Magic Truffles in Amsterdam

Sunny summer day in Amsterdam

Magic truffles are essentially a byproduct of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms. [1]

Psilocybe semilanceata

Psychedelic mushrooms have likely been used since prehistoric times and may have been depicted in rock art and pre-Columbian historical materials in Mesoamerica. Many cultures have used these mushrooms in their religious rites and ceremonies.

Mushroom stones found in Mesoamerica - Source

Like the mushrooms, truffles also contain compounds of psilocybin and psilocin [3] which means they are classified as psychedelic drug.

Source: Psilocybin

A psychedelic drug is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception, typically by agonising serotonin receptors.[4]

The official name for the Magic truffle is sclerotium.
Sclerotia is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing stored food and water which enable mushroom to grow even when conditions are not optimal.

Truffles

There are around 200 types of psychodelic mushrooms. Only few of them produce truffles. Some of the well-known are:

Psilocybe tampanensis

and Psilocybe Atlantis.

Psilocybin mushrooms nowadays are mostly illegal with exceptions of Brazil which allows it completely, Netherlands where it's legal as truffle and Prague where you can only posses but not buy or sell.

I guess I'm lucky that I'm currently in Amsterdam. :)

You can buy it in almost any smart shop.

Mother's finest truffles

We've decided to try Royal Beluga truffles costing 20€ for a box of 15 grams. First timers are recommended to split one package on two person. We listened to that advice because it was our first truffles experience. We tried mushrooms before, so we knew what we are up to, but we were not sure how strong they were.

Unfortunately I forgot to take picture of Royal Beluga ones so here is Mother's finest instead.
They smell and taste pretty much the same. The only diference is prevail of black and whitecolor instead of the green and red present here.

The taste is better than of mushrooms. They are easier to swallow since they contain some water unlike mushrooms which are dry (or should at least should be) by the time they reach your mouth.

It feels like eating semi raw walnuts with a flavor of watermelon's white colored part.
They also leave a distinct bitter taste in the throat, resembling the sensation of saliva creating in your mouth when you spot a lemon.

The way I see it, in psychedelic experience you have ascent, the peak and the descent.
I even drew a graph to help you visualize it.

After you eat truffles, you may feel a bit strange.
It's normal because you just ate poisonous fungi with purpose using their defense mechanism in your favor. Because of the strange feeling, its good to have an empty stomach. Also, they psilocybin disintegrates better if it's the only thing in your stomach. It can be a little scary due to sudden minor hallucinations or inexplicable sensory tinglings. The best advice is to do what you feel to do. Whatever it is. (If you are not in public, which I do not recommend for first timers)

You may want to lie down, or at least sit during the ascent. It's natural to close your eyes for a while because visual experiences can be overwhelming. Nonetheless, visual experiences don't stop with your eyes closed, but they are less intense in your head. You start to visualize things around you merely by listening. Music can be beautiful thing to hear. For me, it changed the kinds of music I listen.

They weren't as hard for stomach as mushrooms. I definitely felt that I have eaten something but it wasn't a big deal. I laid down in a cozy chair and listened to some music. The friend was in another room so we kinda separated in the beginning, waiting for it to come.

After a while I realized I've been watching magnificent music equalizer with my eyes closed. That's the sign they are working. Listened to some more music when a friend came in with a spliff.

When you remember that you can move again (yes, you forget as you have so many things on your mind), it means you have peaked. You lying down was the result of new found brains activity which made senses operate with an extra kick. When your brain has calibrated your sense you feel great again.Now it's time to explore the world.

We hanged outside in our backyard.

After breaking the barrier, fun part comes. Me and my friend for example, were laughing non stop. Two hours of pure joy and good old laugh about past life situations. After that we went to a park for a walk. I was fascinated by the building we rented our apartment in. I realized how square and regular it looks. Big clock is a cool sight to spot in the middle of the night.

This truffles weren't so powerful and didn't lead to high hallucinations due to us splitting the package. We kinda hoped for it but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I'd say it created a pleasant atmosphere and gave us a good laugh.

After that, we enjoy homemade tortilla chips in nearby taqueria.

It's pretty cool that something like mushrooms happens to grow in nature.

It is really hard to describe or compare psychedelic experiences because they depend on a number of factors.
The ones I could think of are:

• your current body and mind state
• surroundings (including location outdoor/indoor, time of day, temperature, weather conditions)
• company (solo or with few people, or in a club)
• how much have you taken
• how strong it was

As you see, that is plenty of factors which make every experience of every person unique and there is no point in general comparison. Its very simple. They give you what you truly need.

I'll present you one more chart I found interesting. It is about drug harmfulness. Do your best and find mushrooms on that list.

Source: wiki

I just wanted to share some experiences about a somewhat mystified entity. Hope you all have a great weekend!