Psilocybin
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Psilocybin (pronounced sil-uh-sahy-bin) is a chemical found in the Psilocybe mexicana species of mushrooms. The mushrooms (over 200 species of Basidiomycota) are typically found in tropical and subtropical areas of the United States, Mexico and South America. It is the ingredient that produces hallucinations and other experiences of an altered consciousness in people who consume the mushroom. Psilocybin is a crystalline tryptamine, a naturally occurring nitrogen compound, chemically similar to the human neurotransmitter DMT (dimethyltryptamine).
Psilocybin is concentrated in specialized cells called sclerotia underneath the mushroom tops. Usually a person will simply eat the sclerotia or boil it in water to make a tea. The effects last about six hours, and may include hallucinations that gradually grow further apart until they disappear. Some people get silly under the influence of psilocybin, but others become more introspective.
Each mushroom contains less than one half of one percent of psilocybin and trace amounts of psilocin, another hallucinogen. Both substances can be synthesized in a lab. Mushrooms containing psilocybin can be either fresh or dried and have long, thin stems topped by dark gilled caps.
Like many hallucinogenic substances, mushrooms that contain psilocybin can be eaten, brewed in tea, coated with chocolate or added to other foods. Once inside the body, the digestive system will break down psilocybin to produce psilocyn.
Teens and young adults have started abusing psilocybin, whose mushrooms can be found on campus, at clubs, and in raves.
Once psilocybin is eaten, side effects can last up to six hours and include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, drowsiness and lack of coordination. Although users do not typically become addicted to the drug, tolerance may develop, necessitating the need for more and more psilocybin to get the desired effect. When “tripping” on this drug, users experience hallucinations and cannot tell fact from fiction. If too much is taken at once, panic or psychosis can occur. Psilocybin is illegal in the US and is classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
Psilocybe mexicana mushrooms are sometimes called magic truffles, magic mushrooms or philosophers' stones because of their psychotropic qualities.
