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- From: puchalsk@k12.oit.umass.edu (Joshua Puchalski (GCC/TEME))
- 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.
-
- -------------------------------------------------
- THE FOOLPROOF PSILOCYBE CUBENSIS MYCELIAL CULTURE TECHNIQUE
- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-
- 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:
- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-
- 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.
-
- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-
- 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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