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What is psilocybin? Psilocybin is a chemical found in certain mushrooms. Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America have used it for thousands of years in sacred traditions. In the United States, psilocybin is seen as a psychedelic drug. This type of drug affects how the brain processes serotonin. Common names for psilocybin include magic mushrooms, mushrooms, or shrooms. When people take psilocybin Mushrooms, their bodies change it into psilocin. Psilocin has effects similar to LSD, another well-known hallucinogen. The effects of psilocybin Mushrooms can be unpredictable and vary from person to person. At certain doses, psilocybin can change moods, thoughts, and perceptions. Users may feel strong emotions, see bright images, relive memories, or feel a sense of timelessness. Psilocybin can be eaten fresh or dried. Though they taste bitter, mushrooms can be eaten alone, mixed with food, or made into tea. Most nonmedical use of psilocybin involves mushrooms. Also, Making synthetic psilocybin is complicated and costly. Some people take small amounts, called “microdoses,” to improve mental health, boost productivity, or reduce pain. However, it is unclear if microdosing is safe or effective. Interest in using psychedelic drugs to treat mental health issues is growing. These issues include depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. Furthermore, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized psilocybin-assisted therapy as a "breakthrough therapy." This status was given for treating major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. The FDA can give this status to treatments for serious conditions. This happens if early evidence suggests they might be more effective than other options. Is Psilocybin Mushrooms Legal? The legal status of psilocybin mushrooms in the United States is changing. Right now, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies psilocybin as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. This means that possessing it is illegal at the federal level. A Schedule 1 substance is a drug that is considered unsafe, has no accepted medical use, and has a high risk of abuse. Even though psilocybin is illegal federally, some states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized or deprioritized its possession. Other states have made laws to regulate the production, sale, or supervised use of psilocybin. Generally, when people talk about recreational use of psilocybin, they mean mushrooms that contain it. Making synthetic psilocybin is difficult and costly. Who uses psilocybin in the United States? A national survey on drug use and health found that 9.68 percent of U.S. adults have used psilocybin at least once in their lives. This data was collected between 2015 and 2018. The survey found that more non-Hispanic White adults used psilocybin compared to other groups. 11.8 percent of non-Hispanic White adults used psilocybin. In contrast, 5.1 percent of Hispanic adults used it. Only 3.3 percent of non-Hispanic adults from racial minorities used psilocybin. A survey from 2022 looked at students in grades 8, 10, and 12. It found that 4 percent of teens used psychedelics, like psilocybin, in the past year. Is psilocybin safe? There are several concerns about the safety of psilocybin: A 2022 article for palliative care clinicians says people should take psilocybin only with a trained therapist. The therapist should manage the “set” (the mental state) and “setting” (the physical environment). Both are important for safety in psychedelic therapy. Experiences can be unpredictable. They depend on how much psilocybin people take and their personality, mood, and expectations. The surroundings, like the presence of a trained facilitator and the type of light and music, also matter. Other factors include the person’s health, the type of mushroom, past experiences, and use with other drugs. Some people report unpleasant experiences, known as “bad trips.” These can involve extreme fear, confusion, or panic. Psilocybin can cause some negative effects. These effects may include: Increased blood pressure Increased heart rate Headaches Nausea Dizziness Fatigue Poor sleep Anxiety Paranoia Hallucinations Microdosing psilocybin can lead to insomnia, increased anxiety and depression, low energy, and physical discomfort. It can also cause poor focus and social skills. Psilocybin is not safe for people with psychotic conditions like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or severe bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Psilocybin can be mixed with dangerous substances, like colorless and odorless fentanyl, which is hard to detect. Very high doses of psilocybin can be deadly. Some poisonous mushrooms look like psilocybin mushrooms, which can lead to fatal poisoning.

I agree with Johny; but in our area, young Porcini gills are white, turning yellow with age.

Picture #3 is probably a Porcini but I would need to see the pore surface to be more certain. A young Porcini would be pale yellowish and as they get older the pore surface turn a drab olive green-ish colour The other are probably another species. Notice the "Porcini" has a pale netted pattern on the stem. This is typical of B edulis (porcini) . The other have a brown streaking on a pale background...this is not seen on B. edulis. so it appears you have two different bolete species.

Pretty sure these are Porcinis/boletes, found under a conifer forest in the Catskills. Question: are they edible?

Regardless if they’re are indeed oysters they’re past prime. The yellow tint tells me so. Usually oysters have a very fishy smell at this point and I don’t harvest for the table. I have found P. Dryinus once. Let’s see if I can locate pictures…. Ok so after looking back they already had a yellowing color early on. Hmmm interesting

She is deff AI and ain't fooling anyone.

Morchella Senior Member here. How much weed are y'all smoking? I have been on these forums for many years and never scammed anyone lol. I didn't grow termite mushrooms in my vivarium one of my favorite Youtubers named Ants Canada said he tried and kinda succeeded. Thought it was interesting. Holy crap!

The stem is long and thick for a true Oyster. But it also looks fuzzy. Could it be Pleurotus dryinus?

Is there any sign of a white spore print on the top of the bottom mushroom? If not, they might not be Oyster Mushrooms; the gills look a little too crowded.

Looks Oyster-ish But the mealy crumbling stem and cap edges in the last pic looks like there could be a gagillion white worms eating it. If it does not have lots of little white grubs crawling out, then you are lucky

Found on maple tree northern nh? Oysters?

Those are old puffballs, way past their prime.

These were found on soil with a thin layer of bark on the surface nearby a pond amongst flax bush in the north island of New Zealand Please if you know you are a legend and I love you thanks for reading.

How did you manage to grow termite mushrooms in your vivarium?

I was homeschooled and think this is how you should teach certain kids everything. I never wanted to sit in a class and do bookwork or learn things unless I first understood why I needed to. For instance during my schooling I never got into science, mycology, biology, chemistry or anything really but when I got older and realized how much you can do with everything my outlook changed. Now I am obsessed with all those subjects and study them for fun. What changed? My interest was peaked somehow and when you want to learn about something or actually have a reason to learn it, it makes it so easy to learn about. You also learn so many other things when you just get deeply into things and go down the rabbit holes. So if you are one of those parents that tells kids because I said so when they ask why they need to do things, maybe try to explain instead of saying because I said so.

If in doubt throw it out.

Scams? What are you guys talking about. Don't buy anything? Just watch the video and enjoy if you like entomology or mycology?

Just need ID Just to be clear we don’t think it’s old man of the woods, it was a text concerning another picture.

Those aren't stupid questions at all—honey mushrooms are one of the trickier species groups because there are several Armillaria species, and deadly lookalikes do exist. One thing I'm still not clear on: is a white spore print alone enough to safely rule out Galerina, or are there other key features that experienced foragers rely on every time? Also, for people who regularly harvest honeys, do you individually inspect every mushroom in a large patch, or is there a practical method for avoiding accidental mix-ups when honeys and lookalikes may be growing close together? I'd much rather be overly cautious than make a dangerous mistake, so I'd appreciate hearing how experienced hunters approach this in the field.

Hypomyces hyalinus. https://www.mushroomexpert.com/hypomyces_hyalinus.html

That's a fascinating find! Do you have any photos of it, especially the underside and a cross-section? Also, roughly how large was it, and was it growing directly from the ground, wood, or buried roots? Those details could really help narrow down the identification.

Hi Jimmy, Welcome! Mushroom cultivation is a pretty interesting topic for a school project. Good luck with the website — what made you choose mushroom cultivation, and which growing technique are you focusing on the most?

A photo would really help here. Orange spots can be a few different things, and it's hard to tell whether it's contamination, metabolites, or something else without seeing them. Are the dots growing on the surface of the substrate, on the mycelium itself, or on the sides of the container? And do they have any noticeable smell or texture?