I tried Amanita Muscaria, the "Delta-8 of Mushrooms," and that's how it went

October 18, 2022

I tried Amanita Muscaria, the “Delta-8 of Mushrooms,” and that’s how it went

Across the country, Americans looking for a legal alternative to psychedelic mushrooms have targeted Amanita muscaria, the colorful mushroom known as fly agaric. It’s quickly gaining a reputation as the Delta-8 of mushrooms: psychoactive, but not forbidden.

With the exception of Louisiana, Amanita muscaria can be purchased online and shipped anywhere in the country. The fire engine red mushroom does not contain psilocybin but instead contains another psychoactive compound called muscimol.

Meet Amanita Muscaria, the legal mind-altering mushroom available in Florida (and online).

Less hallucinatory effect

Experts say that muscimol tends to produce fewer hallucinatory effects than psilocybin and psilocin found in other entheogenic mushrooms.

“[Amanita muscaria] Chill out,” James McConchie, an educator and attorney and the owner of San Francisco’s Haight Street Shroom Shop and co-founder of Decrim SF, told Leafly.

McConchie compared its effects to ketamine. “In low concentrations,” he said, “it’s not a narcotic per se, but it’s a bit like an anesthetic. Higher doses may cause drowsiness or lightheadedness.”

How to dose psychedelic mushrooms

Various forms of ingestion

While retailing for Amanita has only recently made a step into the mainstream, indigenous peoples – particularly in Siberia and modern-day Scandinavia – have embraced it for centuries. To avoid its toxic effects, they fed the mushroom to reindeer, then drank their psychoactive — and detoxified — urine to experience its effects.

Today, retailers like Psilo Mart typically sell Amanita muscaria extract as a powder, capsule, or edible. (Sorry, don’t go on the reindeer pee.) Adults can buy products online or at a single brick-and-mortar store: Chillum in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Retailers typically sell Amanita muscaria products in microdose form. In other words, a single capsule or gummy bear is not intended to provide consumers with a full-fledged psychoactive trip. Instead, microdoses should induce mild, sedative effects.

However, my recent experience with Amanita muscaria has shown that even a microdose product can produce stronger effects than expected or desired.

A capsule for an autumn hike

For my first Amanita Muscaria experience, I microdosed a 350 mg capsule of Amanita extract just before starting a day hike in the Rocky Mountains. The extract is about a quarter the potency of psilocybin.

The capsule made for an extremely pleasant and mild experience. Less than an hour after swallowing it, I felt a clear, mellow high set in. As my friends and I climbed a series of switchbacks and uncovered a gleaming expanse of snow-capped peaks above the trees to the south, I felt immensely cheerful and calm.

A few miles later the trail brought us to an overlook where I had a chance encounter with a local cannabis dispensary owner who kindly offered me a hit from his Gary Payton joint.

The cannabis greatly increased the effects of the fungus. About a quarter of an hour later I felt much more euphoric. I didn’t feel any hallucinatory effects, but did notice that the sun-dappled path and flora emanated a particularly bold brightness. This super positive vibe got me pumped throughout the day, like Harry Potter after drinking from a vial of Liquid Luck.

What are Psychedelic Mushrooms and Psilocybin?

The rubber has a number on me

I loved Amanita Muscaria and was dying to take another stroll down this mellow, slightly psychoactive road.

A few days later, I popped a pleasantly dense and chewy Amanita gum in my mouth. It was a Sunday morning. I thought I would have a similar experience. I was looking forward to a walk across town to the library and some reading in the sun.

But that wasn’t what the Amanita Gum had in store for me.

I’m not sure what caused it—my empty stomach, a variation in dosage, or a combination of both—but I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Serious stumble

The ride came within thirty or forty-five minutes. While the previous capsule had put a little oomph in my crotch at its peak, the gummy quickly invoked significant hallucinations. A quick walk with my dog lit up paths through the neighborhood park I never knew existed, while the trees glowed with a surreal, Mario-esque brightness. A kaleidoscope of otherworldly colors appeared behind my closed eyes. My short-term memory disappeared like water down a drain.

I kept enough perspective on the situation to chuckle about it. I was dying to attribute it to some stupid SNAFU and get on with my day. But as anyone who has had a challenging experience with psychedelics can tell you, resisting its effects is rarely good.

When I got home from a walk, I lay down on the living room floor and spent a lot of time staring at the houseplants. A series of harrowing images and existential thoughts swirled through my head. The journey also resulted in significant physical shock and cold sensations. My hands became mostly numb.

These symptoms lasted between two and three hours. Finally, I went out onto the porch and played Tetris on my phone in the fading afternoon sun until my mind began to settle.

Where are Psychedelics Legal or Decriminalized in the US?

Looking back on two very different experiences

Personally, I tend to believe that even unpleasant psychedelic experiences can be beneficial. That was certainly the case with me and the Amanita gum. Although the journey was stressful, I worked through some of the fears that surfaced with my therapist over the following days to extremely constructive results.

While my sample size — one gentle experience, one intense experience — is small, the takeaway was clear: Even if you plan to microdose, you open yourself to the possibility of a stronger experience. Otherwise, you might find yourself in unexpectedly turbulent waters.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any author on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled people. He is the co-host of the Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

Check out Max Savage Levenson’s articles

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