When talking about psilocybin, people often refer to magic mushrooms. However, in the Nature Temple we use magic truffles. What actually is the difference between the two?
Mushrooms versus truffles
Both magic mushrooms and magic truffles contain psilocybin and psilocin. The effects of ingesting them are very similar: both can provoke profound consciousness altering effects. The biggest difference is biological: truffles and mushrooms represent different stages of the life cycle of a fungus. Here you can find detailed information about the differences.
Fungus life cycle
We often think the mushroom is the complete organism, but we couldn’t be further from the truth. The mushroom is only the fruiting body of the species, containing the spores that are essential for reproduction. The organism itself mainly lives beneath the soil and consists of a vast network of mycelium threads. In some circumstances – when conditions are ‘suboptimal’ - the mycelium binds together as a compact hardened mass. In this way the fungus can store food reserves and survive extreme environmental conditions. This conglomeration of fungal threads is called sclerotia or truffles. Not all mushrooms species form sclerotia, but many do.
Mushrooms and truffles look different
So, simply summarised: truffles grow underground whereas mushrooms grow above ground. They also look different: the mushrooms resemble our classical picture of a mushroom with a stem and a cap. The truffles on the other hand are best described as small hard chunks or clumps. Although they have a separate appearance, both mushrooms and truffles can be from the very same species, for example Psilocbye cubensis.
Dried mushrooms versus fresh truffles
Magic mushrooms are usually eaten dried, whereas truffles are mostly ingested in their fresh form. Therefore the amount you take is very different! Generally speaking the ratio is 1:10, so 1 gram of dried mushrooms, compares to 10 grams of fresh mushrooms in strength.
Mushroom spirit
In the Nature Temple we only use magic truffles, as they are legal in the Netherlands, where as magic mushrooms are not. We often refer to the truffles as ‘mushrooms’, although that’s not completely correct. They are however very much related. And from experience we can say they both carry the same mushroom spirit...
More information on mushroom/truffle retreats: https://magicmushroomceremony.com
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