Are all fly agarics hallucinogenic? Red fly agaric - use and effect, use in medicine

• Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
• Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
• Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
• Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
• Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
• Family: Amanitaceae
• Genus: Amanita (Amanita)
• View: Amanita muscaria (Red fly agaric)

(lat. Amanita muscaria) - a poisonous psychoactive mushroom of the genus Amanita, or Amanita (lat. Amanita) of the order of agaricaceae (lat. Agaricales), belongs to basidiomycetes.

In many European languages, the name “fly agaric” comes from the ancient method of its use - as a means against flies; the Latin specific epithet also comes from the word “fly” (Latin musca). In Slavic languages, the word “fly agaric” became the name of the genus Amanita.

The red fly agaric grows in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, especially in birch forests. It is often and abundantly found singly and in large groups from June until autumn frosts.

Cap up to 20 cm in ∅, first spherical, then plano-convex, bright red, orange-red, the surface is dotted with numerous white or faint yellow warts. The color of the skin can be of various shades from orange-red to bright red, becoming lighter with age. In young mushrooms, flakes on the cap are rarely absent; in old ones, they can be washed off by rain. The plates sometimes take on a light yellow tint.

Pulp white, yellowish under the skin, soft, odorless.

The plates are frequent, free, white, turning yellow in old mushrooms.

Spore powder is white. The spores are ellipsoidal and smooth.

The stalk is up to 20 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm ∅, cylindrical, tuberous at the base, first dense, then hollow, white, glabrous, with a white or yellowish ring. The tuberous base of the stalk is fused with a sac-like vagina. The base of the stalk is covered with white warts in several rows. The ring is white.

The mushroom is poisonous. Symptoms of poisoning appear 20 minutes and up to 2 hours after ingestion. Contains significant amounts of other alkaloids.

Amanita muscaria was used as an intoxicant and entheogen in Siberia and had religious significance in local culture.

METHOD OF USING fly agarics and preparation recipes.
(without heat treatment)

The method of consuming the red fly agaric, Amanita Muscaria, has not changed over time. It is eaten and, less commonly, smoked.

There are several rules when collecting and preparing fly agarics:

Collect only mushrooms of the Amanita Muscaria species, after familiarizing yourself with their appearance and description of the poisonous fly agarics.
You need to collect small mushrooms with a large number of white dots - they contain higher levels of psychoactive substances.
The active substances are concentrated in the cap, so it is not necessary to take the mushroom stems.
You can dry fly agarics in the sun or indoors by stringing them on string. Kiln or oven drying is not recommended.
It is necessary to dry it - in this case, toxic ibotenic acid is converted into less toxic muscimol, which mainly explains the action of the mushroom.
After the mushrooms are completely dry, they are stored in a dry place at room temperature.

Oral dosage
(This means how much to eat, if you have already decided.)

Firstly, it is better to put yourself on a diet of light food for 2-3 days.

You should take mushrooms on an empty stomach to avoid nausea.
For the first time, do not take more than 1 medium-sized mushroom! This is necessary to avoid overdose and determine individual tolerance.
For the first time, there should be a person next to the person taking the mushroom who will “watch” the progress of the process, since it is impossible to accurately predict the effect of the mushroom on the psyche and the body as a whole.

The dosage is given only for completely dried caps:

Oral dosages of A. muscaria
Weak 1 - 5 g (1 medium cap)
Average 5 - 10 g (1-3 medium caps)
Strong 10 - 30 g (2-6 medium caps)

Start: 30 - 120 minutes
Peak: 1 - 2 hours
Duration: 5 - 10 hours (in case of large doses - longer)
Post-effects: 1 - 5 hours
Effects caused by fly agarics

The effects of taking Amanita muscaria can vary widely depending on individual sensitivity, dosage, time and place of collection.
The first effects appear an hour and a half after taking the mushroom in the form of slight tremors in the limbs (but these are not convulsions). Then there may be a desire to sleep, a feeling of fatigue. If a person who has taken mushrooms goes to bed, he falls into a kind of half-sleep with visions and heightened sensitivity to sounds. If he prefers to stay awake, then visual and auditory hallucinations may appear. In general, of course, all this is strictly individual.
The action of the fly agaric lasts up to 6 hours; after the end of the action, nothing resembling a hangover is observed.
Among the side effects, we note nausea, which may occur in the first hour and a half. If you do not take mushrooms on an empty stomach, nausea occurs more often. There are stomach pains.

RECIPES.

Preparation and consumption of fly agarics

The most important aspect of preparing Amanita muscaria is drying and/or heating the mushroom. These two processes, through decarboxylation, convert the less active (and more toxic) iboteic acid into the highly psychoactive compound mucimol. If this is not done, then the impact activity will not be so high. There are several ways to prepare mushrooms.
Fresh mushrooms can be fried over an open fire using Wasson's method, which was discovered by his friend from Japan, where he fried fly agaric mushrooms over an open flame and then consumed them, achieving a euphoric effect.
Another technique I used is slightly different, but also involves the use of an open flame. I took the unopened caps and placed them upside down over low heat. As they heated, liquid condensed inside them, which I then drank. The result was a feeling of intense euphoria; I, against my own will, danced and sang to myself (both symptoms are very characteristic of notifications of the use of A. muscaria in Siberia). Very pleasant sensations were obtained from drinking only 2 teaspoons of liquid. I also thought about using the caps left after collecting the condensed liquid and squeezing out the remaining juice, but instead I swallowed them in large chunks and ended up vomiting horribly.
I also noticed that when I dried my fly agaric mushrooms in the oven, liquid seeped (leaked) from the mushrooms onto the baking sheet. This liquid can be simply collected by constructing a screen a few centimeters above the baking sheet so that the liquid will condense and drip onto the baking sheet, and can be collected after it has dried. But, in my opinion, to preserve their natural color and shape, it is best to use a dehydrator. You can even juice dried or dehydrated mushrooms and then heat the remaining liquid. This liquid can also be dehydrated and placed in gelatin capsules. If you've dried your mushrooms beforehand, you can simply eat them, or make mushroom tea by heating some water to near boiling point, about 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and adding ground mushrooms. Let them boil in water for about half an hour/hour and then consume the broth, ground mushrooms - all together. For those who can't stand the taste of dried mushrooms or mushroom tea (like me, who for some strange reason gets a gag reflex every time I try to swallow them and sometimes even just smells them), using gelatin capsules may be the best option. Just take dried mushrooms, chop them and put them into capsules. You can also prepare tea, dehydrate it, and put the sediment into capsules. I have never tried making tea myself, but it is entirely possible that this method increases the muscimol content even more than drying, so this method using gelatin capsules is worth a try. Since the bulk of the alkaloids are contained in the cap skin, it is also worth trying to separate it from the cap of fresh mushrooms and then dry it, or simply remove the plates of the dried specimen to reduce the volume required for consumption.
There are perhaps a few less common methods worth mentioning, the first being the ability of the mushroom juice to be absorbed through the skin. This method was described by Adrian Morgan in the wonderful book "Toads and Toadstools", and this is the only source from which I have heard about this method of taking them. This method should work best in combination with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), an aprotic solvent. Another interesting method is to use an enema or directly insert the mushroom into the vagina, the second method is of course not acceptable as it can easily cause infection, or even worse consequences. Clark Heinrich, in his wonderful book "Strange Fruit", suggests that there is evidence in tantric texts and art pointing to these uses in highly symbolic rituals.
Smoking mushrooms has also been proven to have a mild effect. Since the skin of the cap contains the highest concentration of muscimol, it can be separated from fresh mushrooms and then dried, or simply remove the plates and stems from dried specimens. I am also personally interested in learning about the effects of using a concentrated extract of pure muscimol.
And one more method that I would like to mention is the most interesting and should cause the most powerful effects. It consists of combining any of the above methods with Peganum harmala seeds or their extract to achieve MAO inhibition. I have never tried this method myself, but I am fully aware that such an experiment should cause a very strong effect.

Fly agaric decoction

You collect the mushrooms, wash them, clean them of dirt (we removed the red film from the cap - otherwise the broth will not be “golden”, but with a reddish tint, but there is an opinion that the hallucinogen itself is contained in this film - the question remains open), fill it with water like this so that the mushrooms are all in the water, but not particularly floating (they themselves will give a lot of liquid). Cook from the moment of boiling for 20 minutes! Afterwards, pour off the mushroom broth and drink - this is the “golden broth” of the berserkers! About the cooking time - very important! The fact is that the poison that causes poisoning (as well as the hallucinogen) disintegrates under the influence of temperature and disintegrates exponentially! From here there are 2 conclusions - undercooking (less than 15 (!!!) minutes from the moment of boiling) threatens with serious poisoning! (one guy this summer, having found out the recipe (however, I said that you need to cook for 15 minutes ((- well, I was mistaken - that same evening I cooked it based on the same 15!) got very poisoned! - so be careful, t .because if you go to the doctor with a complaint about poisoning by undercooked fly agaric mushrooms, you may run into a “misunderstanding”! :) If you overcook it, it won’t ruin anything - after 40 minutes of cooking, they are no longer any different from boiled russula! The first time I cooked for 27 minutes, drank 6 people and different doses - no one got drunk!: (Now about the dosage - a glass for an adult man is enough for 1-1.5 hours (pure decoction). Some recommend mixing with vodka 1:1 - the buzz comes! In battle - just right - You can do it with your bare hands! This summer I brewed a decoction for 17 minutes - the effect: first slight nausea (I want to warn you that these are rather psychological phenomena - self-hypnosis: “fly agarics are poison, which means I drank the poison -> I should be sick), then apathy and pull slightly sleepy - it’s better to start moving (at least walk), but then....
1) Decreased tactile sensitivity - the skin and muscles do not feel touch and pain! (I asked my wife to bite my ear - she clenched her jaw - I just started to feel the pressure, and she said that blood should have already spurted out!) - it’s clear where berserkers come from who don’t feel pain? 2) The surge of physical strength is huge! (they put 50-60 kilograms of girls on their shoulders and jumped rock and roll several times in a row! no fatigue!) 3) you don’t get out of breath! (all the same rock and rolls are evidence of this!) After an hour and a half, it “released”, and the recovery took place within a few seconds! - fatigue immediately sets in, all the bruises pop up, etc. From the mixture with vodka, people crushed birch trees thick in the wrist and played rugby with a virtual ball - everything is real: playing the ball, scrumming, passing, passing, scoring, but... NO ball!!! :))) ... goal soccer balls made of steel pipes were thrown 15 meters from the beach into the water, etc.

Fly agaric tinctures

There are several dozen methods of preparation, as well as patterns of use: It is better to drink fly agaric tincture with 0.5 tbsp of aqueous infusion of birch chaga mushroom or drip it into 0.5 tbsp. diluted befungin (pharmaceutical preparation from chaga). To prepare the tincture, only the caps are used.

First method: Cut them into small pieces, weigh them, add an equal amount of water (by weight) and leave at room temperature for one month.
Second method: chop the caps, put them in a jar to the top, close them with a nylon lid and bury them in the ground to a depth of 1 m for 1 month. Then strain and mix the resulting juice with an equal amount of vodka.
The effect of mushrooms collected in the same area but in different seasons may differ in the ratio of nausea/somatic effects to mental/entheogenic ones.

When taken orally, the effects of iboteic acid appear in doses of 50-100 mg. When taken orally, the effects of muscimol appear in doses of 10-15 mg.

The danger of Amanita species primarily lies in the fact that the content of biologically active substances and poisons cannot be immediately determined. Therefore, you need to start with small doses in order to become familiar with the potency of the material and avoid a dangerous overdose; we must not forget that not only a lethal dose is unpleasant, but also the most common signs of poisoning may appear, which require medical attention.

Fly agaric tea.

1. Boil a small amount of water, as much as you can drink at a time, as the taste is quite nasty.

2. Add a few crushed vitamin C tablets or lemon juice, this will increase the acidity of the water, but it is not certain that this is necessary. (I think this is a good trick, since I read that the active substances of the fly agaric are leached by water, and an acidic environment minimizes this - note Doctor Muhomoroff)

3. Add chopped mushrooms. (No more than 1-2 pieces for the first time! Note: Doctor Muhomoroff)
4. Let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
5. During the last three minutes of boiling, add a tea bag to cut out the flavor of the mushrooms.
6. Strain and discard the mushrooms, reserving the liquid.
7. Cool and add sugar.
8. Fly agaric tea is ready.

Smoking fly agarics

This is an unconventional way. However, references to it occur quite often.
For smoking, take the dried outer red skin of the mushroom caps along with the white scales and the yellow layer underneath. It is ground finely and a little aromatic herb, such as mint, is added.
The dosage is not precisely established.
The effects of smoking fly agarics are much milder than those of oral use. Sometimes they are almost unnoticeable, sometimes it is a feeling of uplifting and excess vitality and energy.
(Unfortunately, I can add on my own behalf that out of several attempts to smoke fly agaric mushrooms, not one succeeded. Note: Doctor Muhomoroff)

FLY AGARIC - Fly agaric
Amanita muscaria. Family Agaricaceae (lamellae).
Material: Red-capped mushrooms with white scales, growing in rainy weather in birch and pine forests of the northern temperate zone of the eastern and western hemispheres.
Application: Mushrooms are harvested and dried in the sun or in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius). You should not take more than one medium-sized fly agaric before individual tolerance has been determined.
Active ingredients: muskimol and ibotenic acid, which turns into muskimol when dried. Some amounts of muscarine are also present, but due to its poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, it is not credited with being responsible for the psychoactive effects.
Effects: Vary depending on the individual, mushroom source, dose. Usually after 30 minutes there is dizziness, mild cramps, sometimes nausea, followed by numbness in the legs and twilight sleep for 2 hours, with color visions and heightened sensitivity to sounds. After this, there may be a surge of cheerfulness, strength and energy. Hallucinations and size changes are typical. The entire session lasts 5..6 hours. Muscimol is a hallucinogen that acts on the central nervous system. Ibotenic acid causes skin redness and lethargy. Muscarine is a highly toxic hallucinogen.
Contraindications: Errors in identification. Some closely related amanita species are extremely toxic. These include A. pantherina, A. virosa, A. verna, A. phalloides ("destroying angel"). Large amounts of A. muscaria can also be lethal. Three mushrooms is the absolute maximum.
Note: Absorbed mucimol mostly passes unchanged into urine. Siberian fly agaric eaters practice drinking such urine to recycle the psychoactive material.

In the extreme conditions of northeast Eurasia, for many centuries, indigenous people herded wild deer. The previous way of life of the inhabitants of the Siberian tundra was significantly different from the way of life of their western neighbors...

Most tribes used the hallucinogenic mushroom Amanita muscaria, better known as fly agaric, to achieve altered states of consciousness. This fungus, which has more than fifty varieties, is found on all continents except South America and Australia, and forms a symbiosis with birch and spruce (Shults 1970). Renowned mycologist R. Gordon Wasson (along with his wife) actively discussed the use of this plant not only by the inhabitants of Siberia (Wasson and Wasson 1957), but also by the ancient Hindus (Wasson 1968), whose mysterious "catfish" was most likely a common fly agaric. First mentions

information about the use of Amanita muscaria began to appear in the 17th century. To a large extent, they reflected the processes of cultural change caused by the Russification of the Siberian aborigines. Vodka imported by Russians practically weaned them off their addiction to fly agaric. However, it is well known that the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms was common among the Chukchi, Koryaks, Kamchadals and Yukaghirs.

In 1905, the American Museum of Natural History published a study of peoples living in the coastal regions of Siberia, including an area of ​​extreme conditions bordering Alaska. Two anthropologists - Joselson (1905) and Bogoraz (1910) - members of the Northern Pacific Expedition wrote both about the fly agaric and how it was used. As a rule, mushroom picking was carried out in August, when characteristic white specks appeared on the cap. Only young girls had the right to collect and dry mushrooms. For fear of poisoning, the Koryaks did not eat mushrooms fresh; they first dried them in the morning sun. Women were not allowed to eat mushrooms, although they were ready to chew and keep them in their mouths without swallowing them for quite a long time.

The alkaloids contained in fly agaric cause poisoning, hallucinations and addiction. Another effect is that nearby objects appear either very large (macropsia) or very small (micropsia). Body movements and convulsions are possible. Attacks of intense excitement are followed by moments of deep depression. Amanita muscaria, unlike other hallucinogens, causes unnaturally strong physical movement. The so-called state of ecstasy, which Siberian shamans know how to achieve, may be associated with it. Before the shaman put his fellow tribesman into a trance, he often consumed mushrooms. Most of the information about the fly agaric, in fact, gives us an idea of ​​​​traditional shamanic concepts, a significant part of which is inherent specifically to the indigenous peoples of Siberia. A funny thing about eating mushrooms is the use of urine to achieve the intoxicating effect. For example, the Koryaks experimentally discovered that the hallucinogenic properties of mushrooms appear in male urine. The man, leaving his home, “relieved himself” into a specially prepared wooden container containing mushrooms. The process was repeated five times until the mushrooms acquired the necessary properties. It is possible that Siberian shepherds noticed the connection between the properties of mushrooms and their aging in urine after being trained by their reindeer. When the animals ate the lichen, they were overcome by a passionate desire, manifested in their interest in the urine of the male shepherds, and they often approached the dwellings to drink from it. Each Koryak man carried a sealskin vessel with him, which he used to store urine. This vessel served as a means to pacify unruly deer. Sometimes, in order to eat the urine-drenched snow, which apparently was a delicacy for the reindeer, they returned to the tents from the most distant pastures (Wesson and Wasson 1957). When a deer ate fly agarics, which happened quite rarely, it began to behave like a real drunkard, falling into a deep sleep. Steller reported (Wesson and Wasson 1957) that when a Koryak found an intoxicated animal, he tied its legs and did not kill it until the intoxication passed. The Koryaks were convinced that if they killed a deer when the period of intoxication had not yet ended, the mushroom poisoning would pass on to the person who ate the meat of the animal.

Amanita muscaria was used by Siberian aborigines (usually tribal elders) on several occasions (Joselson 1905): the plant was used to communicate with supernatural forces, to predict the future, to determine the cause of illness, and also simply for pleasure during celebrations (for example, wedding celebrations) when they treated guests to it. In cases where mushrooms were consumed, people asked questions that interested them to an intoxicated fellow tribesman, if he could answer them intelligibly. The answers were based on the latter's visions.

The Koryaks believed that special powers resided in mushrooms, and that these evil creatures - nimvits - were subject only to the shaman. Communication with them took place only at night, in complete darkness, and was accompanied by the consumption of mushrooms. After the shaman ate enough mushrooms, he fell into a trance. At the moment of awakening, he began to realize what surrounded him in visions. He often reported about his transition to another world and meeting with deceased relatives, from whom he received instructions. All men, even if they were not shamans, could eat mushrooms. This was done in order to find out the cause of their illness, to observe visions or to visit the upper and lower worlds. Koryak believed that while intoxicated with mushrooms, he should do what the spirits living inside the plants advise him.

Psilocybin mushroom (or, as people say, hallucinogenic mushroom) has been known to mankind since ancient times, before the beginning of our era. At one time, without really understanding medicine, ancient healers used this mushroom to “see the future” and speak with the Gods. We know that psilocybin mushrooms are no less dangerous than LSD. It is also worth noting that in Russia, law enforcement agencies are actively fighting the spread of the “natural drug” and punishing people who grow or use psilocybin.

The mushrooms received this name due to the substance they contain. In fact, psilocybin mushrooms are not considered a poisonous species, although some scientists still consider hallucinations as a manifestation of poisoning.

The main component of psilocybins is the alkaloid psilocybin. It is thanks to this substance that mushrooms turn purple. They love wetlands and forests. In principle, these are the places where they mainly grow. It is best to look for them in lowlands and forest edges, in the thick of grass.

How to identify a mushroom? Overall, quite simple. They are distinguished by their unusual blue color. Also, the stalk does not crumble. This can be checked by rubbing it between your fingers. If after pressure the leg does not crumble, but turns into a thin thread, then this is a psychotropic appearance.

There are many hallucinogenic mushrooms, but there are still the main types of psilocybin mushrooms, which residents of Russia and neighboring countries can most often encounter.

This is a lamellar mushroom. One of the most famous psychotropic drugs in the Russian Federation. The cap has a diameter of 5 to 25 mm. The skin is easily separated from the fruiting body, especially at a young age of the mushroom. Psilocybe's color ranges from beige to brown. After damage to the pulp, they acquire a characteristic blue tint.

A terrible name that completely characterizes the mushroom. It has an equally unpleasant name: Poop's bald spot.

This is a small mushroom with a cap 6-25 mm. At a young age, the cap is spherical, and as it matures it opens up, acquiring a more umbrella-like appearance. The color is light brown or dark brown. Unlike Psilocybe semilanceolate, Poop's bald head does not turn blue when the damaged part comes into contact with oxygen.

The leg is very long, from 2.5 to 7.5 cm. Diameter up to 3 mm. Most often it is smooth, sometimes it has a curved structure.

Yar verdigris troischling

It is most often located in forests and along roadsides. The cap is quite large, up to 8 cm in diameter. The color is copper-green. It becomes duller as it ages. The leg is straight, there is a small ring on it. Spores of psilocybin mushrooms Verdigris treshling are purple-brown in color.

It is active from April to December. It mainly grows in small groups, with individuals less common. Prefers fertile soil. Grows near rivers and in pastures. Often grows directly from manure heaps.

The cap is small, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, the height of the mushroom is approximately 4-5 cm. The color is whitish-gray or gray-brown.

The leg is long, up to 8 cm in length and 2-3 mm in diameter.

It grows from the beginning of spring until the end of the year. The greatest activity is observed in early to mid-autumn. Situated along river roads, in pastures or meadows. Prefers to grow in groups, but single specimens are also found.

The cap is small, up to 25 mm in diameter. The mushroom is tall, up to 8 cm in height. The color of the head is beige-yellow, the leg has an identical color.

A very rare species, but incredibly dangerous for the human body. Leopard mushroom should not be consumed under any circumstances. The cap of a young mushroom is dark brown. As it ages, it acquires a coffee-brown color.

It is active from the beginning of spring until autumn. The preferred growing location is manure or any other suitable organic matter.

The cap size is small, up to 30 mm. The color is white-lemon. The hat is very specific, as it has a glossy base and shines in the sun even when it is dry.

The leg has the same color as the head. Covered with dense scales.

The most famous of the poisonous mushrooms. Peak activity occurs from early August to late October. It occurs in groups, but still, solitary specimens predominate.

The cap is large, sometimes reaching 20 cm in diameter. The young mushroom has an ovoid shape, which with aging turns into an umbrella shape. The color of the cap is dark red or orange. Its surface is covered with white patches, reminiscent of plasticine pieces.

The leg is tall, up to 25 cm. In diameter up to 3 cm. It belongs to the spore-bearing species.

Use

They are consumed not for taste or nutrients, but to obtain the so-called “high” caused by the effect on the central nervous system.

Mushrooms are eaten raw or dried. If you dry them, they lose some of the active component.

They are not boiled, fried or dried in the oven. Psilocin completely evaporates when exposed to high temperatures.

Dosage

In the circles of “mushroom addicts” it is believed that to achieve a normal effect you need to consume about 30 g of fresh or 50-60 g of dry fruiting bodies.

It all depends on the type and amount of psilocybin in its composition. For example, mushrooms grown in Karelia will have a stronger effect on the central nervous system than the same varieties from Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Sensitivity to psilocybin is proportional to body weight. The more a person weighs, the more active substance he needs to achieve a normal psychotropic effect.

Duration of action

On average, a person will experience glitches from consuming Psilocybin fruiting bodies for 4-7 hours. The action of the component begins 20-30 minutes after entering the body. Peak effects occur one hour after consumption and last from 60 to 180 minutes.

After the end of their action, a so-called “afterglow” state may be observed for another 24 hours, in which a person feels relaxed and more sensitive to external factors.

How do mushrooms act on the body?

The effect on the human central nervous system through the consumption of psilocybin fruiting bodies is called a trip. People who have encountered this product note that they are easier to tolerate by the body than synthetic substances such as LSD.

When using psychotropic mushrooms, a transitional state is initially observed. A person feels a headache, his stomach turns and he feels cold. In the circles of drug addicts, this is normal, considering that this is the effect of mushroom toxins that cause a mild stage of poisoning. Actually this is not true. Psilocybin fruiting bodies do not contain enough poisons to cause such poisoning.

Most likely, these sensations are caused by a violation of the central nervous system, since a person can feel cold even in a warm room. This condition goes away in 1-1.5 hours.

Mushrooms in Russia

It is difficult to find a place where these mushrooms are not found. They take root everywhere, even where there is no nature. The only requirement is the presence of organic matter. Because of this, pastures and other fertilized areas are a favorite location for psilocybin fruiting bodies. To put it simply, these are social specimens that mostly live near humans.

In Russia there are only a few varieties of psilocybin:

1. Psilocybe lanceolate. Has a disgusting appearance. Distribution zone: Leningrad region and Far Eastern region. Shows peak activity from August to October.
2. P. Subbalteatus, also known as Paneolus fringe. Distributed throughout Eurasia, including the Moscow region and Siberia.

Encyclopedia of Crimes and Disasters

PART II. FORECASTERS AND PROPHETS

HALLUCINOGENS

Psychodysleptic drugs (hallucinogens) play a significant role in shaman rituals.

Since ancient times, throughout Siberia and the Arctic, the main psychoactive drug has been the red fly agaric.

Among the Khanty, for example, rituals were preceded by a one-day fast, at the end of which the shaman ate 3 or 7 fly agarics (sometimes up to 20) and went to bed. After a few hours, he would suddenly wake up, shaken by trembling, and announce what the spirits had told him, then fall asleep again and begin the ritual in the morning.

Among the Koryaks, shamans ate fly agaric mushrooms if they needed to come into contact with evil spirits or the souls of the dead.

Red fly agarics cause poisoning. After eating them, redness of the face, neck and chest, increased heart rate, hallucinations in the form of bright colored spots, a feeling of calm, and disorientation in time and space occur. After just a few minutes, these phenomena smooth out. The feeling of calm persists longer, turning into a state of joy and bliss that lasts for several hours.

By the way, European fly agarics are somewhat more poisonous than Siberian ones and require greater caution when consumed. Mild forms of poisoning are accompanied by a certain animation and spontaneity of movements, as from alcohol. With deeper poisoning, the surrounding objects begin to seem either very small or very large, alternately followed by excitement and depression. Having eaten a fly agaric, he sits quietly and, swaying from side to side, talks to family members. Suddenly his eyes roll upward, he begins to gesticulate convulsively, talk to someone else, sing, dance.

Then there comes a break, and in order to return “from there” back, you still have to eat fly agaric.

The effect of fly agaric would be stronger if the alkaloid were not excreted from the body in urine. Therefore, the Koryaks, for example, consider fly agaric urine to be a valuable drink. He usually drinks it himself or offers it to others as a treat.

The Slavic name "fly agaric" is apparently the same descriptive phrase, hiding a secret secret name, as "bear", and indicates its intoxicating power and sacred function. This is the “spirit-mor” - the persecutor of evil spirits.

It should be noted that fly agaric eating was widespread not only among shamans, but also in a wide variety of cults in India. Their images are found everywhere on the walls of temples. The Germans prepared a drink from them, which they drank before the battle, turning into frantic destroyers - berserkers.

The name of fly agaric among the Ural and Siberian peoples is “punk” or “bang” - a synonym for the Iranian name for hemp. Hemp was widely used as an ecstatic remedy by the Scythians. From the descriptions of Herodotus we know about felt-covered idols with hot stones in the center of the hut. The priests threw hemp seeds onto them and received ecstasy in clouds of intoxicating smoke, in which they came into contact with the spirits and souls of the dead.

Another series of hallucinogens is associated with the cult drink of the Zend-Avesta and Rigveda - soma or haoma. It owes its effect to its similarity with adrenaline. But its cult significance was limited to the circle of the most ancient cattle-breeding tribes, who played an exclusively destructive role in history and deified strength and fertility. This is ephedri - ephedra juice - a devilish remedy that causes a feeling of sexual rejuvenation, increased physical strength and at the same time relaxes the muscles of the heart.

In shamanic practice on the American continent, holy (talkative) mushrooms are still widely used: peyote, strafaria, etc., as well as extracts from vines, for example, ayahuasca - a decoction, the main component of which is the aquatic vine Banisteriopsis coapi. This drink is the most widespread of the hallucinogens found in the equatorial New World and used by shamans.

Here's what Terence McKenna, an original thinker and visionary, reported about ayahuasca, who, together with his brother Denis, made a research expedition in the early 70s, the route of which passed through the Colombian Amazon (the purpose of this expedition was to study hallucinogens used by shamans):

“Jivaro shamans in Ecuador take ayahuasca, after which they - and anyone else who takes it - gain the ability to see a certain substance that is said to be purple or dark blue and bubbles like a liquid. When you vomit after taking ayahu asca, it is this liquid that you throw out; in addition, it appears on the skin like sweat. This curious thing is what the Jivaro use in most of their witchcraft rituals. All this is kept in the strictest confidence. Eyewitnesses claim that shamans pour liquid onto the ground in front of them and, looking into it, see other lands and times. If they are to be believed, the nature of this liquid is entirely beyond the bounds of ordinary experience; it consists of space-time or thought, or is a pure hallucination, which acquires an objective expression, but always limited by the limits of a liquid" (T. McKenna. True hallucinations. -<-Изд-во Трансперсонального Института, М., AirLand, Киев, 1996, с. 21).

Shortly before his expedition into the wilds of the Amazon, Terence McKenna himself encountered the phenomenon of such a liquid in Tibet, where he was studying Tibetan shamanism, called “Bon.” While exploring the hallucinogens of Tibet, McKenna conducted an experiment: he experienced the effects of one of the most powerful hallucinogens, whose composition was close to the infusions of Amazonian ayahuasca. One of his acquaintances, a girl with whom McKenna had a friendly relationship, participated in this experiment with him.

McKenna described his experiences during the experiment in the book “True Hallucinations” (Publishing House of the Transpersonal Institute, M., AirLand, Kiev, 1996, pp. 85-86): “...Suddenly I discovered that I was flying above the ground at a height several hundred miles, accompanied by silver discs. I can’t say how many there were. I was focused on the view of the earth below and soon realized that I was flying over Siberia, apparently in a polar orbit, heading south. Ahead could be seen the majestic Shan Plateau and the Himalaya massif, rising before the yellowish-red desert of India. The sun was supposed to rise in two hours. After making several successive jerks, I left the orbit and chose a place from where I could clearly distinguish a round depression - the Kathmandu Valley. Another jerk - and the valley filled the entire field of vision. It looked like I was descending at great speed. There is the Hindu temple and houses of Kathmandu to the west of the city, there is the Swayambhunath Temple, and a few miles to the east is the stupa at Boudhanath, sparkling with fresh whitewash. Then Boudhanath began to rapidly approach, turning into a mandala of houses and concentric streets. Among hundreds of roofs, I found mine. And the next moment, having flown into his body, he again saw the plane of the roof and the woman, right in front of him.

She arrived at this meeting tense, completely inappropriately dressed in a long silver satin evening dress, as if taken from someone's family chest, the kind you might find in a vintage clothing store in Notting Hill Gate. I fell face down, and it seemed to me that my palm fell into some cool white liquid - it was the fabric of her dress. Until that moment, neither of us had considered the other as a potential lover. Our relationship was built on a completely different basis. And suddenly all the usual norms of relationships ceased to exist. We rushed towards each other, and I had the distinct feeling that I had passed through her body and found myself behind her. In one motion she pulled the dress over her head. I did the same with my shirt, which turned into a tattered rag in my hands as I pulled it off. I heard buttons flying in all directions and my glasses breaking after landing poorly.

We made love. Or, rather, they experienced something that was very distantly related to this activity, but completely unique. We both sang and screamed, caught up in the glossolalia of DMT, rolling around on the roof, rocking on the waves of incoming geometric hallucinations. She was transformed: it is difficult to describe in words what she became - the feminine principle in its purest form, Kali, Leucothea (the White goddess, in Greek mythology, the sea deity into which Ino turned by throwing herself into the sea), something erotic, but inhuman, something addressed to to the species, but not to the individual, radiating the threat of cannibalism, madness, space and destruction. It seemed like she was about to devour me.

Reality shattered. It was sex at the very edge of the possible. Everything transformed into an orgasm and a visible babbling ocean of elven speech. Then I saw, in the place where our bodies were stuck together, some kind of glassy liquid, something dark, shiny, flashing from within with multi-colored rays, was flowing from her onto me, onto the roof, spreading everywhere. After the DMT-induced visions, after the orgasms, after everything that had happened, this new obsession shook me to the core. What kind of liquid is this and what is going on? I looked at her. I looked straight into it - and a reflection of the surface of my own mind appeared in front of me. What was it - translinguistic matter, a living, iridescent outgrowth of the alchemical abyss of hyperspace or the product of a sexual act committed in complete madness? I looked again into the dark depths and this time saw the lama who taught me the Tibetan language - at this time he must have been sleeping a mile away. But in the liquid I saw him in the company of a monk unfamiliar to me; they both looked at the plate, polished to a mirror shine. And then I realized that they were watching me! This was beyond my comprehension. I looked away from the liquid and from my partner: the aura of inhumanity surrounding her was so strong... It was this incident that sparked in me an interest in the purple liquid, which, according to rumors, Aya Huasquero shamans extract from the skin and use for fortune telling and healing..."

Strong tobacco is also used as a hallucinogen on the American continent, either in the form of a thick fog, or chewing gum, or smoke.

When assessing the spiritual practices of antiquity from this perspective, it is imperative to keep two particulars in mind. Firstly, “holy tobacco”, “haoma”, “peyote”, “strafaria”, “ayahuasca” or fly agarics were not a product of daily use before the spiritual collapse of the ancient world, and therefore were not harmful drugs.

They were hallucinogens that connected the physical person with the spiritual person - a bridge between the little things of life and its deeper meaning.

Secondly, hallucinogens used in a certain dosage did not give rise to insane delirium, but revealed in a figurative form a certain truth - the prospect of spiritual life, introduced them to its structure and at the same time gave rise to clairvoyant abilities. Today, it no longer seems amazing to a researcher of primitive cultures when a South American Indian, closing his eyes, begins to describe the details of the location of his home in Europe, the details of the situation. He knows that this miracle is the product of “Neolithic pharmacology,” as it is increasingly officially called.

Many medical institutions today are struggling to uncover the true secrets of ancient drugs. Until now, this has been hampered by the very approach to them. It never occurred to anyone that the essence of the matter lay in studying the structures of hallucinations. Just 20-30 years ago they were looked at as chaotic nonsense and did not see their hidden deep meaning. One of the first steps towards a new view was taken by Schultz back in 1941, when he managed to identify the plant from which the Aztecs prepared “ololihuca” - a narcotic substance that, according to the chronicle of the conquistadors, allows “to comprehend everything that human thought cannot understand.” . In 1958, the US press leaked information about the identification of iage, the juice of which dramatically enhances psychotronic (extrasensory) abilities, including the abilities of telepathy, telegnosis and telekinesis. However, the results of all experiments are kept in strict confidence, as they are of military interest.

In recent decades, the notes of Carlos Castaneda, who underwent psychotronic treatment under the guidance of a Mayan sorcerer, have gained great popularity. These notes, which made up a series of books, are devoted to the presentation of his personal experience and description of the dramatic experiences when confronted with “magical reality” - the cruel and beautiful underbelly of the familiar world, which is captured in the disappearing culture of the Indians of Central America, where for many centuries magic was a completely common thing and ubiquitous.

It is known from history that during the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the Catholic Inquisition tried in every possible way to eradicate magic as an undoubted invention of the devil. Despite all the efforts of the Inquisition, many types of magical techniques have been preserved, and some of them are already quite well known. For example, the practice of using dreams to find lost objects or the practice of leaving the body in a dream for long journeys is known. According to C. Castaneda, “what we call reality is just one of the possible ways of seeing the world, cultivated by social consensus.”

In such a case, the magician, like a hypnotist, creates an alternative world by projecting different expectations and manipulating perception and evaluation accordingly to produce a new consensus. Teaching C. Castaneda magic, his teacher - don Juan - gave him a new way of seeing the world. In his interview with Sam Kean (December 1972), C. Castaneda said that “what he (don Juan) calls “seeing” is the comprehension of the world without any interpretation; it is, in traditional philosophical terms, pure “astonished” perception. It is magic that is the means to achieve it.

To destroy the belief that the world is the way it is described, you must learn a new description of the world - magical,- and then hold both. Then you will be convinced that none of thesetheir descriptions are not conclusive. At this point you seem to slide between descriptions; you “stop the world” and “see.” You are immersed in amazement, true amazement - seeing the world without any interpretation."

When asked by Sam Kean whether it was possible to go beyond the limits of interpretation through the use of psychedelic drugs alone, C. Castaneda replied the following: “I don’t think so... I never took LSD, but from studying with don Juan I learned that psychotropic drugs are used only to stop the flow of ordinary interpretations... and to shake the usual confidence in the adequacy of perceptions.

However, psychotropic drugs alone will not help “stop the world.” This requires a full-fledged alternative description of the world. That’s why don Juan taught me magic.”

The question was further asked: “Apparently, psychotropic drugs for some time eliminate the boundary between “I” and the world and provide the opportunity for a mystical merger with nature. Many cultures that retained the commonality of man and nature also included the ceremonial use of psychotropic drugs. Were your magical experiences without using them similar to when you took pei-ot, haze, and devil's weed?

Carlos Castaneda: “Not only similar, but much more intense. Each time I took psychotropic plants, I kept this in mind, and thus had the constant opportunity to question the validity of the experience. But when, for example, a coyote spoke to me, I did not have any kind of defense. I could not interpret it in any rational way. I really stopped the world, and for a short time went beyond the usual Western European system of description.”

Sam Keen: "What is your current understanding of the role of psychotropic drugs in the teaching of magic?"

Carlos Castaneda: “Don Juan used psychotropic drugs only at the beginning of my training, because I was, in his words, too arrogant and “inhibited.” I held on to my description of the world like a drowning man holding on to a straw. Psychotropic drugs created a gap in my defense - the gloss system. My dogmatic certainty was shattered. This, of course, was not in vain for me. When the glue that held the familiar world together was dissolved, so to speak, my body was incredibly weakened, and it took months to bring it back to normal. I was completely out of balance and could barely function on a basic bodily level.”

Sam Keen: "Does Don Juan regularly use psychotropic drugs to 'stop the world?'

Carlos Castaneda: “No. He can “stop the world” whenever he wants. He once told me that it was useless for me to try to “see” without the help of psychotropic plants, but if I behaved like a warrior and fully accepted the responsibility associated with it, I would not need them - they would only weaken my body "(Sam Keen. Interview with Carlos Castaneda. - Kyiv, Sofia, Ltd., 1992).

Based on this, it becomes clear that hallucinogens are used in magical (shamanic) practice in order to “see,” that is, to comprehend the world without any interpretation. They provide scope for a person to manifest and understand the phenomena of his inner life, although their use is not necessary for a true adept.

However, there is a danger here, because as a result of the use of hallucinogens (drugs), the most powerful and justified human desire - the desire for spiritual freedom - can be perverted into drug addiction, since when they are used, the dependence of the spirit on the body is reduced only conditionally: the place of “master of the body” occupies "Mr. Drug".

It must be said that during any trance (in particular, in shamanic practice), anesthesia of the body necessarily occurs, and the anesthesia is natural, not artificial, and very light, playing the role of a trigger mechanism.

Three and a half millennia ago, in the ancient Vedic texts, it was mentioned that the greatest source of human strength, inexhaustible in the process of life, is located in the space above the eyebrows. Later, in the teachings of Laya Yoga, this point was associated with the center of the highest chakram - a thousand-petalled lotus, which first fully blooms upon achieving complete small samadhi - reversible ecstasy, liberation.

In this area the pineal gland is located - the pineal gland. In many ancient texts, the pineal gland is called the third eye, with the help of which, at the moment of enlightenment, a person sees the highest, mystical, immaterial light. The ability to clairvoyance is also associated with it.

Regardless of these ancient texts, in 1886, two monographs by famous anatomists appeared simultaneously in England and Germany, claiming that the pineal gland is indeed a third eye, inherited by us from primitive reptiles, which still use it today. Yet the role of this gland in human life remained highly controversial and was not studied until Aron Lerner discovered in 1959 that it is closely related to the production of melatonin in the body, which, in turn, is converted into serotonin. Serotonin plays the most significant role in mental life - disturbances in its synthesis lead to depression and, as many now assume, to schizophrenia. In cats and roofs, serotonin blockade includes the slow phase of sleep, in humans, on the contrary, the fast phase, which means that thanks to its synthesis, a person is aware of his dreams. Without it they do not reach consciousness.

Dates and bananas are rich in serotonin, but there is especially a lot of it in the resin and fruits of wild figs (banyans, “bo trees”) - in the very fig trees under which the ancient prophets experienced insight. Under such a fig tree, Buddha-Gautama learned the Truth - the source of Suffering.

Serotonin, a naturally occurring drug in the body, can easily be converted into dextrolysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, which is chemically derived from ergot.

The effect of LSD on the psyche is determined by the fact that under its influence, imaginative thinking gains an advantage over logical thinking to the same extent as in early childhood (up to three years). A manifestation of this is a partial mixture of real images with hallucinations (the subjective is projected onto the objective world), an increase in the feeling of irresponsibility and, as one of the most characteristic manifestations, the effect of slowing down the flow of time, resulting from a sharp acceleration of mental processes. The second hand on the clock literally stops before your eyes after taking LSD. It takes “hell’s patience” to notice her movement. Speech becomes confusing, as words merge into one stream and move on top of each other.

The Swiss chemist Hoffmann, who discovered LSD in 1943, was the first to describe how, after taking a quarter of a milligram of the drug, within a few minutes he experienced dizziness, causeless laughter, anxiety, impaired active attention, and a distorted perception of the world around him. Another manifestation of the effect of LSD was that after taking it he decided to ride his bicycle home across the city. On the way, it seemed to him that he was not moving, but standing still, the idea of ​​time disappeared, and the fear of going crazy appeared. At home he began to experience color hallucinations and his head and legs felt like lead. There was a feeling that his “I” was hovering somewhere in space, separate from his own already dead body, stretched out on the sofa. The doctor called did not find any disturbances in the functioning of the heart and lungs. During the evening, all anomalies disappeared, the longest lasting was “visual illusions under the influence of sounds.”

LSD later gained popularity as the most powerful hallucinogen. According to chemists who analyzed its structural formula, there cannot be a more effective remedy in nature. Doctors say that under the influence of LSD, the visual cells in the eye begin to excite themselves, and therefore the brain sees light and colors that are not in front of the eyes. The emerging visions are especially rich in auroras and colored galloes. The resulting hallucinations are not just a kaleidoscope of images, but an object of a person’s inner life, projected onto the outside world.

LSD does not create drug addiction, but it is dangerous due to the resulting sense of irresponsibility and omnipotence.

Another serotonin derivative, bufotenin, is the active principle of the shamanic fly agarics already known to us.