You have done your research, took the leap, and decided that psilocybin mushrooms are for you! You may have eaten them fresh or dried and like most found that the taste rather unappealing. So what do you do now? The best idea would be to use them like any other mushroom, fresh or dried. Before you do that, lets first let’s discuss how to safely and accurately, measure and dose foods that are infused with psilocybin. A lot of people have asked me why would ever put psilocybin mushrooms into food. I also get questions like "Should you eat mushrooms on an empty stomach?" or "Do some food decrease the efficacy and on-set?" and the most common question "How do you know how much to use?" Let us dig in and explore the answers to these great questions!
Why add psilocybin mushrooms into food? Well, simply put, most people hate the way they taste. I am a huge fan of raw and dried mushrooms and could eat them all day and absolutely enjoy every bite. But for some people, they cannot even stand thinking about eating them alone. It all started out with adding some small Golden Teachers to a Dorito then we moved to PBJs and now we are here, a blog dedicated to adding mushrooms to everything edible! Another reason that people like to process mushrooms further is that they sometimes have slight symptoms of nausea and upset stomachs when eating fresh or dried. Most people find that when they extract psilocybin and ingest it without eating the flesh of the mushroom they have less of an issue. From what I've found, it can be a combination of a few factors. Some believe it's the indigestible chitin, the fibrous protein material that makes up the cell walls and structure of fungi. Some evidence points to the immune system's response to psilocybin It also could be due to the physical health condition of the psychonaut. Many factors come into play, but from my experience, most people that process these further usually don't get these unpleasant side effects. If this is something that has affected you, maybe making some infused lemon tea is just what you need. And lastly, it’s just fun to add these amazing little fun guys to a meal and share with friends and family. It makes for a wonderful evening. Should you eat mushrooms on an empty stomach? Yes and No. Honestly if you want to maximize the efficacy of mushrooms then be my guest and eat a hand full on an empty stomach and launch into the stratosphere. But if you don't like the taste or have gut issues, I would highly suggest taking some time to process them a bit further. I honestly have had a great experience both ways, on an empty stomach and after eating a steak covered in mushroom butter. Do some foods decrease the efficacy and onset? Whiles some foods like citric juice can actually help with a faster onset and more immediate experience, most other foods don't really have much of an effect. Some have claimed that dairy will decrease the effect but so far, we don't have any evidence of this. From personal experience, I can say that is unequivocally false. How do you know how much to use? One of the most common questions among new psychedelic chefs is how to determine the amount of psilocybin in each serving. This is not as hard as it sounds, but it will take some thought and some basic math. But before we get into calculations we should talk about potency and what that means as well as different types of dosages. How to determine potency? This is not as easy as it sounds. Unlike cannabis, we don't have readily available labs and COA's that can tell us the potency of psilocybin mushrooms. The potency also depends on other factors, like if they are dry or fresh. Eating 5 grams of dry is a totally different journey than eating 5 grams fresh. Just so we have a good base let’s talk about one of the most commonly used mushrooms, Psilocybe cubensis, which contains about 10–12 mg of psilocybin per gram of dried mushrooms or 10–12 mg of psilocybin per 10 grams of fresh. You will need to use 10 times more fresh mushroom if you want to achieve the same results as dried. Many other factors go into potency like how they were stored and how old they are. We still have a long way to go before the at-home psychedelic chef can be as precise and a cannabis chef, but this is a good base to start with. Different Dosages of Psilocybin Mushrooms The most important part is understanding how much you want to take and what type of journey you would like to embark on. How "mush" should you take? This is a very personal question and I leave that up to you. But I will give you some advice to help guide you on your journey. First, if you have never tried psychedelics, I would start on an extremely low to moderate dose. Do not pull a Paul Stamets and eat a giant bag and climb up a tree in a lightning storm. I don't think that is a good place to start off. Instead, maybe start with some mushroom capsules or a nice micro-dosed white cream coconut tea. If you do decide to take a macrodose make sure to have a an experienced sitter to make the journey smooth. Lets discuss different levels of dosage and what the effects are. Microdosing Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small dose of a psychedelic. The dose is usually so small that no psychedelic effects occur. This is also known as a sub-perceptual dose. This means that when you microdose, you don’t experience changes in perception, such as visual or auditory effects. But you may experience some alterations in: Mood Critical Thinking Concentration Energy Levels Clear Mind A microdose shouldn’t affect your day-to-day activities, such as work and socializing with others. A microdose is usually a 10th to a 20th of a normal dose that would produce psychedelic effects. So, if a common dose is 1-2.5g, then a microdose would be 0.1-0.25g. I weigh about 190lbs and 6'3 and I generally used 0.25g for my micro experience. Low Dosage A low dosage is a dose where you can start to feel some psychedelic effects. There is no exact ‘point’ at which a microdose becomes a low dose, but there are some signs that distinguish the two. After testing out some different dosages you will eventually dial in what works for you. If you take a low mushroom dosage, you may experience: Slight changes in visual perception, such as colors appearing enhanced A slight body high A giddy feeling Slightly euphoric Slightly anxious A low dose of magic mushrooms is generally 1-2 grams Moderate Dosage When you take a moderate dose, there will be more intense psychedelic effects, such as: More noticeable enhancement of colors Visual distortion Seeing geometric patterns Synesthesia or "crossing of senses" (e.g. "seeing sounds" or "hearing colors") Increased appreciation of music Increased laughter Body sensitivity and tactile sensation Introspection Euphoria Felling of love and gratitude Confusion, paranoia, fear, or anxiety Time travel or time dilation A moderate dose is usually around 2 to 3 grams High Dosage When you take a high dose, you can expect intense effects, with major changes to your thoughts, cognition, perception, and mood. You may experience the effects of a moderate dose (at a greater intensity), as well as: Visual and auditory hallucinations Waking dreams Profound insights A feeling of dissociation from your body A feeling of a "divine presence" Ego death A high dose is usually around 3 to 4 grams. The ‘Heroic Dose’ A ‘heroic dose’ was coined by the late great Terence McKenna. A dose of this caliber provides a different kind of experience compared to the other mushroom dosages described. It’s at this dose that you can expect to have a mystical experience, which may include: Strong chance of ego dissolution The feeling of understanding hidden truths Communication with beings and entities Ineffability Timelessness and feeling like you are in an infinite void Strong sense of interconnectedness and oneness A heroic magic mushroom dose is usually 4 or more grams. Terence McKenna described a heroic dose of mushrooms as 5 grams alone in the dark, but people have been known to take higher amounts than this as people have varying sensitivities to psychedelics, the dosages outlined here will affect everyone differently. If you decide to take a larger dose always make sure to have a guide to make sure your journey is safe and curated. Everyone’s body and metabolism react differently to different dosages. Make sure to start small and work your way into something that you are comfortable with. Never do more than you think you can handle, and always be smart and safe when consuming these substances. Generally having a trip sitter is always the best practice. How much psilocybin should I use in my recipe? Now that you know some of the basics behind understanding the dose you want to experience, let's talk about how to correctly add that dosage to any dish. It's a lot easier than you think, just some simple math and basic weights. A few tips: Measure by weight not volume 1 cup of rough chopped is not the same as 1 cup of powder mushroom. Use a digital scale. Use one that weighs to the milligram. Remember that dry and fresh mushrooms have different potency Never give anyone psychedelics without their consent Recipe Calculations Let's say you have a recipe for Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Gelato and the recipe makes 6 servings. You want to have a 1 gram dosage of dry psilocybin mushrooms per serving. To achieve this infusion ratio you would need to add 6 grams of dry psilocybin mushrooms. You basically multiply the dosage you want by the number of total servings. It would look like this. Desired Dosage Per Serving x Total Number of Servings = Total Psilocybin Used Another Example: I want to make a batch of cookies and it makes 10 cookies. I want each cookie to have 0.5mg in each I would use this calculation: 0.5mg Dose x 10 serving= 5 grams Psilocybin Seems rather simple and just takes a few minutes to calculate. If you are unsure of the total serving size of a dish I always like to make the dish before adding any psychedelics to it and figuring out the final servings. I find that most recipes online and in most cookbooks are not very accurate. Please trust that EVERY recipe that is on The Psychedelic Chef has been tested and most importantly tasted. You should have a good base to start cooking and if you have any questions feel free to reach out to Chef@thepsychedlicchef.com If you’re looking for peer support during or after a psychedelic experience, contact Fireside Project by calling or texting 6-2FIRESIDE.