Magic mushrooms or psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain psilocybin compounds. These mushrooms are mostly used for their hallucinating effects to control stress, reduce anxiety and depression in people.

The ‘magic mushrooms’ are one of around 100 species of mushrooms that contain psilocybin compounds. They have been in use for years in religious ceremonies and traditions in Central America.

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How do Magic Mushrooms look?

Magic mushrooms look like regular dried mushrooms with whitish-grey, longer stems, and dark-brown caps. The dried ones are rusty brown. As mushrooms look relatively similar, it is essential to check the mushrooms carefully before purchasing not to mistake it for the poisonous kind.

How to take Magic Mushrooms?

Magic mushrooms are prepared for eating through a drying process. They can be taken raw, with food or brewed for drinking. You can also smoke them by mixing cannabis or tobacco.

Magic mushrooms have several effects on the mind and the body. These magic mushrooms effects differ on the intake quantity, size, and health of the person and the combination of other drugs and the mushrooms. Let us go through some of the effects of magic mushrooms.

1. Magic Mushrooms can Relax the System

Popular studies have revealed that magic mushrooms leave a calm and relaxing effect on your body and mind. The effects are similar to what a person feels after taking low quantities of marijuana. Mushrooms act on the neural tissues in the brain and mostly affect the brain’s prefrontal cortex region. This is the region responsible for abstract thinking and controlling moods and perception of a human.

2. Hallucination Effects

A 2014 study on the effects of magic mushrooms revealed that it could create hallucinations in a person. The psilocybin compound in the mushroom influences the communication that goes on in the brain. Due to this, a person often hallucinates, imagining sounds and colors.

3. Can Ease Depression

The psilocybin compound in the magic mushrooms creates changes in brain activities. This subsequently eases depressive thoughts and brings about a change in the behavior. A depressed person has a higher brain activity coordination than a non-depressed one. The magic mushrooms loosen the brain activity rate, bringing in relief and easing the depressive thoughts.

Mushrooms can also help lighten depression symptoms when taken along with traditional therapies. The study witnessed a successive drop in depressive symptoms when a magic mushroom was given to them along with counseling therapies. Researchers worldwide are experimenting to get magic mushrooms as a prospective treatment for depression and mental disorders.

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4. Can Relieve Anxiety

Anxiety is a common phenomenon seen in people. According to a study, the psilocybin compound in the magic mushrooms can reduce anxiety and stress in people. It creates an emotional upheaval in people that relieves them of all anxieties and worries. Additionally, magic mushrooms also help a person to ease depression with its euphoric effects. 

5. HPPD

HPPD or Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder is a disorder where a person experiences flashbacks of vivid visual hallucinations that they might have experienced in previous drug intake. The HPPD flashbacks can be continuous or occasional. The consumption of magic mushrooms causes HPPD in people, letting them experience hallucination flashbacks.

6. Surreal Experience

Many people feel an out-of-body or surreal experience when they take magic mushrooms. The out-of-body experience may be a standard version of themselves, which begins around an hour after the intake of the mushrooms and can last up to twelve hours. However, the surreal experience depends on the intake quantity of the magic mushrooms and the mood of the person. Magic mushrooms also bring in the sense of increased spirituality and self-discovery. 

7. Imaginative Experience

An increased intake of magic mushrooms increases imagination capabilities and makes a person more open to the world. They tend to appreciate surroundings with a beautiful view and are more open and receptive to their surroundings. According to a 2011 study, it was found that people become more open to life after a single dose of psilocybin of magic mushrooms. They can change people’s perspective and behavior for good as it diminishes fear from people’s minds.

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Side Effects of Magic Mushrooms

Hallucinations caused by magic mushrooms can trigger mental and emotional issues in a person. This can further lead to accidents under hallucination influence. Magic mushrooms taken along with alcohol and other drugs have higher physical and psychological risks. The physical effects of magic mushrooms include headaches, a spike in blood pressure and heart rate, lack of coordination, nausea, and muscle weakness. 

A higher intake of the serotonin compound in magic mushrooms can also dilate the pupils of the eyes. As magic mushrooms are similar to poisonous mushrooms in terms of their looks, people often take poisonous ones. This may lead to severe illnesses and even death.

Conclusion

Magic mushrooms have been in use for long. Though there is no factual evidence of their exact purpose, it is widely used for its psychedelic properties. It was also found that magic mushrooms can make significant improvements in people struggling with substance addictions and smoking. The ‘magic’ compound is an excellent way to realize self-consciousness, gain highs of spirituality, and increase creativity.