjunction with various species of birch, fir, pine, spruce, and other similar trees. In Australia it has formed a new association with southern beech (genus Nothofagus).
The association with these various trees is a symbiotic one. Amanita muscaria enhances mineral uptake for the tree and in return it gets carbohydrates from the root of the tree. This relationship means that if the host trees are not available, Amanita muscaria will not grow there.
Varieties of Amanita muscaria can be found throughout most parts of the globe. The mushrooms will grow in most climates that are capable of sustaining plants and fungi.
References
reference 1 - pharmacotheon: entheogenic drugs, their...
reference 2 - psychedelics encyclopedia
reference 3 - diary of muscovite captivity - published 1874
reference 4 - soma: divine mushroom of immortality
reference 5 - mushrooms and mankind
reference 6 - plants of the gods
copyright © www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/
[/b]
