This technique works.
It is extremely easy.
It is optimized for the individual home grower.
This write-up is my personal technique developed after trying both the Homestead
and Psylocybe Fanaticus Kits. I also read Stamets' and Oss &Oeric's books
on mushroom cultivation, and experimented with the techniques published on the
net.
It is based on spore syringes, but you can also use a spore print or a piece
of sterile mycelium. I heartily recommend getting syringes, as they make
the sterile process very easy.
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
inoculation 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.
- Media preparation
For each quart canning jar of 300g rye + 300g water, you get one really strong
dose or two conservative doses (This is with my strain of Psilocybe 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 no labeled, 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 45, better 60
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)
- Inoculation
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 reusing it
to cover the lid again). Sterilize the spore syringe tip in a alcohol
lamp flame and (shake well) inject about 0.5-1 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.
- 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 inoculated
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 usable 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.
- Psilocybin extraction
To extract the mycelium, simply add ~500g of Cranberry Juice mixed with 1/2
tsp. 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 acquired 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 inoculating 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.
- 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 PF
syringes -- 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 once 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.
- 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 Psilocybe 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, Psilocybe 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 dose 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.
