Psylocibe Cubensis, the most common species of magic mushrooms, might not look very magical, but it is surely an incredibly interesting member of its populous family. Here are some facts that might be new to you.
What Goes into a Name
What “Psylocibe Cubensis” means is “bald head” – a befitting name, given the humble appearance of the magic fungus. The cap of the mushroom looks bald, indeed – measuring 1.6-8 cm in diameter, the head of the fungus is smooth, usually of a light brown coloring and featuring a ring-shaped depression in the middle.
Wide Natural Distribution
Psylocibe Cubensis being a tropical species, the natural habitats that it thrives best in are located in the Gulf Coast States, in the southwestern regions of the US, in Central America and in South America.
Preferred Habitats
Psylocibe Cubensis is essentially a mushroom, which means that it thrives in the same types of environments as other mushrooms, in moist, nutrient-rich places. These places include not only shaded areas in forests – Psylocibe Cubensis is frequently found on cow dung and horse dung as well as in sugar cane mulch and on rich pastures.
They Can Make Wind
Like other mushrooms, Psylocibe Cubensis mushrooms also propagate with the help of their spores that carried by the wind. However, the sheltered habitats preferred by these mushrooms make it more difficult for air to move and to take the spores, therefore magic mushrooms have developed the ability to accelerate the rate at which they evaporate water. The water vapor added to the air moves the air sufficiently to lift the mushroom’s microscopic spores and to send off the spores to try and form a new colony.
A Long History
Psylocibe Cubensis enjoyed huge popularity in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but then it became and still is listed as a controlled substance. However, the mushroom has an incredibly long history that goes back at least to the Aztecs, who used the mushrooms in many of their religious and divination rituals.
Psylocibe Cubensis is Intensively Researched Nowadays
It’s important to have only the purest psilocybin spore syringe samples available for study. The ingredient responsible for the psychotropic effects of the mushrooms is psilocybin – a compound that is nowadays researched intensively at many leading universities in the world. The research projects vary in scope as well as in terms of the number of participants – some projects study the effects of the compound on volunteers when administered in the form of micro-doses, others propose to reveal more about the potential medicinal uses of the compound. What seems to be a proven finding is that psilocybin is efficient in the treatment of various mental and emotional conditions, such as depression and anxiety, with many depression patients reporting significant improvements in their condition or even complete remission after having taken just two micro-doses. Psilocybin is also considered to be non-addictive – a feature that makes it a suitable subject for being researched as an aid in helping smokers kick the unhealthy habit. There are several research programs today that study the potential uses of the compounds in helping with the treatments of people suffering from other addictions, too.
