Liberty Cap (Magic) mushrooms everywhere on Dartmoor but unfortunately it's illegal in the UK to pick them.steemCreated with Sketch.

in #life7 years ago

Yesterday I went a walk on Dartmoor with a friend and as we were strolling along we noticed that there were lots of Liberty Cap mushrooms growing (Psilocybe semilanceata for the more scientific amongst you).

Unfortunately, in the UK it is illegal to pick these mushrooms because the British state doesn't like the idea of people picking naturally occurring plants out of the ground that might raise their consciousness to dangerous (for them) levels. For this reason I definitely did not pick any of the mushrooms ;-) but it is not yet illegal to photograph them or the area they grow in. Here's a closeup of a couple of Liberty Caps I took yesterday.

Here is a pretty crappy picture of the area of Dartmoor I found the mushrooms but they can be found all over Dartmoor at this time of year. (Dartmoor ponies can be seen in the forground)

The following photo was taken a few years ago (most definitely not yesterday) by a friend at a time when it was still legal to pick the mushrooms (the preparation for consumption was illegal back then rather than the act of picking)

Here's another photo sent by a friend a few years ago showing the mushrooms being dried.

You have to ask yourself, why is the Liberty Cap mushroom a Class A drug in the UK (same class as Heroin and Crack Cocaine) while alcohol and tobacco can be bought freely?

I think at this point it is worth quoting a section from the Wikipedia article on Psilocybin mushrooms.

Spiritual and well being

In 2006, the United States government funded a randomized and double-blinded study by Johns Hopkins University which studied the spiritual effects of the active compound psilocybin. The study involved 36 college-educated adults (average age of 46) who had never tried psilocybin nor had a history of drug use, and who had religious or spiritual interests. The participants were closely observed for eight-hour intervals in a laboratory while under the influence of psilocybin.[32]

One-third of the participants reported the experience was the single most spiritually significant moment of their lives, and more than two-thirds reported it was among the top five most spiritually significant experiences. Two months after the study, 79% of the participants reported increased well-being or satisfaction; friends, relatives, and associates confirmed this. They also reported anxiety and depression symptoms to be decreased or completely gone. Fourteen months after the study, 64% of participants said they still experienced an increase in well-being or life satisfaction.

Despite highly controlled conditions to minimize adverse effects, 22% of subjects (8 of 36) had notable experiences of fear or paranoia. All subjects had never taken a hallucinogenic trip before. The authors, however, reported that all these instances were "readily managed with reassurance."

I'm 39 years old and I've never tried any psychedelic drugs (unless you include Cannabis) and the more I read about them the more I want to try them for spiritual reasons.

It's just a shame that I am a law abiding citizen so will not be able to do so in the UK.

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I just wrote about mushrooms helping cure depression. The next article is likely to be about why hallucinogens are illegal, and the science behind why they needn't be.
Let your friend try them... and tell us that story ;-)

You gotta do it. I'm from Canada, grew up doing these, love 'em.
I can't think of better times I've had then with friends on 'shrooms!

Probably the one substance I would recommend everyone in the world to try once in their lives...to experience what your brain is capable of doing. The emotions, the colours, the experience, it's amazing.

Two rules I tell everyone for their first time:

  1. POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT - Do them with positive people, negativity on this drug is just down-right not fun, and a waste of the high. Don't worry it's not like you're mentally on top of a thin wall that you can mentally fall into the 'positive' pool or fall into the 'negative' pool. You'll always be in the 'positive pool' with shrooms, but it's best to really 'dive in to the positivity'. In your house comfortable, but the best....outdoors in quiet nature! :)


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  1. A LITTLE EXPERIENCE - Do them with someone who is experienced (so if you start freaking out over a heart flutter, the experienced person can step in to ensure you remind you that you took a substance)

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Caveat: Just an FYI when getting into the 'shroom' culture, there's a very suspicious tie-in with the CIA (of course) (Google Gordon Wasson + Psychedelic) so keep your wits about you long-term.

That is correct sir! Terrence Mckenna was "recruited" by CIA. I have a feeling they told him to not say to much about the 🍄. I found out why, through personal experience and much research in "The Game of Life".

Do it buddy.
Throw on the Floyd and get wasted my man.
Jeez it's been a long time, great memories dude 😜

I just might do that you know ;-)

Free the Shrooms!!!!!!

Upvoted and Followed. Here is a recent photo of my progress on my Fungi...

Nice! 🍄

Just picked them this morning. Going to post it a bit later on my page.

Hey @jimbobbill I couldn't agree more especially as the shrooms are now shown to have some amazing medicinal benefits. If you take just ten shrooms (so you don't really get the hallucinogenic effect) it has been scientifically proven to improve eyesight, it's a greater long term anti depressent than any drug on the market and it has literally saved the lives of people that have suffered from years of migraines and cluster headaches! One dose every month or so is enough to keep the headaches at bay. I read one story about a guy that was near suicide after years of debilitating migraines and his discovery of shrooms literally saved his life.

Thanks for reading/commenting. I wasn't aware of the effects you highlighted and was just reading a post by @v4vapid that goes into more detail about them. I might try some tonight. I've been wanted to for ages but keep chikening out.

Try about thirty of them, they'll last about 4-5 hours and won't be too much. Stick the headphones on and go with it :)

I love mushrooms! However, I am not talking about hallucinogens, but rather the tasty edibles, like Chantarelles. My youth has taught me to avoid such medicines, as, unless there is a need, there are good reasons to avoid them.

All I can say otherwise is that it is difficult to describe how awful they taste, except to point out that they grow in dung. If you want a delicious snack, Oysters, or Boletes, or anything but P. lanceolata!

I suspect just eating the dung, and cutting out the middleman of the shrooms, would be preferable in terms of taste.

YMMV, but there is a reason most people vomit when they eat enough of them.

Just dip them in chocolate😎
The B+ Strain (Psilocybe Cubensis) remind me of Pistachios.

Never tried 'cubes. Lotsa Liberty Caps hereabouts, but after my introduction to them which involved two large handfuls and then playing onstage at a Heavy Metal concert, I don't wanna try them again =p

I've heard of people putting them in honey, but I like the taste of honey, and don't wanna associate honey with the taste of P. lanceolata. I'd never enjoy my English Muffins as much again. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, at least not as much as I am of honey, so that's not a reason to not try that.

I'm just not EVAR wanting to feel as disoriented and confused as I did onstage that night again!

Thanks for reading commenting. A few people have said how awful they taste and in fact I actually saw one growing out of a ball of sheep shit when I was out.
I personally want to take them because I hope they will lead me to doing a bit of self reflection/realisation but I am going to be sensible about it and start off with a sensible dose.

When in a damn good Mindset and the Setting is comfortable, that IS what will happen. I have had REVELATIONS when doing so. Usually when by myself, in complete darkness.

You are a wiser man than I, therefore. My initial experience with them became cautionary, as I started off with two insensible doses 0_o

If your really going for an experience of insight and self improvement, NEVER take less than 3.5 grams. Now that is in reference to the B+ Cubensis strain. Not all psilocin strains have same potency. Also is dependent on the substrate used and mineral potency in substrate. The Mushrooms you will see in my recent posts are grown from rye and vermiculite.

The only guess I have as to the dosage I took is that an equivalent amount of pot would have been between a half and a full ounce. So, at least four times your recommendation.

It was more than I bargained for =p

Upvoted and Followed!

Also, I suggest 3.5 grams of DRIED MUSHROOMS (when dried to perfection the mushrooms potency increases 10x), because with a light dose there is an increased chance of a negative experience.

I look forward to future posts about your adventure that happens in a country where it most def is legal or was back whenever you had the experience ;)
We want to hear it!!!

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Psychedelics definitely have medicinal benefits and the more and more people are researching it the closer we as a species are to understand the mind. Check out this article about brazillian researchers giving ayahuasca to lab grown brains https://steemit.com/psychedelic/@schemeshot/researchers-conduct-study-of-ayahuasca-s-effect-on-lab-grown-mini-brains

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Swallow the evidence. 😄🍄

Best Advice!, you nailed it! Lol

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Nice pics man :) Looks like some fun to be had (past tense that is ;) ) hehe

Wish they grew wild like that near me :\ ... Cause like you... I definitely would (not) pick them hehe

Check out my blog on physical/mental health benefits of MICRO-dosing psilocybin, LSD, fly agaric here (my favorite!)

Also please follow, will do the same :D

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