Science

Shroom Extracts: What Is It?

Nature is a valuable source of medicine. There are many different kinds of medicinal mushrooms and plants out there. For example, people use magic mushrooms to improve their mood.

These magic mushrooms contain psychoactive substances, psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin.

These shrooms are also well-known as:

  • psychedelic mushrooms
  • magic mushrooms
  • shrooms
  • magic truffles
  • mush

Since the 1990s, an increase in interest in the medical benefits of psilocybin.

The scientific community is looking into the drug’s potential to treat the following:

  • obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • social anxiety
  • cluster headaches
  • anxiety in patients undergoing cancer treatment.

In the USA, they are a Schedule I controlled substance.

Recently, the FDA and DEA have allowed their use. But it’s only for small, controlled human studies. These studies focus on their potential for medical and psychiatric drug administration.

Magic mushroom extract changes the brains of people with depression.

The influence of psilocybin on the brain is evident. But its duration and schedule of administration to patients need more clarity.

You can ingest fresh or dried magic mushrooms. Or you can prepare mushroom tea or combine them with different foods to mask the bitter taste.

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

Psilocybe semilanceata magic mushrooms

The Species Psilocybe cubensis is one of the most popular magic mushrooms. They offer a medium psilocybin concentration of approx—0.63% psilocybin. Dried wild mushrooms contain 0.60% psilocin.

Psilocybe subaeruginosa, is one of the most potent magic mushrooms in the world.

The efficacy of individual psilocybin mushrooms can vary. The various parts of mushrooms can also differ in potency. For example, the cap and stem may have different concentrations of psychoactive compounds.

Indoor cultivated mushrooms have higher concentrations of their active compounds.

Other mushroom species include Stropharia cubensis and Conocybe spp. They also contain psilocybin.

What are Magic Mushrooms Extract?

Psilocybin is an active substance extracted from hallucinogenic mushrooms. It’s the psychoactive component that produces hallucinogenic effects.

Researchers study the effects of the drug through psilocybin extraction. They do this before administering doses to human subjects.

Did you know? You can pluck or extract the psilocin and psilocybin from the mushrooms in an easy way. All you need is acetic acid.

Materials:

Once you have collected your magic mushrooms, it’s time to pick the other supplies:

  • 200 proof ethyl alcohol
  • Drinking glass
  • Funnel
  • Bottles with tight caps
  • Dust pollen masks
  • Small desk fan
  • 10cc syringe

Steps:

1. Get quality psilocybe cubensis shrooms. Use at least a few grams of dried shroom material. This will make the process worthwhile and effective.

Those harvested before or as the veils open and cool dried with desiccant are the best. Take note that psilocybin does not work well with high temperatures. So do not dry them under the sun or using heat.

The mushrooms need to be dry enough. Grind the mushrooms in a small zip-lock plastic bag and pound them with a pestle.

2. After pulverization, pour the shroom material into a bottle. Add enough alcohol. Make sure to cover the shroom material. This is to make it lose slurry.

Combine the alcohol extracts into a glass. Seal it with a leak-proof cap. Shake the bottle well to activate the extraction and let it sit for 24 hours.

3. After 24 hours, filter the alcohol. Retrieve the shroom material from the filters. You can use pollen masks. They make excellent, inexpensive filters.

4. You can also re-soak the extracted shroom material with fresh alcohol.

Faster process:

After doing step 2, you can place a small electric fan near the glass and point the airflow down into the glass.

Do this until the surface of the alcohol ripples. This will speed up evaporation and concentration.

The alcohol evaporates, and the level recedes down into the glass. The more alcohol extracted, the longer the evaporation time.

Next is storing the extracted alcohol. Place it in a fresh bottle. Alcohol doesn’t freeze and will remain liquid.

Other extraction methods include using methanol. Methanol co-extracts other useful molecules like:

  • urea
  • plant steroids (like ergosterol)
  • sugars
  • analogs of psilocybin (like baeocystin).

Mushroom Tincture

tincture on a table

You can make a magic mushroom liqueur to effect a potent psychedelic dose. This is often known as a mushroom tincture.

The process will take several hours. You can do this by using magic mushrooms and pure 200-proof ethyl alcohol.

You can even make it as potent as desired.

You can also buy a mushroom tincture. When purchasing a tincture, you will see a ratio on the packaging or bottle. This ratio tells the concentration level of the liquid.

For example, in a 1:3 ratio, there is one gram of dried mushrooms for every three milliliters of liquid.

A few drops of mushroom tincture mixed into coffee or a smoothie can equal a small handful of dry mushrooms.

Effects when you extract psilocybin from psychedelic mushrooms

The extraction process unlocks the beneficial compounds trapped in the mushroom cell walls,

You cannot absorb these compounds when you eat them raw.

Potency varies between species and even between specimens of the same species. It ranges from almost nothing to 1.5% of the dry weight. The strength of these oft homemade concoctions can vary depending on:

  • the species of mushroom used
  • their growing medium
  • the extraction process

At high doses (5.0 g), psilocybin causes open-eye hallucinations. At lower doses (0.5–2.5 g), the user can experience cold chills, closed-eye hallucinations, gas, and stomach cramps.

Final Thoughts

There are many ways to extract psilocybin from magic mushrooms. But, it’s still considered a controlled substance.

Thus, magic mushrooms are still not accessible to most people.

Recently, more research has shown the many benefits of psilocybin and other psychedelics. Also, more people are sharing their favorable experiences with magic mushrooms.

It would be best if more people accepted the benefits of magic mushrooms. By doing so, more individuals and organizations will push for its decriminalization. Making it more accessible.

Soon, we may see more countries, states, and cities legalizing its use like cannabis.

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