Like other psychedelic tryptamine compounds such as LSD and DMT, psilocybin closely resembles the neurotransmitter serotonin. Psilocin, its active metabolite, binds to 5HT2A receptors primarily in the prefrontal cortex. These receptors influence mood, imagination, cognition, and perception. They don’t cause withdrawal symptoms and actually have anti-addictive properties being studied for treating other addictions.

Available forms

Being in a good state of mind, with trusted friends and a safe environment before taking magic mushrooms reduces the risk of having a bad trip. Drugs that affect a person’s mental state (psychoactive drugs) can also have different effects depending on a person’s mood (often called the ‘set’) or the environment they are in (the ‘setting’). Psilocybin or magic mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. When ingested, psilocybin mushrooms activate _____ receptors in the brain, impacting a person’s mood, perception, and ability to think clearly. There are more than 100 psilocybin mushroom species worldwide, the majority of which are members of the genus Psilocybe. Other genera with psilocybin-containing fungi include Agrocybe, Copelandia, Galerina, Gerronema, Gymnopilus, Hypholoma, Inocybe, Panaeolus, Pholiotina, and Pluteus.

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As the compounds take effect, a range of distorted and heightened sensory impressions begins to occur. Users may see vivid colors or auras around objects and people, witness objects morphing into other forms, and perceive sounds as more complex and profound. They may even experience synesthesia, a “scrambling” of the senses in which a person may see sounds, hear colors, and taste forms. These sensory effects usually peak about three to four hours after ingestion and then begin to taper off.

Substance Use Disorders

Information provided by NIDA is not a substitute for professional medical care or legal consultation. Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for the last decade, covering a range of topics including health, energy, and technology in the US and UK. Psilocybin was used to assist psychotherapy in the early 1960s before research into psychedelics was shut down by new drug laws. When rats are given a lever to push to receive psilocybin, they don’t begin repeatedly pushing it as they do with levers for cocaine, heroin, or alcohol.

Psilocybin mushroom, any of several species of hallucinogenic fungi found across a number of genera, especially Psilocybe mexicana and P. cubensis. Often called “magic mushrooms,” psilocybin mushrooms produce two primary psychoactive compounds, psilocybin and psilocin, which are responsible for their mind-altering effects. Many psilocybin mushrooms have a long history of traditional use and are popular as recreational drugs. Possession of psilocybin-containing mushrooms has been outlawed in most countries, and psilocybin has been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Once word of Leary’s study reached the general public, magic mushrooms gained nationwide attention from musicians and celebrities. The likes of Bob Dylan and John Lennon visited Mexico in search of the psychedelic drug.

• Although current research suggests psilocybin is not addictive, some people may have bad experiences, including feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and short-term psychosis.
• However, with groundbreaking research on the possible benefits of psilocybin, magic mushrooms may continue to become legalized across the country.
• While the fungi can be found on every continent except Antarctica, most species are found in tropical and subtropical forests and are especially common in Mexico.
• A person taking a moderate dose with friends in a familiar environment is more likely to feel a sense of happiness, euphoria, and oneness with all life.

Mental Health Issues

When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down by the liver in a process called dephosphorylation. Physical effects may occur, including nausea, vomiting, euphoria, muscle weakness or relaxation, drowsiness, and lack of coordination. In the King’s College London study of psilocybin, subjects reported no lasting effects on their thinking or emotions. However, people with existing mental health conditions including schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or family histories of them may experience an onset or worsening of symptoms and should avoid psychedelics.

Is psilocybin addictive? Do people experience psilocybin-related withdrawal?

After Oregon Measure 109, in 2020, Oregon became the first US state to decriminalize psilocybin and legalize it for therapeutic use. The legality of the cultivation, possession, and sale of psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin and psilocin varies from country to country. Psilocybin-containing mushrooms may be used in whole form, for example consumption of dried or fresh mushrooms, or may be turned into extracts or food products such as mushroom edibles or mushroom tea. Psilocybin-containing mushrooms and products, as well as products containing related compounds like 4-AcO-DMT, may be purchased at smart shops like psychedelic mushroom stores in some jurisdictions.

Psilocybin mushrooms represent a fascinating intersection of nature, neuroscience, and human consciousness. While they remain illegal in most jurisdictions, the growing body of research suggests significant therapeutic potential. As our understanding evolves and policies potentially shift, these remarkable fungi may play an important role in mental health treatment. Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that naturally produce psilocybin and psilocin, compounds that can alter perception, mood, and cognitive processes. Over 200 species of mushrooms contain psilocybin, with the most common belonging to the genus Psilocybe.

• Wasson was a banker who participated in a magic mushroom ceremony that positively affected his state of consciousness (Houghton, 2021).
• Despite this, his studies found that psilocybin could positively affect mental health (Houghton, 2021).
• Over 200 species of mushrooms contain psilocybin, with the most common belonging to the genus Psilocybe.
• Because the effect of magic mushrooms varies from person to person, it is possible to experience anything from spiritual awakening to frightening hallucinations.
• People may consume psilocybin as a brewed tea or prepare it with a food item to mask its bitter taste.

Psilocybin and psilocin enter the brain through the same receptors as serotonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, sexual desire, and emotional states such as happiness and satisfaction. The mind-altering effects usually begin about 20 to 30 minutes after ingestion and can continue for as long as six to eight hours. The experience may seem to last much longer because the user’s perception of time can be radically altered.

America’s Introduction to Magic Mushrooms

In some urban legends, people under the influence of magic mushrooms pose a danger to themselves and others. In reality, these outcomes are very rare and are usually caused by people taking mushrooms in unsafe places, such as on cliff edges. There are no reports of magic mushrooms causing people to be violent to others. Psilocybin is thought to improve depression and addiction by turning down activity in the brain’s default mode network and promoting neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to break destructive neural circuits and rewrite new ones. Additionally, the highs of magic mushrooms are so intense and psychically unsettling that most people feel compelled to take them only occasionally. Psilocybin has extremely low toxicity and a low potential for lethal overdose.

Typical side effects from the compounds include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, drowsiness, and euphoria. The popularization of entheogens by the Wassons, Leary, Terence McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson, and many others led to an explosion in the use of psilocybin mushrooms throughout the world. By the early 1970s, many psilocybin mushroom species were described from temperate North America, Europe, and Asia and were widely collected. Books describing methods of cultivating large quantities of Psilocybe cubensis were also published. The availability of psilocybin mushrooms from wild and cultivated sources has made them one of the most widely used psychedelic drugs. All evidence suggests that magic mushrooms cannot cause addiction because they rapidly produce tolerance and don’t up or downregulate receptors in the brain.

Adverse side effects are often mild or moderate and may resolve with time, but some people may require medical treatment. Adults who took psilocybin experienced a clinically significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared with adults who took a placebo. According to a 2022 review, psilocybin may have therapeutic potential for treating depression. The researchers suggest it may help to regulate the brain’s reward system in people with depression or suicidal ideation. They include an altered perception of time and space and intense changes in mood and feeling. Some people who regularly use magic mushrooms may experience flashbacks involving a previous magic mushroom experience.

In fact, there is no known psilocybin overdose level and no reports of anyone overdosing on psilocybin alone.12 If you do take too much, you’re likely to experience just an unpleasant trip rather than any dangerous physiological symptoms. The spores of these mushrooms, which will germinate into mushrooms but themselves don’t contain psychoactive compounds, are explicitly illegal in California, Idaho, and Georgia. In other states, psilocybin spores and grow kits fall within a legal loophole and can be legally bought and sold. Research in the review also suggests psilocybin may help to treat depression and anxiety due to end stage cancer. Psychological distress is a potential adverse event after recreational use of psilocybin. This distress can take the form of extreme anxiety or short-term psychosis.