What is Psilocybin?

For some, it would be a dream come true to be able to pick their own magic mushrooms. But extreme caution is always advised, as it’s very easy to come across a poisonous variety, especially if you’re not an expert and don’t have experience picking mushrooms.

So, it’s important to always seek advice from a specialist before consuming mushrooms you’ve harvested yourself – and don’t ingest any mushrooms that you’re not sure about.

Also, be aware that in many countries, including France, picking mushrooms is strictly forbidden. Only psilocybin truffles are offered to participants at retreats in the Netherlands.

The mushroom synthesises psilocybin all by itself. You’ll find it in its natural state in varieties of psilocybes such as Psilocybe cubensis. As for psilocin, it’s a modified (but still natural) form of psilocybin that’s found in the human body.

When the mushroom molecule arrives in the digestive tract, our alkaline phosphatase enzymes break it down and transform it into psilocin, making it compatible with human consumption.

In reality, it’s the psilocin that instigates the psychedelic effects on the brain.

In truth, most varieties of psilocybin mushrooms look just like any other mushroom, which makes identifying them difficult.

Psilocybes are a particular genus of mushroom that love being part of a crowd. They tend to grow in groups of light brown-tinted mushrooms that can be a little sticky when freshly picked.

You can tell a psilocybe apart by looking closely at its cap, stalk, or spore colour. The genus “psilocybe” comes from the Greek for “bald swelling”, owing to the small lump at the top of its smooth cap, somewhat like the mound of a hill. The texture of the magic mushroom’s stem is quite firm, which makes it resilient to handling. The spores are the reproductive organ of mushrooms and you’ll notice that psilocybe spores are a dark purple shade, which can be seen by pressing and gently tapping the top of the mushroom.

In any case, it’s always best to ask for expert advice to be sure about what you’ve picked.

The substance has existed for a very long time throughout human history. A large number of ancient civilisations used psilocybin ritualistically, perhaps as a cure. While we’re not sure exactly where it comes from, scientists have identified psilocybin mushrooms on every continent and in most countries. Psilocybin is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions where the humidity of the forests and richness of the humus are conducive to the proliferation of these fungal specimens.

The most common varieties of mushrooms currently known include:

• Psilocybe azurescens, from north-west American;
• Panaeolus cyanescens, which grows in the Americas, south-east Asia, and the south of France;
• Psilocybe semilanceata, which is chiefly found in and around Europe;
• Psilocybe cubensis, which can be found all over Asia;
• Panaeolus cambodginiensis, which comes from subtropical Asia and Hawaii.

In 2023, psilocybin can be sourced legally in several states and territories: the Netherlands and Jamaica, where retreats are generally held; and Canada, the state of Oregon and soon Australia have opened the way to psilocybin treatment upon medical prescription.

We know that magic mushrooms have been used for thousands of years to reach states of modified consciousness in shamanic rituals throughout the world. Ever since the 1970s and 80s, scientists have been interested in the links that may exist between psychological disorders, like depression, and psychedelics, both of natural origin (ayahuasca, peyote, mushrooms, mescalin) and synthetic (LSD, MDMA).

People that use truffles or mushrooms talk of intense mystical experiences, a deep opening to personal exploration, and a feeling of long-lasting internal peace.

According to a growing number of scientific studies, patients for whom traditional antidepressant treatment has failed react positively to psilocybin. Studies such as this one by Professor Goodwin demonstrate reductions in symptoms of depression that last for several months after just one dose of psilocybin. Another, carried out by Robin Carhart-Harris, shows how a group of patients who were prescribed 25 mg of psilocybin every three weeks reported exactly the same benefits as another group treated with an antidepressant (escitalopram).

While it’s always worth interpreting these results with a critical eye, they nonetheless give us a glimmer of hope about potentially as-yet unexplored treatments for mental health problems.

Overall, scientific research into the subject focusses on the various interactions that have been documented between the brain and psychedelic mushrooms. There are even studies which aim to show how truffles can help with complete alcohol withdrawal or even death-related anxiety in patients diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Taking psilocybin is considered to be a low-risk practice. However, some people can experience temporary discomfort in the 30 to 60 minutes following a dose of psilocybin truffle. These effects can include nausea and drowsiness, but this unpleasant experience subsides by the end of the psychedelic journey, after four to six hours.

People suffering from untreated high blood pressure or heart conditions, as well as pregnant women, are not advised to use any type of psychedelic. Likewise, anyone with previous experiences of – or a predisposition to – psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, dissociative personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or epilepsy are, on average, at risk of experiencing more or worse side effects, notably feelings of paranoia. Taking hallucinogenic mushrooms is therefore not recommended for people in these cases.

Microdosing psilocybin means taking a tiny dose of the substance every day or several times a week, as you may with a dietary supplement, for example.

The idea is that you can experience and maintain the benefits of psilocybin without going as far as embarking on a full-scale psychedelic journey. People who microdose are generally looking to improve their mood, relieve chronic pain, improve cognitive function, or reduce symptoms of depression.

Microdosing is a particularly fashionable technique thought up by psychologist James Fadiman, who recommends taking microdoses every other day. As an example, a “microdose” is typically around 0.3 g of truffle.

For now, scientific research into the microdosing method hasn’t demonstrated an indisputable efficacy. The supplement-like technique certainly seems to change brain activity but experiments haven’t clearly demonstrated that it leads to a psychological benefit, for example for depression. Psilocybin retreats, on the other hand, offer two stronger, one-off doses.