Amanita Muscaria

  Amanita is one of the most recognized mushrooms in nature it is also known as Fly agaric, Mochomurka, God or Time mushroom. Amanita Muscaria is infamous for its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. This mushroom is psychoactive meaning it can lead to changes in your mental state but doesn’t necessarily get you high. This mushroom contains two psychoactive alkaloids, ibotenic acid and muscimol, in addition to many other alkaloids.  It grows both in low altitudes and high mountainous areas, especially in coniferous forests. It usually appears during the end of summer and is especially prevalent in the fall. Its appearance is well known by the red color of the cap, covered with white dots, as well as the white stem. Amanita has been used in religious practice and rituals dating back to Paleolithic period. This mushroom does not contain psilocybin making it legal in 49 states excluding Louisiana. 

Let’s look at the psychoactive alkaloids found in this mushroom. First up, Ibotenic Acid which is a naturally occurring neurotoxin found in certain species of mushrooms. Once ingested ibotenic acid is converted into Muscimol which targets γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in your brain, slowing down or blocking the over stimulation of your cells thus, producing a calming, tranquil and euphoric effect. The effects of muscimol can vary greatly depending on the individual and dosing, but commonly reported effects include heightened changes in perception, thoughts, mood, sleep pattern and motor coordination.

At this point many of you are probably thinking what can this mushroom do for me? Absolute wonders is the answer. Mind, body and spirit alignment! Addiction recovery, pattern progression, loop cycling, Amanita can aid in sleep, pain relief and cognitive ability, release negative energy, open chakra blockages, decrease indecisiveness, anxiety, and increase self-awareness. 

How can I consume this wonder mushroom….welp there are a few options. Traditionally Amanita was prepared as a tea, the caps were dried out and boiled in liquid for hours, high amounts of Amanita can be consumed this way without stomach upset and nausea. A more common way to consume Amanita is to eat the dried caps, or even smoke it. Make sure to discard the stems. ITU offers dried fruit caps, capsules that are microdosed for convenience, powder, and joints for smoking.

Since many people are on prescription medications here in the USA some might be thinking will this interfere with my anti-depressants/anti-psychotics/mood stabilizers? The answer is No! Since Amanita works on the GABA receptors similar to prescription medications, it practically does the same thing in a natural way. Disclaimer: we are not telling you to stop taking prescription medications, we are just bringing another option to the table, educate yourself and chat with your doctors. 

Take Aways:

Amanita Muscaria is a plant medicine that allows you to dive deep into yourself, aiding in self awareness, spiritual development and alignment. You will become more cognitively aware of your life choices, repetitions and daily decisions. This magic mushroom aligns you with who you truly are…THE UNIVERSE!

We suggest micro dosing 2-5 capsules within a 12 hour period. A single cap contains 0.3-0.5g of Amanita Muscaria ground up in a vegan halal capsule. You many need to titrate up on dosages if need. 

Here are a few articles and videos we thought were educational. We are not affiliated with these channels, or have any rights to their contents. Just some visual tools we thought were helpful.

Youtube links:

· Amanita Muscaria: The connection between Shamans, Santa Clause and a little bit of Alice and Wonderland. This is about a 7 minute read (I know it says Youtube link…yes you will have to read this one). A brief insight on transcending worlds, flying reindeer, Santa Clause, and Christmas.

The Story of Santa Probably Stems From Mushroom-Eating Shamans | Gaia

· This is a 4 minute video on all things Amanita and touches on the difference between Amanita and Psilocybin.

Amanita Muscaria vs Psilocybin Mushrooms: What's the Difference? (youtube.com)

· Take a seat! Great insight on everything Amanita Muscaria with Kevin Feeny. He breaks down all the info onto slides to easily visualize the history and traditions of Amanita. “While psychedelic researchers are busy investigating psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD, the unique pharmacological profile of the Fly Agaric has been largely overlooked. Unlike its tryptamine cousins the Fly Agaric’s active compound, muscimol, acts on the brain’s GABAergic system, and studies have shown a potential role for this compound in treating pain, inflammation, anxiety, cognitive decline, and cancer. This mushroom has been used therapeutically for hundreds of years in Siberia, Russia, and Eastern and Northern Europe, and perhaps North America as well. This presentation will address traditional uses of the Fly Agaric, potential modern applications, as well as the unique pharmacology of this distinctive mushroom.”

Fly Agaric as Medicine: From Traditional to Modern Use (with Kevin Feeny, PhD) (youtube.com)

· Joe Rogan explains a little more about the history of Amanita Muscaria. Explanation begins at 1:20 into the video. 

Joe Rogan - Santa Claus Was a Mushroom! (youtube.com)

· The overlord underlord of our ecosystem, nature has intelligence. Take a deeper look into the growth and development of fungi in human consciousness. Take a seat and listen to Joe Rogan and Paul Stamets school us on all the fundamentals and find out what the Stoned Ape Hypostasis really is.

Stoned Ape & Fungal Intelligence - Paul Stamets (youtube.com)

· A little Amanita Muscaria 101 with Stone Age Man

Why we Got it Wrong - Fly Agaric 101: The Magical Mushroom (Amanita muscaria) (youtube.com)

Trip Sitter is an amazing website for education on all substances. Take a look for yourself and research until your heart is content. They have so much info. This is the link to their Amanita Muscaria education.

 Amanita Muscaria: Fly Agaric — The Psychedelic “Mario” Mushroom 🍄 - Tripsitter 

Another article on Trip sitter about Santa, Christmas, Religion, and the correlation between the two. 

 Mushroom Santa: The Strange Correlations Between Christmas Tradition & Amanita Mushrooms - Tripsitter