Looking to get some clear differences in experience between 2 strains
a. Cubensis (this is one of the most common strains, very easy to cultivate)
I am very familiar with many types of cubensis
Find the cubes from south america to be most spiritual

b. thunder caps (semilanceta)
Never tried
Would like an experienced mushroom elder to share their thoughts/experience on these thunder caps?

well first of all, these are not strains. Psilocybe cubensis and psilocybe semilanceata are distinct species. That is the first difference..entirely different species with different alkaloid ratios etc and they grow in different climates.

I found semilanceata to be 2-3 times stronger than cubensis, other than that qualitatively not much different.

I also find the country a spore was grown in doesn't have much bearing on the matter of experience.

I second Soulfood's response in that Liberties or Thundercaps as you call them are a lot stronger in effect than cubensis due to the differing ratios of Psilocin and Psilocybin.

Cubensis, for me, are a lot cleaner/easier to manage in higher doses but Liberties have a whole grittier-down to earth feeling / a kind of 'not to be messed with or your gonna get slapped' energy --- which makes them more preferable in my book.

Cubensis, for me, are a lot cleaner/easier to manage in higher doses but Liberties have a whole grittier-down to earth feeling / a kind of 'not to be messed with or your gonna get slapped' energy --- which makes them more preferable in my book. [/quote]

very interesting difference, thanks

I think Stamets said that liberty caps are his favorite psilocybe mushrooms. They are also very closely related to the psilocybe mexicanas that Sabina worked with.

[quote=jamie]I think Stamets said that liberty caps are his favorite psilocybe mushrooms. They are also very closely related to the psilocybe mexicanas that Sabina worked with.[/quote]

now we talkin' Jamie!!

on a side note Jamie: I recently read a post of yours about your similar findings to my current observations about oral dmt vs. mushrooms.
I finally tried oral DMT (extracted from Acacia) about 30mg. Once in the trip I was in what i usually call "the hyper-space" portion of my mushroom journeys. It was identical to it, with a instantaneous ramp up. I obviously didn't "break through". After 10 min, I was down. And immediately realized is was just a "high". None of the transformative elements in every single mushroom journey were present. I had been catapulted to expanded awareness and then I was down, with no feel of deep mental, physical or psychological renewal!
Maybe the "break through" is different. But in my book, oral dmt has nothing on mushrooms, like not even close.

Well 30mg is quite a low dose of Magic, up those numbers and you may well change your mind.

[quote=3rdI]Well 30mg is quite a low dose of Magic, up those numbers and you may well change your mind.[/quote]

3rdI, what dose do you suggest?

have you felt any spirit of guidance in oral dmt? other than a very powerful expansion of consciousness

Id rather not suggest a dosage other than to advise working your way up, the variance in reaction to dose is the reason, ive heard people say they destroyed reality on 30mg but I also know some people don't get going until 300mg.

I'm not saying your wrong, shrooms could well be what tickles your soft spot but id try aya/pharma a few more time before sacking it off as less usefull.

I'm not really sure what a guidance of spirit is, so I'm not sure how to comment. I have changed certain aspects of my life, ideas and opinions after using Aya/pharma.

Only in the last few years have i started going out and picking wild semilanceata and in my experience i find them to be more medicinal than cubensis, most of us know they are generally more potent by weight but i still get certain desirable effects from dramatically lower doses, i notice what i can only describe as an anti-inflammatory effect from as little as 20 or so liberty caps, but would have to take about 5-7 grams of cubensis to get the same effect which involves a much higher dose of psilocybin (hinting at the possibility there are other factors to consider) it feels like a swelling going down, both mentally and physically.

From a more objective standpoint it makes sense that wild mushrooms like semilanceata would have to develop compounds to compete with other wild fungi, and some of these compounds could be good for us humans, they could have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-biotic, and anti-inflammatory properties which benefit us. I know that it's been shown that semilanceata strongly inhibits MRSA and the reason for the anti-microbial activity is unknown which by itself says a lot, when growing cubensis in a controlled environment they probably do not have to develop these compounds as much as out in the wild.

I love liberty caps so much and do all i can to make sure when it's time for a good dose of mushrooms that i have libs to hand.

Chronic, I really resonated with your response. It makes perfect sense to me.
Thank you man

I went out to pick the liberty caps today but no luck ... will give it a couple more weeks

[quote=Chronic]I first took cubensis when they used to be legal in the UK then grew my own for years after they were made illegal, only in the last few years have i started going out and picking wild semilanceata and in my experience i find them to be more medicinal than cubensis, most of us know they are generally more potent by weight but i still get certain desirable effects from dramatically lower doses, i notice what i can only describe as an anti-inflammatory effect from as little as 20 or so liberty caps, but would have to take about 5-7 grams of cubensis to get the same effect which involves a much higher dose of psilocybin (hinting at the possibility there are other factors to consider) it feels like some kind of swelling going down, both mentally and physically

From a more objective standpoint it makes sense that wild mushrooms like semilanceata would have to develop compounds to compete with other wild fungi, and some of these compounds could be good for us humans, they could have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory properties which benefit us, i know that it's been shown that semilanceata strongly inhibits MRSA and the reason for the anti-microbial activity is unknown, which by itself says a lot, when growing cubensis in a controlled environment they probably do not have to develop these compounds as much as out in the wild

I'd say the natural is better theory applies, it's only my opinion but Psilocybin Mushrooms are better than LSD, Ayahuasca is better than extracted DMT, and wild mushrooms are better than home cultivated ones, we've all heard this many times, and imo for good reason
[/quote]

ohhh, I so so want to pick semilanceata. I have no idea where to go in my area for them..other than private farms.

[quote=explorer7][quote=jamie]I think Stamets said that liberty caps are his favorite psilocybe mushrooms. They are also very closely related to the psilocybe mexicanas that Sabina worked with.[/quote]

now we talkin' Jamie!!

on a side note Jamie: I recently read a post of yours about your similar findings to my current observations about oral dmt vs. mushrooms.
I finally tried oral DMT (extracted from Acacia) about 30mg. Once in the trip I was in what i usually call "the hyper-space" portion of my mushroom journeys. It was identical to it, with a instantaneous ramp up. I obviously didn't "break through". After 10 min, I was down. And immediately realized is was just a "high". None of the transformative elements in every single mushroom journey were present. I had been catapulted to expanded awareness and then I was down, with no feel of deep mental, physical or psychological renewal!
Maybe the "break through" is different. But in my book, oral dmt has nothing on mushrooms, like not even close.
[/quote]

I sort of understand you here. Psilocybin mushroms coax out of the soul a much deeper sense of the poetry of life for me, wheres oral DMT with harmalas provides something different. It's not that I find one more useful then the other. I cant even really explain it. They do essentially the same thing, but the results are not the same..if that makes any sense?

jamie, I went out to a golf course in my area ... we found 5 little ones, so must give it some more weeks
they easily grow in areas where animals have been

side note: the liberty caps are MUCH smaller than more home grown cubes :-)

[quote=jamie][Psilocybin mushroms coax out of the soul a much deeper sense of the poetry of life for me[/quote]

yes :-)

[quote=jamie]ohhh, I so so want to pick semilanceata. I have no idea where to go in my area for them..other than private farms.[/quote]

I try and stick to farms with footpaths, when i was desperate to find some i would've gone to the ends of the earth even with having enough cubes in the freezer to last a while, but it's not worth having to go to court for, private land is private land, sometimes you can find them in parks, on lawns, on sports fields, so not only pastures, pastures are generally nicer to walk around but in the UK there are cricket pitches and golf courses that are liberty goldmines.

There are websites and apps where you can see maps with the footpaths, i found my best spots when i started using map tools, if you're in the UK this site is great, but there are plenty of other free ones out there, using the 'cycle map' layer on open street map shows plenty of paths the world over, word of warning, this can consume vast portions of your time depending on your interest in the subject!

Having stocked up enough i now tend to go to national parks for the scenery and if i find a dozen or so liberty caps then i'm stoked, but if you want to find a fair few then stick to farms with footpaths and you will eventually find them, the thrill of the hunt and picking them in the wild is a great part of the whole process.

Chronic, brother given you have plenty of cubes, I highly recommend using syrian rue with them.
No so much for the potentiation of the sacrament, but rather Syrian Rue is truly a master plant. Used by the Zoroastrians as their plant teacher of choice, and also used by the Greeks.
I find it brings a a great level of clarity, masculinity, bravery, courage, and "inner ordering" into the experience with the cubes

Thanks for the tip, i've heard about the rue a few times recently and it has piqued my interest, i heard that running it through a coffee maker can give a good result?

I have no idea about doseage or anything though, i once smoked some passion flower on a mild mushroom trip and it affected me very transiently, i also made some 10x caapi leaf once, smoked some of it on a mushroom trip and i could feel it when smoking, but again it was very short, later in the evening i started breathing deeply and then things got really intense, i'd never tripped so hard, it kinda put me off MAOIs combined with psilocybin, i do like the idea of brewing up herbs with the mushrooms though.

I tend to only trip on liberty caps now really, i'm sure they would work with an MAOI just as well, the fact that these tiny lil liberty caps are so potent is amazing, and that they could be potentiated many times more

I think you'll feel the grounding energy of the Rue kicking in.
I'd suggest starting with 1g of grounded seeds
Well grounded in a coffee-grinder

Then do a water extract:
- take a small french press
- pour 1g of ground seeds
- pour "mildly warm" water (1/2 a cup)
- wait for 20 minutes
- press and you have the extract ready

I would drink it BEFORE the cubensis
Stay in meditation
(I don't think your the type to be watching TV and crap before ingesting sacred medicines)
Wait 15-20 minutes
You'll feel the Rue grounding you
And take the Cubensis

Hope that helps