Amanita Hunting

[Arcticpheonix]

I live in an area with a great habitat for Amanita mushrooms, and I was planning on hunting for them soon. I thought I'd come on here and see if anyone had tips on finding them. I know they grow on the roots of most softwood trees, but I was wondering if there were some things to look for besides just softwood roots. Thanks, and I'll be sure to post some pics of any I find.

 

[imagine]

Out of interest do you plan to dry them before eating?

I was wondering which people think is more toxic the ibutanic acid or the muscimol?

When i was in primary school they had them popping up all through the winter, they are quite hard to miss.

 

[IJesusChrist]

There's no real easy way to find them, you'll find the mushroom before you find the place they are in.

:D :D I ate a fresh one off the ground, puked my guts out, but had the most awesome deliriusness ever. Was totally intoxicated - mostly poisoned though :)

 

[jalwhat]

in my opinion amanitas are not worth it, you won't really trip on them and they are very poisonous.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Amanitas are not for tripping.

To trip, take LSD, psilocybin or mescaline.

Here's an interesting text on the Amanita:

http://ambrosiasociety.org/files/herbofimmortality.pdf

 

[buffachino]

I don’t agree with some people’s negative evaluation of the Fly Agaric.

I feel that those who experience 'undesirable’ effects from this mushroom have consumed it in a less than optimal fashion (such as eating them fresh), taken too little, or have expectations of the resulting intoxication that are misleading.

I have a friend who has on numerous occasions consumed a tea made from the baked, powdered mushroom cap that has had the gills and stem removed. Only the red membrane, where the majority of the psychoactive constituents are said to be located, is used. Heating is essential to decarboxylate as much ibotenic acid into the more potent and less toxic muscimol as is possible. This, according to him, in sufficient doses (a decoction made from 20-30 dry grams) was quite an intense and fulfilling ‘psychedelic’ experience that has unique characteristics quite unlike those of serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin or LSD.

The GABAergic action of muscimol, being inhibitory in nature, is conducive to deep states of meditation and centeredness, because of the resulting diminution of one’s inner monologue, and the inability to retain abstract conceptions. It appears that it is also good in combination with more conventional psychedelics, providing a more centred platform from which to propel oneself into those states.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Yes. :D

But it seems drying them, breaking them into small pieces (not powder) and letting them sit in water or grape juice for a night is sufficient. It turns into a golden, orange kind of fluid, that's actually quite tasty.

 

[buffachino]

It also must be said that the potency of this mushroom varies quite a bit, and therefore so does dosage.

To work with this mushroom is to forge a relationship that, like mycelium, grows over time.

Amanitas, as with some other plant psychedelics, seem to display a discriminating taste when considering symbiosis with prospective hosts.

They may not be to some peoples taste either, but that depends on ones inclination and attitude toward psychoactives in general.

I read somewhere that Muscimol is also a flavour enhancer.

It’s defiantly an interesting and underestimated mushroom.

 

[mysticwarrior]

I think i'll go hunting for them this or next month. I am really curious ;) I already had used 2 dried caps before. But i where very stoned and haven't felt much, so this time i am going voor 10 caps. If that doesn't work, i'll go for 15 etc, till i feel the effects clear enough.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Why don't you dry them and count in grams, rather than caps?

 

[mysticwarrior]

Why don't you dry them and count in grams, rather than caps?

You not going to believe this, but to be honest i never count in grams ;) But maybe your right, and i should count in grams. Somehow i just don't like to be precise.

 

[afer]

afaik A. muscaria is not dangerous if used in proper amounts. The problem is, its potency tends to vary dramatically. There are just too many factors that could contribute to it- the soil it grows in, season it's picked in, and the drying technique of course..
I'd say, if you're off picking up Fly agarics, be sure to pick them up in large quantities from the same area at the same time [during, let's say, 1-3 days].
That way, you'll have a "batch" of approximately same potency you could futher experiment with.
My numerous attempts on eating it yielded no effects. Well, at least it was tasty :P

 

[buffachino]

Grinding the dry mushrooms into a powder and homogenising all of your supply is a good way to standardise potency.
With the addition of a scale, It makes dosing allot easier.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Ah, yes, in that sense. It's just that powder tends to create a kind of soup, not really a tea.

 

[buffachino]

I forgot to mention that you have to filter the powder from the water after a boil. You can re-soak this with more water, but it usually isn’t necessary. Use a cotton shirt followed by coffee filters for the least sediment. Boil the liquid down to a small amount for ease of ingestion.

Take it on an empty stomach.

Minimal nausea using this method as opposed to eating them fresh, dry or in capsules. Fastest onset, higher peak, but slightly shorter duration. Has energising properties and has been used to good effect in a festival context. High doses are recommended for best effects. Combines well with Psilocybin and cannabis.

 

[mysticwarrior]

thanks buffochino :)

 

[Arcticpheonix]

Yeah, thanks a bunch! You seem to have quite a bit of experience with Aminitas. Any tips on where to look?

 

[mysticwarrior]

In bossen en lanen bij loofbomen (berk, eik, beuk, linde) en naaldbomen (den, spar) op zand- en veengrond.
Ectomycorrhizavormend.

If someone can translate the name of those tree's, then you will probably be able to find some. Even if you don't know any of those tree's, a good walk trough the woods will already help to find them.

 

[alphasnail]

I can attest to the psychoactive effects of this great mushroom. 15grams dried, shredded to a fine powder, boiled it and strained. Fractals were clearly evident, taking form of mushroom men that confronted me. eventually i started to loose touch of realitly and i couldnt tell between the intense vivid lucid dreams i was having, and the house I was in. and the usually trippy shit. :D

 

[buffachino]

Any tips on where to look?

According to Wikipedia...

Amanita muscaria forms symbiotic relationships with a wide variety of trees, including pine, spruce, fir, birch, and cedar.

So I would be looking for coniferous trees.

Pines are probably the most likely candidate because of their prevalence.

As when hunting for any mushroom, with experience comes a better understanding on where to focus your search.
They are quite conspicuous mushrooms, yet may be hidden beneath debris, which conceal their location.

Be thorough; the more places you look, the more chance of having success.

Good luck!