Psilocybin in mushrooms

McKenna was very much correct in his anthropological writings (his far-fetched theories are another matter); throughout human history, trial and error was the main factor of humans stumbling upon psychoactive taxa (plants and such). The discovery of mushrooms was no different. He noted that "mushrooms dotted the plains of Africa", and suggests that the geometry behind the pyramids may be attributed to shrooms...similarly with Mayan pyramids.

whatever the case, Aztecs, Mayans, Incas, and Egyptians all had access to tryptamine-carrying (specifically DMT-related) mushrooms and plants.

he mentions much of this in "Food of the Gods"

http://deoxy.org/mckenna.htm

psilocin is 4-hydroxy-dmt, and psilocybin has a phosphorus with three oxygens attached to it, and that is attached to DMT at the 4-position. Psilocybin is converted into psilocin in the body, and psilocin attaches itself to 5HT2A (serotonin) receptors, where it facilitates a cascade of serotonin, hence why they feel so damn good. Unlike MDMA, your serotonin levels will not be depleted afterwards, you are just left with a new found levity/serenity.

 

Hmmm aren't pretty much all drugs, including drugs like tylenol, technically a poison? You just dont take too much and you can control the effects. If you somehow could just drink a ton of psylocibin, you would prolly OD, but in mushrooms its not strong enough, and you would probably puke from eating so many mushrooms before you did overdose. Same with THC in pot, you have to smoke something crazy like 50,000 times the amount it takes to get high to OD. Thats like 50,000 bowls... i dont think anyone could do that

 

you could technically "OD" on water, if you drink too much, and hyperventilation could also be "poisonous"; doesn't mean that they are poisons though.

in common, even heavy doses, psilocybin mushrooms are physically benign; by contrast, even in recreational doses, MDMA will actually deplete serotonin levels.. research has verified this by measuring 5-HIAA (a serotonin metabolite) levels in the spines of humans, following MDMA use (see "The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology", Cooper/Bloom/Roth)

 

kparker730 you got to remember that "poison" is just a term humans made up.