1) Imagine a mushroom in your mind. I bet you thought of a red cap with white spots! That specific mushroom species is called the Amanita muscaria. Amanitas contain psychoactive compounds. However, these does not contain psilocybin. There are many possible compounds in varying species of Amanitas, some of these are muscimol, and ibotenic acid, which are not considered desirable for recreational use. The Amanita genus causes 95 percent of all deaths from mushroom poisoning, so do your research before experimenting!
2) Magic mushrooms aren’t just a single species. Psilocybin naturally occurs in over 200 different types of mushrooms. Some of the most common and potent of these are P. azurescens, P. semilanceata, and P. cyanescens.
3) After ingesting psilocybin, the compound converts to psilocin. This is what causes the user to feel possible arousal, restlessness, euphoria, significant shifts in consciousness and visual and mental hallucinations. Psilocin is a Schedule I drug as a result of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
4) According to research compiled and published by Jaime Diaz in the book How Drugs Influence Behavior: A Neurobehavioral Approach, there is virtually no direct lethality associated with psilocin, nor are there virtually any withdrawal symptoms when chronic use of this drug is halted.
5) Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (better known by their acronym MAOIs) have shown to lengthen and enhance the effects of psilocybin. Monoamine Oxidases are a group of enzymes that are part of the process of the oxidation of certain neurotransmitters (called monoamines). An MAOI slows this process of oxidation, changing the way that many different substances function within the human brain. MAOIs are found in things like coffee, kiwi, ginger, marshmallow, syrian rue, nutmeg, carrots, licorice, cocoa, raspberries, strawberries, and tobacco.