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At first glance, mushroom drops seem like an excellent party drug. A good vibe and easy to dose. In this article, we look at whether it is indeed a good alternative to a beer or pill.
What is this? Liquid magic mushrooms? Mushroom drops seemingly look like a natural alternative to LSD, but that's not quite how it works. This designer drug has been growing in popularity since 2022, and we wondered what exactly they are.
What are magic mushroom drops?
Mushroom drops are a new drug being peddled on the streets. In a short time, this psychedelic drug has exploded in fame. It supposedly captures the benefits of magic mushrooms in easy-to-dose drops. But is that really the case? Can you actually make drops from magic mushrooms?
How are mushroom drops made?
One of the active ingredients in magic mushrooms and magic truffles is psilocybin. And that is also the psychoactive substance in liquid form that people use in clinical settings to test whether psychedelics offer mental health benefits. Spoiler alert: yes there are. So a logical line of thought is that mushroom drops are made from psilocybin. But that is not entirely correct.
To make mushroom drops, a combination of an extract of psilocybin from magic mushrooms and 4-AcO-DMT [1] is used, according to a producer who spoke with Vice. The latter is a synthetically prepared variation of psilocybin. The two are combined to ensure that users are less introspective than when using dried magic mushrooms or brand new magic truffles. That ratio seems to be rather crucial. Now a mixture is being distributed that is so unprecedentedly popular that dealers can't seem to get their hands on it.
How strong are mushroom drops?
This varies greatly from producer to producer. Logical, since not every producer makes the same stuff. One chemist says that for a solid trip 6 drops are taken, but when it was still being developed it was sometimes much too strong and sometimes the effect was not noticeable.
Are mushroom drops natural?
Sort of. Because Psilocybe cubensis is fairly easy to grow at home, these mushrooms are used to make mushroom drops. About 4 square meters of mushrooms are used to make 3 liters of mushroom drops. The psilocybin can be extracted with water. For example, the same way magic mushroom tea is made. The 4-AcO-DMT (4-Acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also called psilacetin), is prepared synthetically. That stuff is not new. In fact, it was first made in 1963 by none other than Albert Hofmann. It is also probably just as (in)harmful to health as natural psilocybin [2]. Like psilocybin and DMT, psilacetin binds to the 5-HT2A receptor in the brain and provides all the colorful and mystical effects via a yet unknown way.
Mushroom drops are often a combination of natural psilocybin from magic mushrooms and lab-created psilacetin.
What are the effects of mushroom drops?
There are those who say psilacetin (4-AcO-DMT) lasts shorter than the effects of psilocybin, as well as those who say the opposite. No doubt this depends on a combination of set, setting and dose. Experienced shroom users also mention that the effect is closer to DMT than shrooms. For example, users cite less nausea and a lower body load, which makes you feel less heavy and makes moving easier.
We ourselves think that the effect of body load is caused by components from mushrooms other than psilocybin, because certain mushrooms such as azurescens and the liberty cap are more known for that than the usual cubensis and copelandia. This is also the most plausible reason that mushroom drops have found their way onto the party scene.
Are mushroom drops legal?
Mushroom drops come from the proverbial drug dealer's raincoat. In the Netherlands, mushroom drops are not legal. There are two reasons for this. First, it is not allowed to sell processed mushrooms. Even harvested and dried is not allowed. Grinding, filtering and powdering are also processing and therefore prohibited. In addition, the substances psilocybin and psilocin fall under List 1 of the Opium Act (hard drugs). Psilacetin and certain other "research chemicals," by the way, are not on that list. Mushrooms fall under
List 2 and are called soft drugs by the Dutch government. Both mushroom grow kits and ready-to-use magic truffles may be sold.
Our opinion
So at first glance, mushroom drops seem relatively safe and especially easy. However, we do have our reservations about the use of psychedelics on the party scene. Here are our findings on mushroom drops:
Advantages:
- Easy to dose - As long as you know exactly what the concentration is and both set and setting remain the same, you can use the same amount of drops outside the tolerance period.
- Good vibe - Not mixed with alcohol and other drugs, mushroom drops can provide deep spiritual changes or just a fun, bizarre evening. There is no hangover, but there is a moment of "needing to recover" that can last hours, days or even weeks, but that depends on your experience.
Disadvantages:
- Not at all suitable for party scene - Although mushroom drops are used at parties and concerts, in our opinion it is not advisable to use psychedelics when there are a lot of people together or in the vicinity of loud noises and intense lighting effects. It quickly becomes too much and you can't just turn off the music or lights if you feel the need. As a result, the trip can become unpleasant (bad trip).
- Not suitable as an alternative to alcohol - Top that you don't want to drink alcohol. But mushroom drops are no substitute for "a cozy drink. The effect is 180 degrees different and can also be unpredictable. However, it can be a better option in a setting where, for example, a few friends get together in a familiar, quiet environment.
- Obtained through illegal circuit means no control of contents - How can you be sure they are mushroom drops and not something else? How pure are your mushroom drops? Is there nothing put in them that doesn't belong in them? These are not things you can currently investigate on your own.
- Expensive - A bottle is easily 120 to 150 Euros. By comparison, a 1200 CC mushroom grow kit costs less than 40 bucks and you can trip as many as 8 to 20 times with the yield.
- Trafficking is punishable - Unlike mushroom grow kits, mushroom drops are not legally for sale.
- Unnatural - There is a certain charm about natural products that are so powerful that you can experience a completely different reality. Ayahuasca, san pedro cacti and magic mushrooms are good examples. And you pull those right out of the ground, so to speak. There's no chemistry or lab coat involved.
Setting
As mentioned, the importance of the right setting is often underestimated. A quiet, familiar environment with preferably dimmed light and a nice smell are in our opinion very suitable as a basis for a positive trip. Tripping in nature is also ideally suited to wonder about the world. Mushroom drops seem to be popular at parties and summer festivals, but we would choose to use it in the aforementioned environments. This is not only safer, but also a lot nicer.
Sources:
- [1] Santhagens, E. What are mushroom drops, and why are they used so much? July 22, 2022. Vice.
- [2] 4-AcO-DMT Psychonautwiki.org