Posted by pinksharkmark (64.32.117.58) on February 08, 2002 at 09:44:19:
In Reply to: Husband suffers posted by penny on February 08, 2002 at 09:09:13:
The "shrooms" discussed here are mushrooms which produce naturally the chemical compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are almost two hundred species known at present, although there are only about a dozen species used on a regular basis by humans.
Central and South American tribes have been using these mushrooms for centuries for religious and medicinal purposes, including the treatment of vascular headaches. Since the 1950s, when they came to the attention of the modern world, they have also been used by those seeking to achieve spiritual enlightenment, or simply to get high. They are commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms".
At sufficiently high doses, these mushrooms can produce "visions" and an experience similar to that produced by the peyote catus (which contains mescaline) and by the synthetic ergot-based compound LSD. At lower doses, such as used by native tribes or clusterheads to treat headaches, they produce a relatively mild "stoning" sensation that has been compared to a "three-beer buzz".
These mushrooms grow wild all over the continental United States, depending on the time of year. Some species are extremely easy to cultivate indoors. It will take 4 to 6 weeks to produce mushrooms from spores. Spores are readily available from many reliable sources. Since the spores themselves contain no psilocybin or psilocin, they are legal to possess except in California and Georgia.
In the United States, it is against the law to possess these mushrooms, except in the state of Florida, where it is not against the law to possess mushrooms gathered from the wild, regardless of species. In Florida it is still illegal to cultivate or distribute these mushrooms.
They are normally sold on the black market as complete, dried mushrooms.
The best link for further research is the one below. If after reading the information at the site I have linked, you would like more specific and practical information regarding home cultivation, my e-mail address is at the top of this post.
pinky