Street Names:
Magic mushrooms.

Description:
Can be distributed as mushrooms or in capsules containing powder of any color.  Common dose is anywhere from 5 mg. to 60 mg., taken orally.  What is sold as psilocybin usually turns out to be PCP or LSD.

Origin and Medical Uses:
Active ingredients in several species of mushrooms and other fungi, the most common belong to the genus psilocybe.

Short Term Effects:
Effects felt after about half an hour and last several hours.  Sensations of relaxation or fatigue, separation from surroundings, heaviness or lightness.  Larger doses produce perceptual distortions, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, numbness of the mouth, nausea, shivering, yawning, flushing and sweating.

Long Term Effects:
Insufficient research.

Tolerance and Dependence:
Tolerance develops quickly.  After using mescaline or psilocybin, the user must abstain from both for several days to regain sensitivity.  Cross tolerance develops to LSD and DMT.  Chronic users may become psychologically dependent.  Mescaline and psilocybin are not known to cause physical dependence.

Sources:

(1).  Straight Facts About Drugs & Drug Abuse, Revised Edition, Health and Welfare Canada, copyright Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1990

(2).  Drugs and Alcohol Behaviour: An Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology, Second Edition, by William A. McKim, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Prentice Hall, 1991

  Bankhead Web Services