Newsgroups: alt.drugs.psychedelics
Subject: mushroom extractions
Date: 3 Mar 1995 02:21:56 GMT
Message-ID: <3j5ug4$7vg@nic.umass.edu>


Well, after posting this question I recieved some information detailing the
mest method I have heard of yet.

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THE FOOLPROOF PSILOCYBE CUBENSIS MYCELIAL CULTURE TECHNIQUE
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This technique works.
 
It is extremely easy.
 
It is optimized for the individual home grower.
 
This writeup is my personal technique developed after trying both the
Homestead and Psylocybe Fanaticus Kits.  I also read Stamet and Oss &
Oeric's books on mushroom cultivation, and experimented with the
techniques published on the net. 
 
I found it rather difficult to grow actual mushrooms (carpaphores), but
*ridiculously* easy to grow the mycelium.  This document explains my
ULTRA simplified technique for growing the mycelium and extracting the
psilocin with cranberry juice.
 
It is based on Psylocybe Fanaticus's spore syringes, but you can also
use a spore print or a piece of sterile mycelium.  I heartily recommend
getting PF's syringes, as they make the sterile process very easy. 
 
MYCELIUM GROWING TECHNIQUE:
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For the ultimate in growing ease, don't bother with trying to get the
mycelium to fruit or with all the crap about trying to isolate a pure
strain.  Pure strains are used in very high-tech commercial enterprises,
where absolute consistent yield is critical.  Nature herself doesn't
work that way.  The bias against multi-spore innoculation stems from an
observation that a small number of pure strains are sometimes
antagonistic on agar. 
 
The latest research shows that something completely different happens
when large numbers of strains are growing together.  With numerous
strains, the various clones somehow cease to be antagonistic, and form a
"symbiosis" that is actually beneficial.  This is great, because it
allows us to SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY! 
 
I have read that the concentration of Psilocin is lower in the mycelium,
but you have to weigh that with the fact that it is really hard to get
good fruiting.  Besides, I have definitely proven that the mycelium is
*plenty* strong enough! 
 
Here's how to grow the mycelium on organic rye without the tedious
fruiting step. 
 
  o  media preparation
 
For each quart canning jar of 300g rye + 300g h2o, you get one really
strong dose or two conservative doses.  (this is with my strain of
P.cubensis - your mileage may vary - start with a 1/4 jar dose and work
up) You should wait about 2 weeks after complete permeation for maximum
potency.  Make *sure* that you use *organic* rye!  If it is not
labelled, it is probably grown with fungicides that will *absolutely*
guarantee failure. 
 
I punch a hole in the (upside-down) canning lid with a nail.  Add the
rye and water to the quart jar.  Some recommend also adding a crushed
calcium tablet for better growth.  Put the lid on the jar and cover with
a 6" square of aluminum foil, crimped around the lid.  Process at 15 lbs
pressure for 30 minutes.  Let cool slowly.  Remove the jars, and place
in a dust and draft-free sterilized transfer chamber.  (You can use an
aquarium turned sideways with a plastic sheet taped over the opening)
 
  o  innoculation
 
Sterilize the tank with lysol or alcohol prior to use.  (Caution:
FLAMMABLE) Clean your hands with alcohol and wear rubber gloves.  For
each jar, take off the foil, exposing the hole in the lid.  Set the
foil, topside-down on a clean surface (don't contaminate the inside of
the foil, as you will be re-using it to cover the lid again).  Sterilize
the P.Fanaticus spore syringe tip in a alcohol lamp flame and (shake
well) inject about .5-1 cc of liquid through the hole in the lid. 
Replace foil with the sterile side against the jar.  Repeat process for
each jar. 
 
Alternatively, you could remove the lid and scrape in some dry spores from
a spore print or use some sterile mycelium taken from an existing culture.
 
  o  growth
 
At this point, you simply place the jars in a clean, dark place and wait
for permeation.  You get the most rapid growth if you shake up the
grains every 3 or 4 days.  This is part of the reason for using rye
berries.  Rice simply won't shake up properly.  It clumps.  The inside
of the clumps never get innoculated and it takes weeks for the mycelium
to permeate.  While it is taking such a long time, it is easy for
contaminants to get the upper hand.  Organic rye stays loose and allows
the mycelium to rapidly colonize. 
 
Once colonized, you are done.  The jars will stay nice and useable for 3
or 4 months if kept in a cool, dark place.  If I break open a jar and
use part of it for a dose, I usually keep the remainder in the fridge,
where it will last a month or so until you finish it off.
 
  o  psilocin extraction
 
To extract the mycelium, simply add ~500g of Cranberry Juice mixed with
1/2tsp of ascorbic acid crystals (vitamin C) to each jar of
well-permeated mycelium and shake well.  Add a glass marble as an
agitator if you like.  The acidified liquid will remove the active
components, leaving behind the rye grains.  Pour off the liquid and
enjoy.  The extracted liquid should be a milky consistency with a thick,
frothy layer of mycelium.  If you want to get all the material, then do
a second extraction with another cup of juice. 
 
It is probably an aquired taste, but I have found the resulting brew to
be quite palatable, and have never had any nausea using this method. 
The onset of the trip occurs in about 20-30 minutes. 
 
When you are done, there is always some residual mycelium left on the
grain.  Rather than throw it out, try innoculating your backyard compost
pile.  - Or take it to you local field, etc.  Perhaps we can encourage
this fungus to extend it's range across the world.
 
  o  continuing the cycle
 
To continue the growing process, you can either grow some other batches
to fruiting using the PF method to get spores, or you can simply
transfer some grains of rye from the old batch to new jars of sterilized
grain.  The transfers will have to be done with sterile technique. 
 
After many transfers, you may find reduced vigor.  At this point, you
will need to have to use spores to start the cycle over again. (Or get
more syringes from PF - The syringes will keep at least a year in the
fridge.)  It is nice to be self-sufficient, though.  I wouldn't count
on our fascist government allowing PF to stay in business indefinitely.
 
A large pressure cooker will process 7 quart jars.  Because of the time
factor, and the tolerance that one quickly develops to the mushrooms,
you can really only indulge about oncd a week.  7 jars will produce 14
doses, or about 4 months worth of mycelium.  The effort required to
maintain a continuous supply is only 1 or 2 hours every 4 months.  The
mycelium may be grown in total darkness, and the jars are quite easy to
discretely conceal. 
 
  o  personal observations, dosage, set + setting...   
 
This section is my personal opinion developed after 10 or 12 full-strength 
trips.  Take it with a grain of salt.  Your mileage may vary. 
 
Even though you can trip as often as once per week, I don't recommend
it.  A "full" dosage opens your perceptions to a completely different
view of the world.  The experience is so at odds the "standard" view of
"consentual reality" that you risk losing touch with friends, work,
politics, business, etc, if you over indulge.  For this reason, I
have found it best to think of your usage as something to provide sacred
inspiration, and not something for casual entertainment.  Perhaps two
consecutive trips, every 2 or 3 months would be a good balance for
initial investigation. 
 
Also be careful with the dosage.  Start small the first few times.  A
full, entheogenic dose can be absolutely frightening, as you are
completely drawn into an alien world.  To me this world seems to be the
inner workings that lie just below the surface of consentual reality. 
Don't freak.  You just need to remember that you will be back to normal
in a few hours.  Try to learn as much as you can.  For many people, this
is the most intense spiritual experience of their lifetime. 
 
Because the vision that is received through P.cubensis appears to be so
consistent across multiple people, I am inclined to believe that it is
an actual, useful view of the way the universe is organized.  The
insight that I've gotten is very much in harmony with quantum physics
and my understanding of the Buddhist view of the world.  I believe it is
a *very* valuable eye-opener and the experience should be available to
any adult that desires to explore their mind and the way it interacts
with the numinous cosmos.  When taken in this light, P.cubensis becomes
a freedom of religion issue. 
 
The experience has been described as a "trip", and like a "trip" you
have some control the destination.  You can, with light doses, steer it
towards a hedonist, masturbatory sort of thing.  Alternatively, you can
be find yourself overwhelmed with nature, have very deep cosmological
insights (that still make sense when you are sober again!), or you can
blow it watching some stupid movie.  Think ahead and make the most of
your 6 hours.  At higher doses, a lot of your control vanishes, but you
can still keep your wits about you and keep yourself from freaking.  The
Aztecs preferred to take their mushrooms indoors in total darkness for 
maximum visuals and personal insight. 
 
Plan ahead.  You will be awake for 6-10 hours (including a several hour
"afterglow" where you will no longer be tripping, but you will still not
be able to sleep).  I usually take shrooms on Saturday afternoons.  This
gives me ample time to come down, get some good sleep, and have all of
Sunday to be ready to return to work/school, etc. 
 
Be responsible.  This is very heady stuff.  I have never given any doses
to anyone, although I would consider sharing spores with a friend.  I
think that this is such a mind-blowing experience that it is good to
have a strong barrier to experimentation.  If someone is clear-headed
enough to master the culturing requirements, then they can very likely
handle the implications of mushroom experience.  Treat it like a loaded
handgun.  It is much more likely to be a positive experience when the
user is informed, mature, and aware. 
 
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Please post any improvements on this technique to the net.  
 
Archive this information, redistribute it, and reproduce it as you see
fit. 
 
The truth shall set you free.
 
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