Talk:Psilocybin mushroom

split?

It's really hard to get past that LONG list of species. Anyone agree/disagree that there should be a new page for the list? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Heatherfire (talk • contribs) 04:53, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Done. Alan Rockefeller (Talk - contribs) 23:25, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

thus proving that shrooms will mess u up —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.1.206.117 (talk) 14:03, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

"thus proving that shrooms will mess u up" What's that supposed to mean?(Aweedwhacker (talk) 21:22, 9 February 2008 (UTC))

Merge with Psilocybin?

Merge or not, the "Effects" section does not belong here. It most properly belongs in the Psilocin page, rightly. --1000Faces (talk) 06:33, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

psilocybin mushrooms

I went through the artical and found noting of what makes you have a hallucination. I was talking with a friend earlyer to day and he told me that the reasion that you do hallucinate is because blood runs down your brain stem and I just want to know if this is true or not because I would rather not be taking a natural product that does bodly harm.71.222.165.32 (talk) 01:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)Brandi S.

That is entirely untrue 24.65.42.159 (talk) 21:55, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Psilocybin in relation to human evolution.

I wish this article could contain some information about Terrence Mckenna's theory about psilocybin in relation to human evolution.

Actually, it would be great if somebody could make a separate page about "Psilocybin and human evolution".

There is some info here though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna#The_.22Stoned_Ape.22_theory_of_human_evolution --Zanthius (talk) 15:06, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

'McKenna did not attempt to defend his hypotheses through rigorous scientific evidence; he consciously self-identified as a type of shaman, or ethnobotanist. McKenna and his followers view his theories as speculation that is at a minimum scientifically feasible and arguably gifted by special knowledge due to psychedelic plants.' Do you really think that information is related to the term of 'encyclopedia'? -- 82.209.225.33 (talk) 07:37, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

I know that the evolution of the ability to think abstractly must have been one of the prime causes which made monkeys evolve into human beings. The invention of numbers, the formation of religious doctrines, the formation of complex social structures - all such things requires the ability to think abstractly. There seems to be a need for some kind of a shock which pushed our species out of the typical animalistic behavior pattern. Why would a species choose to break out of its typical animalistic behavior pattern, unless there was some kind of a shock applied to the species?

I wouldn't spontaneously invent numbers, form religious doctrines, and complex social structures, if I was a Gorilla. However, if there was some kind of a shock pushing my mind out of my typical animalistic behavior pattern, I might start to do such things. From my vast experience with magic mushrooms some years ago, I think it is safe to say that it provides some kind of a shock which stimulates your mind to think more abstractly. Yes, if I was a Gorilla, I would probably also start to think more abstractly, if I started to eat magic mushrooms.--Zanthius (talk) 19:26, 3 May 2008 (UTC)

The ability to think abstractly can't have been one of the causes of monkeys evolving into humans, because they didn't. The notion that ideas like numbers, religious doctrines and complex social structures were "spontaneously" invented is erroneous - the number zero, for example, didn't occur until after the birth of Christ and even then not in the complete form we use it in now. Complex social structures themselves are exhibited by an enormous (if not all) range of animal species and are not peculiarly human. These social structures (and in my opinion consciousness and abstract thought itself) are explained by Emergence as a natural although generally inexplicable growth due to interaction between agencies. Besides all that, imagine you're a gorilla and you eat a mushroom - all of a sudden you're experiencing things at a confusing level of intensity, you feel weak, maybe nauseaous, and the resulting abnormal behaviour immediately alienates you from the troop causing them to cast you out and reducing your chances of reproducing at all. All in all, I definitely would not place magic mushrooms on the level of, say, The Monolith. --210.55.180.44 (talk) 03:54, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Most historians actually agree upon the notion that the first humans should be defined according to when our genetic strain developed a "symbolic language", and gained the ability of "collective learning" - which made our pool of collective knowledge increase from one generation to the next. Who are you to say that people only gets nauseous and feel weak, when they eat magic mushrooms? Most people don't get a bad trip when they eat magic mushrooms, they get enlightening spiritual experiences - see the Marsh Chapel Experiment for details. Personally, I used to feel very strong when I ate magic mushrooms.

I am completely convinced that psilocybin stimulated my ability to think abstractly when I used it, and when the ability to think abstractly is stimulated, it increases the probability for developing a symbolic language. The Olmec civilization in middle America might have invented the number zero long before the birth of Christ by the way, and they probably used a lot of magic mushrooms in their religious ceremonies.

I also feel much more related to the deep spiritual experiences of magic mushrooms, than to those stupid chimpanzees. I really hope that I originate just as much from divine mushrooms, as from those stupid chimpanzees! At least that would give me *some* divine origin.--Zanthius (talk) 22:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Psilocybin mushrooms outside the Western Hemisphere

Is there any history for the use of psilocybin mushrooms outside mesoamerica and in the Eastern Hemisphere before the Spanish came to the new world? There are many theories about the drink called Soma, the Eleusian Mysteries, in the dung of cattle of prey of pre-historic humans in Africa, ect. but I haven't read an article that talks about this history.....were mushrooms just discovered in the new world or did they exist in the old world and where just unknown by the time the Spanish found them in the new world? Just like cannabis was unknown in the new world until it was brought from the old world. Zachorious (talk) 11:41, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

See Amanita muscaria. That mushroom of course being very different and having extremely different effects. Beach drifter (talk) 18:10, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Dosage

The indications for dosage seem to be repeated, and to be contradictory in terms of strength, does anyone know an expert who could clear this section up? 24.65.42.159 (talk) 21:55, 20 May 2008 (UTC)