Your Life

Mushrooms

Known by different names: magic mushrooms, 'shrooms, mushies.


Facts:

  • Several types of magic mushroom grow wild in the UK. The main type is the Liberty Cap mushroom (Psilocybe Semilanceata).
  • There are also species that look similar to magic mushrooms but which are poisonous.
  • Magic mushrooms are eaten raw, dried, cooked in food or stewed into a tea.
  • Magic mushrooms, when prepared, are Class A drugs.

Effects:

  • Magic mushrooms have a similar effect to LSD, but the trip is often milder and shorter.
  • Magic mushrooms can make users feel very relaxed and 'spaced-out'. The effects depend on the user's mood, where they are and who they're with.
  • Magic mushrooms may cause hallucinations - objects, colour and sound become distorted.
  • A trip tends to last about 4 hours.

Risks:

  • Magic mushrooms often cause stomach pains, sickness and diarrhoea.
  • Eating the wrong kind of mushroom can also cause serious illness and even fatal poisoning.
  • If users feel sick they should go straight to hospital with a sample of the mushroom and explain what's happened.
  • Bad trips can happen and can be very frightening. Once the trip has started, there's no going back.
  • Like any hallucinogen, magic mushrooms can complicate mental health problems.

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