Amanita muscaria

The famous red and white fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) is very common in Western North America, Europe, Siberia and Asia, where it can be found under pine, spruce, fir, birch and oak.

It grows solitary, scattered, densely, or in large rings ('fairy rings') in forests and at their edges. It is often found in coastal pine forests and along freeways where pines have been planted.

The Fly agaric is historically the most widely used hallucinogenic in the world. For thousands of years it has been used by shamans, witchdoctors and priests throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. They used it mainly for religious purposes such as healing, receiving prophecies, summoning spirits, communicating with ancestors and perceiving divine immortality.

It has been suggested that this mushroom was at the source of (if not all, then at least most of) the major religions, and in symbolized form it often occurs in folk tales and alchemical texts. It was also used recreationally, or by warriors (Vikings, Berserkers and Vedic Aryans) for acquiring courage in battle.

The most important active substance in the Amanita Muscaria is muscimol, unlike most other hallucinogenic mushrooms, where the active substance is psilocybin and psilocin. The active substances are activated by drying the mushroom.

Effects

The Amanita mushroom is a difficult mushroom to consume because the effects are highly unpredictable. The effects can be divine, hellish or completely absent. Positive effects are often built up after taking it a couple of times. Because of its unpredictability this mushroom is recommended only for advanced entheogen users, preferably having some experience with Psilocybe mushrooms.

The whole trip can take 5 to 10 hours and starts after half an hour to 2 hours. Many trip reports mention nausea and extreme sweating as initial effects. Often one might fall asleep for a few hours with vivid dreams. After awakening the visions really begin, and you will probably feel very energized and ecstatic, but a dreamy, euphoric state of mind is just as likely.

Usage

Powder:
Mix the powder with a few cups of water and let it boil on a low fire for an hour. Drink it on an empty stomach. Start with half of the liquid and wait for 2 hours for the effect. If by then you do not feel enough you can drink half of the remaining liquid, and repeat that after another hour.

Amanita can also be vaporized at 175°C to 200°C (347°F to 392°F).

Mushroom caps:
Crush 4 to 7 grams of the dried mushroom(s) into small pieces (grinding is not nessecary and results in a 'soup' not a 'tea').

Heat a pot containing 250-350 ml (8-12 oz) of water to roughly 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit). Poor in the crumbled mushroom caps, stir for half a minute, put on the lid and turn off the heat. Allow it to sit for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring it once or twice.

Then filter out the mushroom parts, allow the remaining particles to settle, and then drink the tea.

Recycling
The active ingredients end up unchanged in your urine. Some people claim this urine allows one to experience the full effects without the side effects common to eating the mushroom itself, such as stomach cramps and nausea. So if you are brave enough, you can drink (or store) your first urine after the consumption of the Fly Agaric to intensify and prolong the effects. To do this you must empty your bladder before eating the mushrooms.

How to dose the Amanita muscaria?

Light	1 - 5 grams
Medium	5 - 10 grams
Strong	10 - 30 grams

Warning

You can have a wonderful and miraculous experience with the Amanita Muscaria, but there are some rules you have to follow:

If you eat this mushroom for the first time, start with a very light dosage (a small cap) or 1 - 5 grams of power. Each person can react very diffently to this mushroom.
For people with no experience at all with magic mushrooms it is strongly recommended to start with the Psilocybe Cubensis or the Copelandia Cyanescens.
After ingestion this mushroom can cause strong nausea. This will disapear completely when the psychoactive substances start to work.
Don't use this mushroom if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, depressed, afraid or feeling sad. The Amanita Muscaria intensifies your existing feelings.
Don't combine mushrooms with other drugs (such as alcohol) or medicines.
Do not drive or operate heavy machinery under the influence of mushrooms
Be sure that there is a sober, and preferably experienced person around, just to avoid any accidents.

Azarius Encyclopedia: Using Psychedelics Safely

Links

You can read trip reports from people who have experience with this mushroom on the Erowid site.

You can read more about the Amanita at www.amanita-muscaria.org.