Posted by pinksharkmark (196.3.74.235) on November 30, 2000 at 01:58:29:
I spent the first three weeks of November in Canada. On my second day there I managed to obtain some spore syringes of two different strains of psilocybin cubensis, and over the next week or so some growing materials that are hard to obtain here on my beloved third-world Caribbean paradise.
Work pressures since my return have prevented me from getting things underway immediately, and since I am finally in remission the urgency has dropped off a bit, but I do fully intend to raise me up a crop in the very near future and keep some on hand for the return of the beast. I will almost certainly end up with way more than I will need, but so be it.
In the course of researching spore suppliers, I came across two EXCELLENT sites:
http://www.shroomery.org
http:mushrooms.drooldonkey.org
At first I was interested solely in determining the fastest, easiest, lowest-cost, most idiot-proof technique for generating medication, but the more I read the more I got interested in the hobby aspects of the cultivation process itself, so I started posting a few questions, and eventually let it be known at drooldonkey.com that the reason for my rekindled interest in the cultivation of mushrooms was due to my medical condition.
WOW!!
I received the most heartening responses from several regular posters. One of the most highly regarded spore suppliers has agreed to give a special deal to clusterheads... i.e. waiving minimum order requirements and/or shipping fees. A very knowledgeable grower has offered to ship pre-mixed and pre-sterilized jars of substrate (mushroom food) to clusterheads at just a bit above his cost for those who don't want to hassle with preparing their own.
Others at drooldonkey.com have encouraged any clusterhead with questions regarding growing techniques to post their questions there for answers from knowledgeable growers, no matter how dumb these questions may sound. These guys are aware that clusterheads are not the normal kind of hobbyist who has days to spend combing the web looking for info... we are people with an urgent need, so they will go gentle on us newbies... hopefully more gentle than we at CH.com sometimes are with each other *big toothy grin*
There were even two posts at drooldonkey.com from people who have have had their headaches stopped by mushrooms... one a migraineur, and another a clusterhead. Here are snips from their posts... first from the migraineur....
"...That's rather interesting. When I was younger (14-16) I went through a period of time where I experienced migraine headaches. At first I thought I was going blind. I would get yellow and purple static in my feild of vision sometimes to the point where it was almost next to impossible to see. Sometimes after the visuals subsided I would be stricken with an extreme headache, on one occasion I even got sick to my stomach.
"They eventually just stopped ironically it was about tha same time I started to experiment with drugs!?!?..."
..and now from the (ex) clusterhead...
"...Pink, I have suffered from cluster headaches since I was a kid. The guy that first taught me how to grow did so for that reason. He had discovered this treatment on a pilgrimage to Mexico back in the early 70's.
"I can personally attest to the validity of this treatment.
"Incidentally, in Canada there is a section of the Narcotics control act that makes it legal for someone to possess controlled substances for medical purposes. The NCA states that a practitioner can prescribe any controlled substance, with the exception of methadone, for medical purposes.
"This is what allows us to operate marijuana distribution centers such as the cannabis compassion clubs. So long as you have a prescription, you can't be charged for possession in Canada."
...and, finally, posts from some of the drooldonkey gurus offering informational support...
"YOU sir, are most welcome here! We look forward to answering ANY questions you need help on." ... D.C.
"I have just found my purpose in life. I am going to do my best to help you ALL! I have a plan" ... D.C.
By the way, "D.C." is the one who offered to provide the substrate jars at very low cost to those who mention they are from CH.com. He has a Ph.D. in mushrooms, so he should know his stuff.
"Very interesting debut post. Welcome aboard. I hope you find the results you're looking for. And feel free to ask any questions you want. The only dumb question is the one unasked." ... K.B.
"No question that's fascinating stuff. The shroom community will help you in any way we can." ... K.B.
Now... even though these guys will undoubtedly TRY to be as patient as possible for as long as possible, let's do them the courtesy of at least doing SOME background research before making them repeat themselves.
In my opinion, one of the best sites to visit to learn how to cultivate your own medicine is this one...
http://GrowMushrooms.org/tek/SCGTv0.6.html
... but expert opinion says a pressure cooker is not really essential when using the substrate recipe recommended in this method. Most growers swear that simply boiling the jars in a big pot with a lid for an hour is all that is required when using a simple brown rice flour/vermiculite mix.
I bought a brand new 5 quart pressure cooker at Canadian Tire (you Yanks can get 'em at Wal-Mart) for less than CDN $40... that's about US $25. I live in an environment where the air is rich with airborne mold spores, so I figured the small extra cost was good insurance, but it was probably not really necessary. Put it this way.... it can't hurt.
For all those who have already started their own science projects... and you know who you are... I am back at my regular e-mail address at last and would be delighted to hear of your progress.
A final cautionary note or two. I happen to live in a country where there are no laws one way or the other regarding the cultivation, collection, possession, or ingestion of psilocybin mushrooms. I can afford to be open and honest in my posts to the mushroom forums. My advice to those who live in countries with less enlightened policies is to use a screen name and even then don't ever admit that it is YOU yourself doing the asking. For example...
"My co-worker's friend suffers from cluster headaches but doesn't have access to a computer, so he asked me if I would do some research for him. He started his project but ran into a problem part way through. Here is what he needs to know..."
And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, remember that these guys will gladly provide you LEGAL stuff... information, substrate jars, spores... but DO NOT ask them to put themselves at risk by sending you mushrooms. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't sour a budding relationship with folks that are willing to help us all out by placing them in a position where they are forced to refuse your request, okay?
pinky
p.s.
for those that want to read more comments and offers of assistance, go to the link below, scroll down to the fourth post (mine) and take it from there. Keep in mind that I jumped into an existing thread and sort of hijacked it, so some of the later posts are kind of irreverent.
Hmmmm.... come to think of it, a lot of the posts at CH.com are not really what one could call serious, either...