My First Experiments with Amanita Muscaria
Entheogenic journeying with the polkadot mushroom
Over the last year I’ve been doing a lot of shamanic journeying with psilocybin tampelandia mushrooms to heal parts of my childhood. These trips have been profound and healing. Many times I had gone into the forest to search for a local entheogenic mushroom, as I’d rather find natural local medicine, than to buy it from an online truffle shop (the Netherlands). But to no avail. Psilocybin mushrooms are hard to find in the lowlands. Then it occured to me I had skipped over the most famous mushroom of all: the Amanita muscaria; more commonly known as the fly agaric. And it is available in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, even in forests close to the city where I live. Wow! Just one question. Wasn’t the fly agaric supposed to be incredibly poisonous?
Introduction
The truth is that everything can be toxic at high levels. But with regard to the Amanita muscaria, most people assume it being very dangerous, but they don’t speak of any experience. Gordon Wasson dubbed this as a mycophobic culture, a society that is afraid of mushrooms. The fly agaric is especially notorious in the minds of people. This perception might be due to Western countries still carrying a christian legacy, which instilled a fear of any psychedelic tools previously used by ‘witches’. The current culture always thinks it is most advanced, but we still continue to act and think in archaic ways. A hundred years from now it is always clear that the current world lacks understanding. But with the advent of the internet we can actually accelerate our learning and recover old mystic tools, one of which is the amanita mushroom, which has high potency in healing trauma and other diseases of the spirit.
The Amanita muscaria is unlike the psilocybin entheogenic mushrooms. The active components are mostly inside the red/orange cap and are called ibotenic acid and muscimol. The former is a neurotransmitter that acts as a non-selective glutamate receptor agonist. It has an energetic, laughing, and trickster-like effect. The latter, muscimol, is also a neurotransmitter that activates GABAa receptors. This entheogen allows for deep work and shamanic journeying. Both molecules are related as ibotenic acid converts into muscimol through decarboxylation. This conversion can be achieved through drying, making a tea, and finally creating a lemon tec out of the solution. Each step converts more ibotenic acid into muscimol. Depending on use and preference one or more of these steps can be executed. For most, drying and making a tea is the predominant practice. All in all, this mushroom is a bit more involved than psilocybin, which one can ingest immediately, but otherwise not too cumbersome to prepare.
Mythology
Though the mushrooms aren’t used that much today in the West, our ancestors had a rich history and ceremonial culture of using the fly agaric. It is presumed that the mythology and lore that remains from this period is still contained within the tradition of Santa Claus (North America) and its precursor Sinterklaas (Europe). The American version has an old man dressed in white and red who rides through the sky in a sled with flying reindeer delivering presents under trees. Shamanic cultures in Lapland understood the reindeer in the forest ate amanitas. By drinking their urine they achieved ecstatic states. The liver of reindeer can’t metabolize the active components but breaks down muscarine, which may occur in the caps and are toxic at high concentrations.
Similarly, the tradition of Sinterklaas still contains shamanic elements. A red and white clothed old man travels the roofs by horse (flying), dropping presents through the chimneys. This aspect connects back to the Laps who would drop muscaria medicine for the sick through the smoke shafts of snowed in dwellings.
The Dutch tradition also has a strong ritual in writing, manifestation, and poetics. Children are taught to write their desires on paper and put it in their shoes along with a carrot (for the horse) for the Saint. The next morning the letter and carrot are gone and hopefully the child shall receive what he asked for on the 5th of December (Sinterklaas Avond). Though obviously, the parents execute this scheme, it is not much different than a simple manifestation technique. Write down what you desire and it shall be given to you by the universe.
Within the tradition it is also common to attach written poetry to the gifts. Ecstatic states induced by entheogens have been shown to create poetic states in its users who may experience a flow of rhythmic language emanating from spirits. Finally, these festivities coincides around the fruiting phase of the mushroom. Though there’s no conclusive evidence of these correlations, it is highly likely that these traditions have originated from pagan amanita practice.
Purchase
The amanita season in the Netherlands is from October to November. Since, it was early September when I started researching the mushroom, and got excited about it, I ordered some from Ukraine where the season had already started. There are other vendors you can select from the Vendor List (see sources).
Finding & Foraging
Preferably I will pick my own amanitas in the future. By using observation.org it is very easy to pinpoint locations in your area when and where the mushrooms grow. On this site people can upload species sightings and hence is a valuable tool for selecting foraging locations. The amanita mostly has mycorrhizal relationships with firs and birches, so keep an eye on those trees. The fungus needs medium temperatures (10–20°C) and adequate downpour in order to fruit around fall.
Preparation
- Select about 15g of dried caps and preferably take multiple ones from different batches/locations. As ibotenic acid concentrations may differ up to 600% between caps, only ingesting a few of them may lead to imbibing a ‘hot’ dose.
- Simmer in water for 20–30 minutes until the caps are bleached and the liquid has turned to orange/red.
- Experiment by taking first low doses and gradually increase on a daily basis to achieve the required amount. Experimenting is important as the strength of your brew is unknown. Excess tea can be stored by freezing.
Ingestion / Trip
A couple of days into an increasing dose program, I’ve not yet hit any type therapeutic dose or hallucinogenic states. Last try was about 5 spoonfuls, but I didn’t sense any effects, other than extensive sweating during sleep and dreams that occurred very early in the sleep phase. This is not normal for me, as my dream stage is always around dawn.
I continued to use it on a daily basis in different doses, and it is becoming clear this is totally different from psilocybin. This shroom mostly puts me to sleep, and delivers deep sleeping states. I also feel it’s taking me to deeper emotional layers at night slowly.
Anyhow, any attempts of getting a traditional ‘trip’ have failed. That’s a result of comparing amanita to psilocybin.
Conclusion
This is where I’m currently at. Soon, I shall be foraging for amanitas in my own locale and have higher control over the end product and freshness. I shall keep you posted on my findings. Please, give this some claps if you enjoyed this article and consider giving me a follow. Thanks.
Sources
- Observation.org — Forage in your neighborhood
- Amanita Dreamer — The YouTube educational authority on Amanita use
- Amanita Muscaria Store—Company I used to purchase in Europe
- Vendor List — Global list of legit amanita vendors.
- Mushrooms, Russia & History — Gordon Wasson
