DOSE:			Amanitas - A. muscaria	(dried)
	repeated	oral	Alcohol - Hard
	repeated	smoked	Tobacco - Cigarettes

BODY WEIGHT:

195 lb

My Study of Muscaria

I came across a large, healthy colony of Amanitas growing beneath a stand of white pines at a local university (these mushrooms seem to have an affinity for the soil around pine trees). After careful examination of countless online photos for confirmation, due to my distaste for being fatally poisoned, I picked several dozen, ranging in size from caps the size of coffee cups to young mushrooms barely an inch in height. (I left many more than I took, hoping to ensure a continuing population, but someone -either an overeager fellow psychonaut or an overzealous groundskeeper- has since destroyed this colony.)

These Amanita muscaria v. Formosa were a warm golden-yellow, with the characteristic white 'warts' (interestingly, the shape, size number and texture of the 'warts' was widely varied). They were left on a wire rack in front of a fan in a warm room for several days, then finished off in the oven (door open, 200 degrees fahrenheit) until they achieved the dry condition I associated with psilocybin mushrooms. Their color had darkened to a deep gold, and they had shrunk by about a quarter of their size.

I was almost completely certain that these were what I thought they were, and brought a few out to town one night. I met up with some friends and told them what I had, making explicitly clear that if I had made a mistake in identification, there was a real possibility of serious illness or even death. I also told them I had no idea how these mushrooms would affect them, but that they were not going to 'trip' in the normal fashion.

Two decided to be my guinea pigs; I stayed sober (apart from a few beers) to monitor them and assist if trouble arose. Each individual consumed two medium-sized caps and stems; I don't want to speculate on weight. Person 'A' had been in a subdued and depressed state upon dosing, and within an hour his mood had lifted considerably. He stopped talking about the personal issues upsetting him and was able to smile, laugh, and express wonderment at how the mushrooms were affecting him. Person 'B' ended up at a party (I followed him there) and behaved in a manner I would call spastic and uncontrolled. He was ranting incoherently, flailing his arms and legs, and generally being what the casual partygoer would call 'an asshole.' I made him leave to avoid any trouble, and eventually he told me had also consumed cocaine and had no memory of being at the party. I would STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST mixing these two substances; based on what I saw, his nervous system was running haywire and I was seriously concerned that he might have a seizure.

With the confirmation that at least a moderate dose of these wasn't going to kill me, it was time to have a 'taste of my own medicine.' I first took the amanitas at a campfire in the woods- a comfortable, familiar setting. I brought quite a few in a bag, but decided I would dose, wait a couple hours to gauge the effect and set, then decide whether to pass them out to the others present. I took a similar dose of two good-sized cap-and-stems. I was also drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes, both in moderation (at least initially, ha-ha).

First alerts were an increase in energy in the limbs; a desire to keep moving around the fire and collecting wood. This gradually grew into a feeling of energy and power throughout the body. My mood (which had been good to begin with, if a little nervous) also seemed to grow more 'powerful.' I remember feeling like I was the strongest, smartest person around the fire. I could see why the Vikings allegedly consumed this substance before battle- I felt like I had a great mental and physical edge. This was not dissimilar from some of the effects of cocaine or speed, but I could tell that the origin of the power was completely different. Rather than brute pharmacology, there was definitely a spiritual component to it.

Mild visual manifestations eventually presented; the colors of the fire were more varied and the flickering a little more 'shifty.' The stars, upon stepping away from the fire, were also more colorful somehow. Nothing remotely like 'shrooms'; more like a high dose of THC.

Eventually I could feel the alcohol cutting into my 'edge,' but didn't mind. I offered the mushrooms around at about T+ 3 hrs., and those who didn't know I was on them were really surprised- they confirmed that I had, in fact, seemed 'with it' and 'on point' all night. I ate another cap as they were going around, but was probably too drunk for it to matter- I had been guzzling whiskey without really feeling the effects and when they caught up to me I had to relegate the role of on-point Viking to the others.

I used the amanitas a few more times; I never did attempt a high-dose experience, but judging by many of the reports here, I saved myself a world of hurt. Even moderate dose experiences had an unpleasant hangover the next day: headache, mild nausea, lethargy. I found the best dose to be one small cap and stem (the small ones were tastier, too). I also powdered several and packed them into gelcaps, one of which I would occasionally take at parties to provide a little 'lift.' Ended up giving away most of the mushrooms, but I still have a bottle of the gelcaps kicking around as a curiosity.

I could sense in taking these that there was a whole other level of experience beyond the one I reached, but made the decision that I didn't want to go there.

Exp Year: 2005	ExpID: 70944
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Aug 1, 2018	Views: 3,532
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Amanitas - A. muscaria (70) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Small Group (2-9) (17)