Jochen Gartz - Magic Mushrooms Around the ... - preterhuman.net

CHAPTER 7.1
SPOTLIGHT ON NORTH AMERICA AND HAWAII
In 1961, V.E. Tyler became the first
investigator to report the detection of psilocybin in
Psilocybe pelliculosa (Smith) Singer & Smith,
a North American mushroom species. One year
later, two research groups, working independently,
discovered psilocybin, as well as psilocin, in
samples of Psilocybe baeocystis Singer & Smith
from the Pacific Northwest region of North
America. Additional chemical and taxonomic
findings on that region's mycoflora have been
published up to the present day. This area includes
the states of Washington (USA), British Columbia
(Canada) and western Oregon (USA). The region
is considered a major center of psychoactive
mushroom use in North America. Some areas
along the U.S. Gulf states have acquired similar
reputations.
In 1966, Heim and his colleagues
reported that an unknown Psilocybe species had
been confiscated in Canada. The mushrooms
appeared to be very similar to Psilocybe
semilanceata. Shortly thereafter, A.H. Smith
determined that the same mushroom species was
popular among students in Vancouver. It wasn't
long before Psilocybe semilanceata was
recognized as a species quite common throughout
the Pacific Northwest. Moreover, the mushrooms
turned out to indistinguishable from European
Psilocybe semilanceata samples.
The Spread of Psilocybe semilanceata
From the late 1960s onward, Psilocybe
semilanceata usage increased, particularly in areas
between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade
Mountains that range from Southern Oregon north
to British Columbia. It is likely that during these
years, Tom Robbins's popular book "Another
Roadside Attraction " significantly contributed to
the mushroom's increasing popularity. Today,
Psilocybe semilanceata is the most widely used
species in the Pacific Northwest, and its habitat is
expanding into pasture lands east of the Cascade
Mountains.
As in Great Britain, the mushroom is
referred to as "Liberty Cap" in the United States.
Psilocybe semilanceata has the reputation of being
one of the most potent species without generally
causing unwanted physical side effects (also see
Chapter 3-1). As indicated in previous chapters,
recurrent claims about different types of effects
from different psychoactive species should be
systematically studied, including comprehensive
biochemical analyses. These research efforts will
likely uncover new biodynamic ingredients.
Another factor that accounts for different
types of effects is the variability in levels of
alkaloid content. In the course of casual
experimentation it is also not uncommon for a
number of expectations to become self-fulfilling.
The assumption that Psilocybe baeocystis (see
Figure 72, p. 119), a strongly bluing species,
causes a comparatively larger number of physical
problems than other species is undoubtedly rooted
in the mushroom's "reputation" as being the only
Psilocybe species to date responsible for the only
known fatality involving Psilocybe baeocystis - a
child who died after eating some of these
mushrooms (see Chapter 8 for more details on this
incident).
Psilocybe baeocystis primarily grows in
inland areas of the Pacific Northwest, on top of
wood debris and on lawns in parks. It is a species
that can often be found and collected on school and
university campuses. Psilocybe pelliculosa, a
mushroom mentioned in previous chapters, is a
species also known as "Liberty Cap".
Macroscopically, it is extremely difficult to
distinguish from Psilocybe semilanceata. Unlike
the latter species, however, Psilocybe pelliculosa
will grow in forests on wood chips and sawdust.
Beug and Bigwood were able to furnish
analytical proof in support of the claim that
Psilocybe pelliculosa is weaker in its psychotropic
effects than comparable species. Psilocybe
pelliculosa contains about 30-50% of the amount
of psilocybin found in Psilocybe cyanescens (slang
names: Blue wavy, Cyan, Grandote), a species
common across the Pacific Northwest. It fruits
primarily in parks, forming partial fairy rings. This
species did not become popular