Posted by Flash (134.32.125.198) on February 21, 2000 at 06:33:25:
WOW! Heh heh. Thanks for emailing me Bob :)
I haven't visited for a while, now that my CH is under control there is less incentive for me to check the board on a regular basis.
So I guess the concensus is that we're on to something. Now we have to find a way to take it forward... people with MS have been battling for the last 20 years to have cannaboids prescribed to them.
I've noticed that those who have used the treatment or those that take it seriously don't make any jokes about it. Now I'm all for a little humour but I think in this case it may undermine out credibility. In order to keep the discussion serious I suggest we refer to the active ingredient by it's real name - Psilocilin, as opposed to using the 'S' word. Remember that Psilocybin is metabolised into Psilocilin and it is this compound that is closest to Serotonin.
Another problem we face is that making people aware of this is likely to end with someone getting hurt. There are scores (pardon the pun) of fungi that contain Psilocybin and Psilocilin, some of them are stronger than others. Some deadly fungi (especially in North America)look way too similar.
I have always concentrated on Liberty Cap because it is easiest to identify, and nothing looks too similar to it. However the picker must be objective about this - if someone is desperate to locate a particular species they may end up picking something that looks "close enough", and that is too close for comfort!
Anyway, for the record, this is what I know. In condensed form!
Around 48 Liberty Cap is of similar strength to a street dose of Acid. Liberty Cap is a weak fungis. To treat my episodic CH (2 episodes a year before I started treating it) requires a single dose of 10-12 Liberty Cap. Please remember that it can take 3-4 days for the body to metabolise all the Psilocybin into Psilocilin. Liberty Cap contains no Psilocilin.
Eating the mushrooms raw is dangerous, they can contain parasite eggs that may damage the liver. Eating the mushrooms when cooked gives you the worst and most painful gas ever. I recommend boiling for 15 mintutes then straining out the mushrooms.
The mushrooms can be stored by preserving them raw in honey. This way they stay potent for longer.
At this dosage there should be little or no psychoactive effects, other than a slight feeling of unease or dread. To get around this I ingest the solution over a 30 min period.
Don't use this to treat individual headaches, it is a preventative! Taking during a headache will put it away, but there may still be shadows or even mild headaches for the next 48 hours. After that everything should clear up.
The active ingredients are ineffective if the treatment is taken more than once in the same 5 day period. In my case the single dose will prevent CH for over a year.
A serious problem is that this is illegal.
People who have taken this without prior experience, are going to act like this is the most wonderful thing ever, and a cure for all their problems. You know the type of thing "When you're high you never, ever wanna come down" and so forth. This wont to the cause any good.
We also need some good hard stats. I don't think this treatment works for everyone.
This charge of $30K for research study isn't a huge amount of money. I personally could pledge $1000. Speak about putting your money where your mouth is.
Your suggestions please.
Flash