Magic mushrooms are mushrooms that contain psilocybin, a natural compound that temporarily changes consciousness. People have used them for thousands of years, from Mexican healing ceremonies to the modern living room with an eye mask and a good playlist. This is the short, honest introduction.
From sacred mushroom to living-room journey
The best-known history begins in the mountains of Oaxaca, where the Mazatec used psilocybin mushrooms in ceremonies. Through the curandera Maria Sabina, that tradition reached the West, with all its beauty and its painful sides.
What users describe
Depending on the dose, users describe everything from a warm, open feeling and more vivid colours to deep introspection and the sense of briefly looking beyond their own ego. For some it is mostly beautiful, for others meaningful, and sometimes it is simply four hours of a great deal of pattern on the wallpaper. What such an experience involves is described in the psychedelic experience.
The Dutch situation: mushroom no, truffle yes
In the Netherlands the mushrooms have been banned since 2008, but the underground truffle form of the same fungus is legal. Why that is, you can read in magic mushrooms are illegal, truffles are not. In practice it means: anyone who wants a legal introduction here chooses magic truffles, for example the mild Mexicana.
Same family as LSD and DMT?
Psilocybin belongs to the tryptamines, the same family as DMT. It is one of the most studied psychedelics, and one of the few you can explore legally in the Netherlands, in truffle form.
This article is informational and not medical advice. Psilocybin is 18+. Not suitable with a personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or combined with certain medication such as SSRIs and lithium (consult your doctor first).