Jan 15, 2023·edited Jan 15, 2023Liked by Andrew R. Gallimore
Love your article, absolute treasure of a read.
However I did spot one thing that I wanted to raise.
Ground up mushrooms cause the psilocybin to degrade much, much faster. You suggest they be stored in gel caps and they should last years, but that will kill the potency, about 60% reduction by 15 months.
First I am a new fan. Awesome work! I ordered your books and enjoying them. A lot. I think the experiments and testing are equally flawed. As no real standards are presented. You need look at what sample prep they used. The one with really high scores the HPLC peaks look horrible. We need see whole chromatographs and standards and methods. People don’t show that, I Do! Check out my new reports when you have time. Please view my current research on MagicMyco.org for comparisons using industry standard gear. We focus on sample prep and testing technique in an open source fashion. We have subscribers who help us keep going. I could use whatever support I can get as it is expensive research. Bless and peace. Anything I can assist LMK. Doma
In my experience drying and gel-capping cyans, even with optimal storage, potency degraded noticeably over time. Personally I prefer working with fresh mushrooms and prefer cyans and usually as tea… the faster onset and earlier peak is more to my liking. Not a fan of the slow ride up. I feel like there is something like a metabolic response curve… kind of in the way that “boosting” later in the trip is tricky—but this might be more of an individual constitution or blood sugar thing. Other facets beyond just possible entourage effect or set and setting.
Enjoying your writing and looking forward to diving into the books!
An excellent way to homogenise the potency AND ensure maximum potency is to simmer the fresh mushrooms in a very very small amount of water (50-100ml) and a 50:1 ratio of mushroom to ascorbic acid. The fresh mushrooms will leech out their juice and whatever you get can freeze for what seems forever with no loss. Easy to figure out ratios too and no eating copious chitin. :)
Just to knit pick 4-ho-tryptamine is the first potentially psychoactive alkaloid (not likely without an maoi but this is the only one no one has tested with HTR in the literature) not it's phosphorylated analog 4-phosphoroxy-tryptamine (norbaeocystin).
"The idea that different species (or even strains and cultivars of the same species) of Psilocybe mushroom elicit their own distinct effects... I shouldn’t need to tell you that this is almost entirely a marketing ploy."
Quote so. Here's my take on "psychedelic effects".
What a legend. Looks like Im going to have to figure out fungi on wood now to get some Cyanescens going ;)
"the most sensible approach would be to quickly dry and then grind an entire mushroom harvest/purchase to homogenise the mushrooms and thus alkaloid content" Incredible tip, makes complete sense (although a part of me feels sad grinding up them beautiful buttons)
Love this blog Andrew! I feel there are multiple explanations for subjective variations of all serotonergic psychedelics, mushrooms perhaps the most (some are even reported to produce an maoi). The classic Mesoamerican food of the gods combination of cacao and mushrooms points to the profound visual enhancement of the experience from a large bolus of dietary tryptophan, which can be replicated in mushrooms, DMT oral and inhaled and even LSD. This effect is very easily replicated by simply taking a tryptophan supplement 440mg 30 min before the psychedelic. LDS and mushrooms are visually enhanced remarkably. Inhaled DMT is 'paced' and interactivity increased immensely. The most fascinating to me is the Oral DMT combo of harmala and freebase DMT, when taken with tryptophan acquires all the feature of an ayahuasca experience, including the panacea of organic familiar earthy entities, completely distinct from the DMT dimension. Obviously people will have varying levels of bioavailable tryptophan day to day, but the effect of enhancement from supplementation is so profound, particularly visual elements, I have yet to find a good explanation, which now I'm waiting for from you! :) I don't even have a sense that this effect is well recognized as I stumbled upon it experientially. If you doubt it, its exceedingly easy to try.
Love your article, absolute treasure of a read.
However I did spot one thing that I wanted to raise.
Ground up mushrooms cause the psilocybin to degrade much, much faster. You suggest they be stored in gel caps and they should last years, but that will kill the potency, about 60% reduction by 15 months.
see:
https://i.redd.it/tkaxgvz98d481.png
Source:
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PREVENTIONWELLNESS/Documents/Stability%20of%20Psilocybin%20and%20Analogs.pdf
First I am a new fan. Awesome work! I ordered your books and enjoying them. A lot. I think the experiments and testing are equally flawed. As no real standards are presented. You need look at what sample prep they used. The one with really high scores the HPLC peaks look horrible. We need see whole chromatographs and standards and methods. People don’t show that, I Do! Check out my new reports when you have time. Please view my current research on MagicMyco.org for comparisons using industry standard gear. We focus on sample prep and testing technique in an open source fashion. We have subscribers who help us keep going. I could use whatever support I can get as it is expensive research. Bless and peace. Anything I can assist LMK. Doma
Believe you have mg/kg rather than mg/g several places
In my experience drying and gel-capping cyans, even with optimal storage, potency degraded noticeably over time. Personally I prefer working with fresh mushrooms and prefer cyans and usually as tea… the faster onset and earlier peak is more to my liking. Not a fan of the slow ride up. I feel like there is something like a metabolic response curve… kind of in the way that “boosting” later in the trip is tricky—but this might be more of an individual constitution or blood sugar thing. Other facets beyond just possible entourage effect or set and setting.
Enjoying your writing and looking forward to diving into the books!
thank you ARG, you're an absolute gent and I am honored to read your books and blogs. keep them coming.
An excellent way to homogenise the potency AND ensure maximum potency is to simmer the fresh mushrooms in a very very small amount of water (50-100ml) and a 50:1 ratio of mushroom to ascorbic acid. The fresh mushrooms will leech out their juice and whatever you get can freeze for what seems forever with no loss. Easy to figure out ratios too and no eating copious chitin. :)
Just to knit pick 4-ho-tryptamine is the first potentially psychoactive alkaloid (not likely without an maoi but this is the only one no one has tested with HTR in the literature) not it's phosphorylated analog 4-phosphoroxy-tryptamine (norbaeocystin).
"The idea that different species (or even strains and cultivars of the same species) of Psilocybe mushroom elicit their own distinct effects... I shouldn’t need to tell you that this is almost entirely a marketing ploy."
Quote so. Here's my take on "psychedelic effects".
http://www.psychedelic-library.org/Psychedelic_Elephant.pdf
Psychedelic Elephant - A Critique of Psychedelic Research
Introducing a new paradigm for understanding how the brain event of neuroreceptor agonism
by a psychedelic chemical can lead to the mind events of the great multiplicity of possible
psychedelic states of consciousness. Cause and effects re-examined.
Even the revered "set and setting" hypothesis doesn't have much traction.
What a legend. Looks like Im going to have to figure out fungi on wood now to get some Cyanescens going ;)
"the most sensible approach would be to quickly dry and then grind an entire mushroom harvest/purchase to homogenise the mushrooms and thus alkaloid content" Incredible tip, makes complete sense (although a part of me feels sad grinding up them beautiful buttons)
Peace bud.
Love this blog Andrew! I feel there are multiple explanations for subjective variations of all serotonergic psychedelics, mushrooms perhaps the most (some are even reported to produce an maoi). The classic Mesoamerican food of the gods combination of cacao and mushrooms points to the profound visual enhancement of the experience from a large bolus of dietary tryptophan, which can be replicated in mushrooms, DMT oral and inhaled and even LSD. This effect is very easily replicated by simply taking a tryptophan supplement 440mg 30 min before the psychedelic. LDS and mushrooms are visually enhanced remarkably. Inhaled DMT is 'paced' and interactivity increased immensely. The most fascinating to me is the Oral DMT combo of harmala and freebase DMT, when taken with tryptophan acquires all the feature of an ayahuasca experience, including the panacea of organic familiar earthy entities, completely distinct from the DMT dimension. Obviously people will have varying levels of bioavailable tryptophan day to day, but the effect of enhancement from supplementation is so profound, particularly visual elements, I have yet to find a good explanation, which now I'm waiting for from you! :) I don't even have a sense that this effect is well recognized as I stumbled upon it experientially. If you doubt it, its exceedingly easy to try.
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