Amanita muscaria: The Magic Mushrooms of the Old World
Mushrooms have been overlooked in the health world for a long time, but they are finally getting the attention they deserve. These medicinal fungi are worth getting to know because they can help with things like managing pain, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, exhaustion, and addiction/withdrawal are among the reported medical conditions that have been alleviated by its administration.
The Amanita muscaria, also called the fly agaric mushroom, is a species of hallucinogenic mushroom that is well-known but not well understood. This species of toadstool mushroom is one of the oldest psychoactive fungi that we know of, and it's often used as a stand-in in popular culture. For example, when you see a cute, animated mushroom, it's usually an Amanita muscaria (like the mushrooms in all the Mario Nintendo games). Aminita Muscaria is different from other functional mushroom gummies such as lion's mane mushroom, reishi mushroom, and turkey tail mushrooms in that it has psychedelic properties.
Amanita Muscaria Mushroom
Because the active molecules of Amanita muscaria do not have the same effect on the human mind and body as true textbook psychedelics. Although modern shroomers tend to favor the psilocybin varieties, they have been used medicinally, spiritually, and recreationally for thousands of years and are therefore considered a common, old-world substance. However, magic mushrooms are becoming increasingly popular again, so let's learn more about this age-old entheogen.
What is Amanita muscaria?
The fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is a kind of the fungus of the genus Amanita, which belongs to the Basidiomycota family. The propensity of this mushroom species to lure and kill flies and probably mosquitoes is what gives rise to its common name.
The fly agaric is an indigenous species to the temperate and boreal zones of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Americas, Europe, and Siberia/Northern Asia. Growing primarily in the shade of birch and pine, this mushroom has a long and tight relationship with a wide range of tree types.
Although there are several telltale signs that help you identify an Amanita muscaria, you should know that there are really several different subspecies of this fungus, some of which are more powerful or dangerous than others. Furthermore, recent DNA fungal research has revealed that many mushroom species commonly considered to be muscarias are actually entirely different species, such as the peach-colored fly agaric, which retains its common name despite not being a fly agaric at all.
Red crowns with white dots and white gills characterize Amanita muscaria mushrooms. One of the most well-known types of toadstool mushroom, they are instantly recognized. Many popular animation games and cartoons feature Amanita muscaria mushrooms, including the Mario series, Alice in Wonderland, and others.
Amanita muscaria does produce hallucinations and altered states of consciousness, by it is not considered to be in the same classification as a formal psychedelic fungus.
Muscimol vs psilocybin
Once again, Amanita muscaria does produce hallucinations and altered states of consciousness, by it is not considered to be in the same classification as a formal psychedelic fungus. This is because the active ingredient is different. In classic psychedelics like psilocybin, mescaline, and LSD, the active compounds interact with our serotonin and/or dopamine neurotransmitters, which are 5-HT2A agonists.
In A. muscaria, the psychoactive ingredients are muscimol and ibotenic acid. Muscimol activates the major inhibitory neurotransmitter system, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). As an inhibitory system, muscimol works by suppressing the activity of neurons in the brain. Ibotenic acid is a neurotoxin and agonist of glutamate receptors, specifically at both the N-methyl-D-aspartate, or NMDA, and trans-ACPD receptor sites. Neurotoxins interrupt communication between neurons across a synapse, changing the way the nervous system functions. Ibotenic acid is a secondary metabolite that converts to muscimol via decarboxylation.
While that may sound pretty intense, people who use these mushrooms compare the feeling to being drunk, but with a bit more of a curious and psychedelic vibe to it. The muscimol in these mushrooms can produce feelings of euphoria, hallucinations, muscle jerks, drowsiness, sweating, pupil dilation, and increased body temperature.
Many documents list Amanita muscaria as deadly/fatal, but according to David Arora, an American mycologist, naturalist, and writer, this is incorrect and implies that the mushroom is more dangerous than it really is. Even the American Mycological Association has stated that there were “no reliably documented cases of death from toxins in these mushrooms in the past 100 years”. Fly agaric mushrooms were used widely in the “old world” but eventually their use faded away as psilocybin mushrooms and truffles, which are more potent and carry less side effects, became increasingly popular and more available.
SHOP MUSHROOMS HERE
HappyMush psilo gummies are derived from Amanita Muscaria, Amanita Pantherina, and Yellow Fly Agaric Fungi. Contains legal psychedelic compounds of Muscimol, Muscarine, and Ibotenic Acid.
Amanita Muscimol interaction with different brain receptors
Even though amanita looks a lot like magic mushrooms, experts say that they are not the same, both in terms of their chemical makeup and how they make you feel.
Amanita has the psychoactive chemicals muscimol and muscarine, as well as ibotenic acid, which is turned into muscimol both when it is dried and when it is digested by the body.
Muscimol and all the other chemicals that have been linked to amanita muscaria's intoxicating effects don't affect the same receptors as classic psychedelics
While psilocybin binds to serotonin receptors, muscimol binds to GABA receptors. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines also bind to GABA receptors.
Amanita Muscaria Health Benefits
Therapeutic claims predate modern clinical research by thousands of years. People have reported positive results from using Amanita muscaria to treat a wide variety of painful conditions, including sciatica, neck and back pain, musculoskeletal pain, and joint pain.
There have been reports of its efficacy in treating frostbite, twitching, numbness, rheumatism, and radiculitis. In addition, a dilution of fly agaric was used to alleviate the symptoms of menstruation, menopause, and bladder and bowel pains in women. Additionally, it was commonly used to alleviate throat pain. Nail fungus, mild infections, and Lyme disease skin disorders were only some of the external difficulties that tinctures of A. muscaria were applied to topically.
The fly agaric has a long-documented history of use among the Koryaks of the Kamchatka Peninsula for both spiritual and medical purposes. Sublingual administration of Amanita muscaria has been shown to improve focus and energy levels and has been used as a homeopathic treatment for a wide range of medical conditions, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, exhaustion, and addiction/withdrawal.
There is substantial historical evidence that the Koryak people of the Kamchatka Peninsula used A. muscaria for shamanic, therapeutic, and occult purposes. Traditionally, Amanita muscaria was employed as a homeopathic treatment. Pain, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, exhaustion, and addiction/withdrawal are among the reported medical conditions that have been alleviated by its administration.
It's important in preparation of the Amanita Muscaria
For optimal results, fly agarics must be properly prepared and dosed before consumption. They were traditionally ingested by local shamans being dried to perfection before being eaten directly or drinking the urine of someone who has eaten them. The drying process is still used, however nowadays Amanita muscaria is typically taken in microdoses. A tiny amount of these mushrooms can have beneficial and even hallucinogenic effects.
Parboiling and then eating as a side dish or mixed with other dishes is the standard method of preparing A. muscaria for culinary use across Europe, Japan, and some regions of North America. It is supposed to have a robust yet sweet, very tasty flavor when cooked properly, however there is not a lot of information on the edibility and nutritional worth of eating these mushrooms.
How Legal Are Amanita Muscaria and Psilocybin Mushrooms?
Most drug enforcement policies around the world do not restrict the use of the Amanita muscaria mushroom. This is a big difference from psilocybin mushrooms, which, with a few exceptions, are very tightly controlled in most countries.
But when it comes to the United States, this difference is even bigger.
The law in the US about Amanita Muscaria
As of this writing, it is legal to own, grow, and sell Amanita Muscaria in most states in the US. At the moment, Louisiana is the only state with laws about how Amanita Muscaria mushrooms can be used.
Louisiana law says that it is illegal to own, use, sell, or grow Amanita Muscaria unless it is used as an ornament or decoration.