Hi all! Today we have a LEGAL psychoactive mushroom - Amanita. In particular, we will talk about the Red Amanita and its main components! As usual, no gags, only facts supported by medical research.
It is immediately worth noting that the appearance of the red fly agaric is similar to some other deadly mushrooms (1, 2, 3). And it itself is very toxic (4, 5, 6). So the information is for informational purposes only.
Fly agaric has long been surrounded by various myths. It was especially popular in Siberia and also among berserkers, these are ancient Germanic and Scandinavian wars, who, according to legend, loved to eat fly agarics before battles. And what is so special about this mushroom?
What is microdosing and what is it used for?
Since ancient times, people have consumed magic mushrooms as part of religious and shamanic practices.
Going on a psychedelic trip, our ancestors sought answers to questions that were important to them, tried to understand themselves and the world around them, and some even talked to God. The amount of substance consumed in such rituals corresponds to the concept of macrodosing. Humanity began using “gentle” doses of psychedelics, that is, microdosing, relatively recently—in the last century. 20th-century physicians experimented with mind-altering drugs in an attempt to treat depression, neuroses, various forms of schizophrenia, and addiction. However, this practice did not go to the masses then.
Microdosing began to gain popularity among wide circles in the mid-1990s, when it became known that almost all residents of Silicon Valley regularly take psychedelics in small dosages in order to stimulate brain function. By using magic mushrooms, LSD or other psychoactive substances, IT specialists hoped to improve their creativity, stamina and concentration.
Why is microdosing gaining popularity?
There are different points of view on this matter. One of the reasons we stated above: thanks to the popularity of microdosing in Silicon Valley, self-knowledge and “improving” through the use of psychedelics have become synonymous with progressiveness. For some, progressive means fashionable.
In turn, Honored Doctor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Leila Shaidukova suggests that the pandemic made a significant contribution to the popularization of microdosing: “Many have lost their jobs, and the sale of fly agaric mushrooms (which can be collected for free in the forest) is a way of making money. On the other hand, the nation in the era of Covid was shrouded in despair and apathy, people began to get used to a large number of deaths. Psychological burnout from this topic required replenishment.”
Another assumption is that in a rapidly changing world, filled with new technologies, conflicting information, increased competition and other challenges of the new century, part of humanity has a request to understand everything that is happening and search for its place in the surrounding chaos. Some seek answers in spiritual practices and self-development, while others add experiments with psychoactive substances, including those found in fly agaric mushrooms, into the equation.
The first drug from fly agaric
The first medicinal preparation from fresh mushrooms, Agaricus muscarius, was obtained by Samuel Hahnemann in 1828. It was prescribed in cases of epilepsy, hypertension, various neuroses, tic twitching of facial muscles, as well as allergies and coordination problems. Agaricus muscarius even treated congenital dementia and was good for frostbite and burns. As a diaphoretic, a 1% solution of mushroom extract was used once, 5 drops each. The instructions for the drug contained a warning that after using the drug, some “foolishness” in the patient’s behavior is possible.
The writer O. Poskrebyshev, originally from Udmurtia, described such a case. His mother-in-law had a small callus on her foot that developed into a large ulcer that continued to grow. No ointments could help for six months. The folk recipe suggested by the writer’s mother who came to visit turned out to be effective. Two fly agaric mushrooms found in the forest were finely chopped and placed in a half-liter jar under pressure. When they released the juice, a paste formed. They put it on the wound like a compress, covering it with a film on top. Just three such procedures using fly agaric, and the treatment was over - they were enough for the leg to finally heal.
How is fly agaric useful? Later studies of Agaricus revealed an additional number of interesting properties. It turned out that muscaruphine, the red pigment of this mushroom, can be used as an antibiotic and antitumor agent. An experiment with mice revealed that this substance inhibits the growth of sarcoma. Moreover, some experts believe that fly agaric is much less toxic to the body than many chemotherapy drugs. And, if used correctly, the kidneys can easily remove the remaining drug. Today, the use of fly agaric is officially permitted in many civilized countries. Among them are Japan, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, USA, Russia. However, treatment with fly agaric is prohibited in Arab countries and Israel.
The “stoned monkey” theory and “magic” effects
Proponents of flirting with hallucinogenic mushrooms are very fond of referring to the so-called “stubborn monkey” theory. Its author, ethnobotanist Terence McKenna, in his book “Food of the Gods: The Search for the True Tree of Knowledge,” stated that the “magic mushroom” once eaten by accident turned us into who we are now. A lethal dose of psilocybin allegedly reorganized the brain of Homo erectus, causing it to evolve into Homo sapiens. Psilocybin, McKenna says, “pulled us out of the animal mind and into the world of articulate speech and imagination.”
Fly agarics do not contain psilocybin. The main psychoactive substance in them is muscimol. But despite this, the conspicuous mushroom with a red cap is also credited with a lot of “magical” properties. Sellers on the Internet promise “improved mental activity, increased creativity and performance, reaction, memory, concentration, enhanced cognitive functions of the brain.” Distributors also write that “anxiety and stress will decrease, you will want to give up bad habits, and resistance to bacterial and viral diseases will increase.”
Fly agaric - treatment of certain diseases
- Lupus treated this way. Chop the caps of fresh mushrooms, sprinkle them with salt, place them in a container, cover with a lid and heat over low heat for 15 minutes. The cooled pulp is applied to the affected areas.
- After a stroke, fly agaric tincture is used according to a special scheme. Start with one drop per 50 ml of milk or water, add one drop daily, bringing the amount to 10. Then, in the same way, reduce the dose again to one drop. After a week's break, the course is repeated. This way you can conduct up to 5 courses. During a week-long break, be sure to take enterosorbents.
The tincture is prepared as follows. Only the caps of good, unspoiled mushrooms are suitable. They are placed tightly in a 3-liter bottle, covered with a lid and placed in the cellar for 1.5 months. If there is no cellar, you can bury the jar in the ground to a depth of 70 cm. After the specified time, the contents of the jar are filtered through gauze folded in 5 layers. The resulting liquid is settled and drained from the sediment (decanted in the same way as motorists drain gasoline). Then alcohol is added in a ratio of 4:1 (4 parts of alcohol to one part of the resulting mass). The tincture retains its medicinal properties for at least 4 years.
- Treatment regimen for early stage cancer. In the same way as already described after a stroke, gradually increase the dose from 1 drop to 10, drink 10 drops for 5 days, then reduce to 1 drop. Take the tincture once or twice a day - at 21.00 or at 7.00 and at 21.00. During subsequent courses (with a week's break), you can increase the dose to 20 drops. During treatment with tincture, you need to take vitamins C and E, and iodine and selenium preparations, and during breaks, drink herbal infusions that help remove toxins and flax seed.
- Externally, the tincture is used to lubricate enlarged lymph nodes, joints, and spine. Do not put alcohol tincture on open wounds. For a compress, gauze soaked in the solution is folded into 4 layers and applied to the surface of the skin until completely dry.
- For prevention, drink according to the scheme from 1 to 5 drops, 5 drops for 6 days, also diluted in milk. After a 7-day break, take it again for 11 days. After 3 courses they take a break for a month.
The beneficial properties of fly agaric are not limited to the treatment of the diseases described above, but its use as a medicine requires increased caution. At the slightest sign of poisoning, you need to rinse your stomach, take activated charcoal and a saline laxative, and do an enema with 1 liter of water with the addition of laundry or baby soap.
The dark side of microdosing
As Snow found out, Kazan doctors have already paid attention to the new dubious craze for psychedelics. People do not always seek help from doctors when their condition worsens after “self-medication” with microdosing of poisonous mushrooms, but the trend is obvious.
“We used to get four patients a year with poisoning after microdosing mushrooms; last year there were seven,” Aliya Nasibullina, head of the toxicology department at City Hospital No. 7, describes the situation.
According to her, with the help of small portions of hallucinogens, patients try to overcome cancer or depression. The clinical picture in such cases is more similar to fly agaric poisoning: events develop very quickly. It is important for doctors to provide timely assistance so that a person does not become disabled for life or do not say goodbye to it at all. The extremely toxic muscarine contained in fly agaric affects the cardiovascular, central nervous system, liver and kidneys.
“We can only warn consumers of poisonous mushrooms against this risky hobby. It is still difficult to say what effect microdoses of fly agaric will ultimately have. Muscarine, which is part of it, has been well studied. And based on this knowledge, we can only predict that even a small dose of neurotoxic poison with long-term use can negatively affect the central and peripheral nervous system, neurotropic tissue, and can cause toxic encephalopathy,” suggests Honored Doctor of the Republic of Tatarstan Leila Shaidukova.
In addition to the physiological consequences, it is necessary to remember about the harm to mental health. If you ask any “practitioner,” almost everyone will have a story about “an acquaintance who did not return.” Abuse or overdose of “magic” mushrooms can irreversibly affect the structure of personality and the human psyche as a whole.
Medicinal properties
A medicine based on fly agaric helps eliminate unpleasant symptoms of various diseases and pathological conditions due to a number of positive qualities. Fly agaric tincture has the following properties:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antiparasitic;
- antibacterial;
- antitumor;
- regenerative.
In addition, the product acts as an anesthetic. Its benefit also lies in its ability to have a positive effect on the nervous system. Fly agaric tincture increases the body's defenses.
However, it is taken with caution, because if the treatment regimen is violated, the opposite effect may occur: you will feel weakness in the muscles.
Are mushrooms illegal?
Despite all the risks of microdosing with fly agarics (remember, this is high toxicity, lack of exact dosages, poor knowledge of the effects of muscimol on the human body, and much more), the “magic” mushroom can be easily bought on the Internet.
“Dried mushrooms are not offered by production facilities that produce standardized preparations, to which claims can be made if something happens. People think that they take 2-3 grams and keep their condition under control - this is a false idea. What is in these 2–3 grams and what concentration is unknown,” warns Kim Potapov, senior lecturer at the Department of General Ecology at the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management of KFU.
Cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms is punishable by a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles, imprisonment of two years or compulsory labor for a period established by the court. But why take the risk with greenhouses for hallucinogenic mushrooms when you can collect fly agaric mushrooms (containing muscarine) in the forest? Despite the fact that Rospotrebnadzor classifies mushrooms with red caps as the most dangerous, there is no ban on the sale and use of its microdoses in Russia.
“We won’t be able to collect all the mushrooms in the forest, but if we are talking about production for the purpose of marketing, fraud from the point of view of obtaining financial profit from it, then, of course, we need to work in this direction.
But so far, the security forces have not raised the issue of microdosing mushrooms as a phenomenon that causes addiction, in contrast to chemical and synthetic drugs, which all efforts were previously devoted to fighting,” Russian State Duma deputy Ayrat Farrakhov commented on the situation to Snow. Tell your friends
