Magic mushroom kits

Hallucinogenic mushrooms: discovering realities beyond the 5 senses

Since immemorial times, the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms has been a widespread practice wherever they occurred. The way of seeing the world from a different perspective helped some of the most ancient civilisations to understand the reasons for many situations, changing the paradigm of the established until then and creating new realities.

However, what was seen as something magical or coming from the gods (the Mexicans called them Teonanácatl, which translates as ‘flesh of the gods’), we now understand the background to their effects and why they are produced.

These revered fruits are, for the most part, Psylocibes. Although not in all cases, see Copelandia Hawaiian post, it is their high concentration of psilocybin that makes them special. Psilocybin is converted inside the human body into psilocin, which interacts with serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, modifying the release of neurotransmitters and the standard activity of neural networks. All this evokes an alteration of sensory perception, mood and cognition.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms have created an impact on everyone who has tried them. They became part of empires as great as the Mayans, Greeks, Romans, Iberians, etc. Nowadays, great names have dedicated part of their lives to explore these wonderful mushrooms: names like Maria Sabina, Albert Hoffman, Terrence Mckenna or more recently Paul Stamets have helped to better understand the relationship of this substance with people and how to use them in a positive and educational way.

Another factor that has taken a step forward in the understanding, analysis and research of hallucinogenic mushrooms is the decriminalisation of psilocybin in the state of Colorado. Thanks to these non-prohibitionist policies, it is much easier to study its effects on mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety.

In the rest of the world the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms is illegal, but the sale of the mycelium, vials or spores to grow them is not. It is the psilocybin that is illegal, not the fruiting body. This is why the hallucinogenic mushroom cakes and bags are commercially available, a product with which you can grow your own mushrooms at home.

Mushroom cakes, cultivation bags and inoculation cakes: A range of options for every user

A mushroom cake or mushroom bag is a mixture of substrates specially selected for the growth of Psilocybe cubensis. It is a mixture of perlite, vermiculite and sterilised grain, which can be either wheat, rice, rye, etc. There are a wide variety of companies in the endomycology market, each using a different composition, depending on their genetics.

Here you can find different ways of growing mushrooms - growing bags and growing cakes - and, within the cakes, different brands of mushrooms, each of which has its own requirements. Therefore, it is best to follow the instructions of the brand you buy.

In this section you can find three different products, so you can choose how you want to grow your hallucinogenic mushrooms:

• Magic Mushroom Grow Cakes: Mushroom growing cakes are the first form in which these substrates were marketed. It is a container with the sterilised grain and the substrate, ready to develop the fruiting bodies. A controlled space is needed, both in terms of humidity and temperature. Also in terms of preventing contamination. These cakes are sensitive but effective if done correctly.
• Growing bags for hallucinogenic mushrooms: Growing bags follow the same principle as the cakes, substrate and grain. But with the difference that the genetics the bag contain are specifically selected to develop in a completely closed space. The difference in production compared to cakes is remarkable, as is the size of the mushrooms. It is arguably the easiest way to produce mushrooms, as the only parameter to regulate is the temperature, at 25 degrees.
• Inoculation kits for magic mushroom cultivation: The kits to inoculate are intended for those who want to go a step further in the study of mushrooms. They include all the necessary products to carry out a cultivation from inoculation to harvesting, as well as instructions for the correct development.

Mushroom cultivation kits for hallucinogenic mushrooms

Mushroom cakes are the first method developed to bring the hallucinogenic mushrooms to the users, and not the mushrooms as a final product. It is a lunchbox-type plastic container containing the mycelium already colonised and the substrate for it to develop correctly, producing the fruiting bodies, i.e. mushrooms. What it needs are specific favourable conditions for its development, which can be achieved at home with a few tips.

The first advice of all is that we are dealing with a rather delicate product as far as contamination is concerned. Mushroom spores fly around constantly, and we can unknowingly carry the spores of different fungi very easily, especially when dealing with other types of cultivation, such as cannabis. Therefore, it is recommended to set up the mushroom cultivation in a sanitised space, and every time any action has to be done with the cake, gloves, isopropyl alcohol and a mask should be used, if necessary.

Mushroom cakes require a stable temperature of 22-26ºC and minimum humidity of 80%. At first glance, these conditions may seem difficult to achieve and maintain inside a house, especially the humidity. However, thanks to the bag provided with the kit or with a mini-greenhouse, it is very easy to achieve.

Under these conditions, no maintenance is required. Just let the mushrooms grow until they are about to break the veil (the thin layer under the cap), and they are ready to harvest. This process usually takes between 15-20 days, depending on whether the conditions are favourable and whether the cake was already completely myceliated.

Mushrooms are usually harvested before they break the veil so spores do not fall on the cake, as this could contaminate it and affect the next batches. It is worth mentioning that a mushroom cake is not finished once the first mushrooms are harvested, it can provide up to 4 more fructifications, always when the brand's instructions are followed properly.

Different bread brands are available, offering a range of different varieties. From long established brands such as Freshmushrooms to others that started relatively recently and have already made a name for themselves in the market, such as Tatandi. You can even find varieties that are not Psilocybe Cubensis, such as Panaeolus Cyanescens, a genetic that is more difficult to cultivate but with a much higher psilocybin production than other varieties.

Magic mushrooms, grow bags

Grow bags are the other star product in the category. They are a new way of understanding the cultivation of magic mushrooms at home. It is ease in its purest form. They offer an enormous production, with 20cm mushrooms as standard. They also offer a meaninglessly lower risk of contamination than traditional mushroom cakes.

This product is a great revolution for two basic reasons. On the one hand the humidity factor, which goes, only the temperature, which should be around 25 degrees, needs to be controlled. The other reason is that there is no need to worry about sterilising the environment as this bag does not need to be opened until harvest time.

It is an innovative product, so most of the information about mushroom cultivation in bags and cakes is not relevant. Mushroom cultivation in cakes needs oxygen to breath, and they exhale carbon dioxide. Through genetic selection, some varieties can grow in high CO2 concentrations.

The biggest enemy of these mushrooms is no longer other mushrooms or the environment. At most it will be your cat wanting to play with the bag. In just about 20-35 days one can obtain huge yields. Until now, this could only be imagined or seen in the networks of US specialists.

Inoculation kits for Magic Mushrooms cakes

This product is especially aimed at those who are intrigued by the whole process from inoculation to harvesting at home. It is included a 425g mush bag of sterilised rye grain, 200ml of vermiculite, a syringe with the spores of the variety selected, and accessories to complete cultivation. It comes with detailed step-by-step instructions, so you get it right the first time, as if it had been done in a Colorado laboratory.

How to dry hallucinogenic mushrooms in a few simple steps

Finally, we describe how to dry mushrooms. Mushrooms usually weigh 10 times more when fresh, but they are usually consumed dried. So, if a cake yields 500g of fresh mushrooms, they usually weigh 50g when dried. There are a few simple but necessary steps to follow for proper drying. Standard sized mushrooms should be left in a cool, dry place, in the dark, and if possible with a piece of kitchen paper underneath. The paper is impregnated by the water given off by the mushrooms, so we must change it as it gets moist.

Very large mushrooms, such as those grown in growing bags, are best sliced, so that the inside dries out more quickly. Otherwise, there is a risk of water rotting the mushrooms. The best solution is to have a food dehydrator or a freeze dryer. This will dry them much faster, but the temperature at which the air is expelled must be controlled, as you do not want the psilocybin to degrade.