Also known as “magic” mushrooms, psilocybin mushrooms are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom that can be used to induce a state of relaxation or one close to various altered states of consciousness that were known in the past to Native Americans. Because of the fact that they can induce hallucinogenic effects, magic mushrooms are pretty much banned in many places. The only exceptions are Brazil, the Netherlands, Vietnam and Jamaica.

What Is a Magic Mushroom Anyway?

The name psilocybin comes from the main substance associated with the mushrooms. Psilocybin is produced by the Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe semilanceata species of mushrooms which can be found to be naturally occurring in a number of locations throughout Europe, North America and Central America. Psilocybin mushrooms aka penis envy mushrooms have been used as part of ancient traditions throughout Europe and the American continent for thousands of years. Although missionaries have began the practice of discouraging their use, the mushrooms themselves are alive and well and still used by certain cultures quite freely.

As the name would suggest, magic mushrooms can induce a “magical” state of consciousness in which you can end up hallucinating and having visions. Depending on what perspective you look at the matter, these might be considered delusions of the mind or visions of spirits and otherworldly phenomena that were considered by our ancient ancestors to be part of the initiation to the shamanic path. As such, magic mushrooms have been linked to various potent healing properties as well.

Unfortunately, whether the mushrooms themselves are magic or not is pretty much irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that they can lead to dangerously preventing someone from remaining fully aware of their actions, so they are regarded as generally unsafe. Unlike cannabis, which has been regulated somewhat, and is now legal to some extent in a pretty significant number of states, psilocybin mushrooms are still illegal in most of the USA – except for Colorado, Oregon and parts of California.

Why You Need to Be Aware of This Information

The term “magic mushrooms” is commonly used in many places to describe the unique hallucinogenic mushrooms that we have just depicted. However, not many people know exactly what they are, what their history says and whether or not they are legal.

Getting informed is a very important prerequisite if you plan to start using these mushrooms, or even if you just want to buy them for a friend. You might live in Oregon, where they are legal, only to find out that you’d get into serious trouble if you try to ship or take some mushrooms to a friend in Nevada or in parts of California where it’s still illegal.

Learning about magic mushrooms is also important because of their historical heritage and their use as medicinal mushrooms. That’s right, our ancestors weren’t in it simply for the high, but they have discovered many of the medicinal secrets of these remarkable ‘shrooms, and nowadays modern science is beginning to catch up fast. Some experts believe that, as more scientific studies will be done to show the healing potential of psilocybin mushrooms, more and more states will be open to permitting them to be used at least for medical purposes, if not for recreational use as well.