psychedelic-truffles-vs-mushrooms

Psychedelic Truffles vs. Mushrooms: What’s The Difference

If you are considering psychedelics for mental wellness, it’s important to compare psychedelic truffles vs mushrooms so you can understand the differences between the two. While psychedelic mushrooms are probably the most well-known of the psychedelics (along with LSD), psychedelic truffles are quickly rising in popularity.

If you’re wondering why truffles are gaining momentum now or why haven’t they taken the spotlight earlier, this article is for you. We’ll compare psychedelic truffles vs. mushrooms by exploring their key differences — from their effects to uses, legality, and more.

Similarities and Differences

Let’s clarify: psychedelic truffles have nothing to do with the truffles used in food. They probably got this nickname due to their appearance and growing underground.

Let’s start in the obvious first place when comparing psychedelic truffles vs mushrooms. Mushrooms and truffles are psychedelics because they contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, and norbaeocystin. That’s why they make you ‘trip’ when consumed.

Another commonality is their origin. Both come from Psilocybe, a genus of fungi that have the psychedelic compounds mentioned above.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can move on to the differences when comparing psychedelic truffles vs mushrooms.

Psychedelic truffles are a part of some Psilocybe mushrooms. They’re sclerotia — a concentrated and hardened mass of mycelia. Mycelia are a network of hyphae which basically are to mushrooms what roots are to plants.

Psychedelic truffles (sclerotia) are always formed by mushrooms but not all mushrooms form truffles.

Mushrooms grow sclerotia to store nutrients and withstand adverse weather conditions like droughts and wildfires. They look like brownish/blackish kefir grain.

The most notorious examples of psychedelic mushrooms that grow truffles are Psilocybe tampanensis and Psilocybe mexicana.

The Effects of Psychedelic Truffles vs. Mushrooms

The effects of psychedelic truffles vs mushrooms depend on the psychedelic compounds in them and the relative concentration of each compound.

Theoretically speaking, if you consume truffles and mushrooms with the same amount of each compound the effects should be roughly the same, although they might vary depending on the strain you’re using.

Generally speaking, as the trip begins, you’ll experience an intense euphoric feeling. Little by little, you’ll start getting visual distortion and, possibly, hallucinations and a feeling of deep connection with the people and nature around you.

Sometimes you might experience intense introspective trips that change you for the better while other times you may just laugh your ass off and have a great time with friends.

If you have a bad trip, anxiety, panic attacks, and a sense of despair can set in. Try to remain calm and keep telling yourself it’ll be over in a couple of hours — no need to panic. Moving to another place, changing the music, or talking with a friend can help.

The Potency of Psychedelic Truffles vs. Mushrooms

Standardized research studies on psychedelic truffles and their chemical makeup are seriously lacking. Having said that, basic botany/mycology principles would dictate that amount of psychedelic compounds in both mushrooms and truffles depends on a number of factors like variations in weather, soil nutrients/pH levels, as well as other factors.

Generally speaking, in a comparison of psychedelic truffles vs mushrooms, mushrooms have higher concentration of these compounds but different species/subspecies have different potencies and different batches of the same species may differ in potency as well.

You should read the information vendors display on their websites about the product you’re buying in order to know the potency and so you can understand dosages. Reading other clients’ reviews can also be helpful.

Consuming Psychedelic Truffles vs. Mushrooms

Well, first of all, harvesting truffles is different from harvesting mushrooms since the latter are above ground while truffles are below. While you can consume either of them fresh or dried, the drying process between the two does differ in time, since truffles have a much lower moisture level than mushrooms, they dry up faster. You should however beware that it’s not advisable to dry truffles, as they should be consumed fresh.

Both have an earthy flavor but truffles can be more bitter at times — not everyone is a fan of their taste and the fact that they need to be thoroughly chewed doesn’t help!

Luckily, you can use a truffle grinder to grind truffles into a pulp and wash them down quickly with water. You can also make tea by adding warm (not boiling!) water to them.

You can do the same with dried mushrooms but you should use a weed or coffee grinder instead. You can also make edibles or tea with them — magic mushroom chocolate is a top pick among psychonauts.

To increase the chances of having a great trip, make sure you’re in a comfortable and familiar setting, you have food and water around, and you’re physically and mentally well.

And make sure you always stay hydrated!

Since psychedelic truffles and mushrooms are technically different things, their legality may be different in certain places.

In the US, for example, only Georgia and Idaho specifically mention magic truffles in their laws.

However, at the federal level and in most states, psilocybin, psilocin, and any product containing these substances are illegal — making both truffles and mushrooms illegal.

Here’s an overview of the legality of psychedelic truffles and mushrooms in the Western world:

LocationMushroomsTruffles
USA (except the places below)IllegalIllegal
Oregon; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; Oakland and Santa Cruz, California; Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; and Ann Arbor, MichiganDecriminalizedDecriminalized
CanadaIllegalIllegal
Europe (except the countries below)IllegalIllegal
Portugal, Spain, Italy, and SerbiaDecriminalizedDecriminalized
The NetherlandsIllegalLegal
The legal status of magic mushrooms vs. truffles.

In the few places that decriminalized psychedelics, it’s not a crime to possess or use psychedelic truffles and mushrooms but it’s a crime to produce and sell them. The standout case here is the Netherlands.

Mushrooms used to be legal there but in 2008 new laws were passed. Psychedelic mushrooms became illegal but truffles remained legal. As of September 2019, magic truffles became fully legalized and taxed in the Netherlands.

The psychedelic truffle industry has been booming in the country ever since and most truffles consumed around the world are exported from there.

In the US, there are two other standout cases: New Mexico and Florida.

In New Mexico, you can grow both psychedelic truffles and mushrooms for personal consumption but you need to have them fresh — drying and storing them can be seen as intent to distribute.

In Florida, magic mushrooms and truffles spontaneously grow in nature. It’s a crime to harvest, possess, and use them but only if criminal intent is proven, which isn’t always possible.

Key Takeaways: Psychedelic Truffles vs. Mushrooms

Magic mushrooms and truffles come from the same organism and although they’re totally different in appearance, their chemical composition is somewhat similar.

Both contain psychedelic compounds, meaning that you can use them recreationally or for health and wellness purposes.

Because truffles have a lower potency, you’ll need to consume more of them. If you have an equal amount of psilocybin from shrooms or truffles, the effects should be roughly the same.

They’re also used pretty much the same way — you can just eat them, make tea, or add them to food or other beverages.

Finally, when it comes to their legality, they have the same status pretty much everywhere in the world except in the Netherlands where truffles are fully legal while mushrooms aren’t.

Have you tried psychedelic truffles or mushrooms before? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments below.

Learn More About Psychedelic Truffles

If you want to learn more about magic truffles, check out these articles on Frshminds:

The Basics of Magic Mushrooms

If you are looking to get up to speed on magic mushrooms, these articles on Frshminds will get you there in no time:

Sources

  1. Psychedelic Science Review: Mushrooms — Comparing Psilocybin Mushrooms and Truffles: How Are They Different?
  2. Double Blind Mag — The Tragic Story Of Magic Truffles: The Elusive Wild Psilocybe
  3. MagicTruffles.com — All You Need to Know About Magic Truffles (PDF)
  4. Mel Magazine: Drugs — The Best Ways to Take Shrooms
  5. DEA — Drug Fact Sheet: Psilocybin (PDF)
  6. Blissed — Are Magic Truffles Legal?

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About the Author

Having experienced the healing powers of nature first-hand, through cannabis and psychedelics, I now aim to educate and, hopefully, improve the lives of as many people as possible.

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