About Truffles

About Truffles

SAFETY FIRST

• Do not participate in traffic while under the influence of magic truffles.
• Do not control any vehicle, do not operate any machines and do not perform any tasks that require concentration.
• Do not combine magic truffles with alcohol, (illicit) drugs or prescription drugs (especially not with MAO inhibitors).
• Do not use magic truffles when you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• When in doubt, consult your trusted physician or get in touch with an organization providing information on alcohol and drugs.

NEED TO KNOW

What are magic truffles?

Truffles are formed when the mycelium hardens. The mycelium is an underground network of so-called hyphae. Under normal circumstances a mushroom will grow from these hyphae. However, when the climate isn’t right for growing a mushroom (because of drought, for example) the mycelium will form sclerotia. Truffles are a synonym for these sclerotia. Just like magic mushrooms truffles contain the psychoactive substances psilocine and psilocybine. Magic mushrooms are illegal in the Netherlands (as they are in many other countries). Truffles however are different from mushrooms, both technically and scientifically. Therefore truffles may be freely produced, bought and consumed in the Netherlands.

Usage of Magic Truffles

There are a few different ways to take truffles. For the best effect, be sure to take truffles on an empty stomach. The method that is mostly used is to simply chew truffles before swallowing them. When chewed well the cells of the truffles will break, which makes them work both better and faster. However, the nutty taste of truffles is not equally appreciated by all consumers and will even cause some people to retch. This problem is easily solved by the usage of a truffle grinder, with which you are able to grind the truffles to a pulp that is easily washed down with water. Finally, it’s also possible to steep tea from truffles. To do this, preferably use a truffle grinder as well. Then add hot water to the crushed truffles. However, make sure that you do not use boiling water, as this will compromise the effect of the active substances. The same applies when truffles are frozen.

Dosage of Magic Truffles

Fresh truffles are available in 10 and 15 gram containers. A dose of 15 gram will cause a substantial trip. Don’t take more than half this dose when you are taking truffles for the first time. Sensitivity to the active compounds of truffles vary per individual. Taking a lower dose allows you to test your sensitivity. Furthermore, it is definitely helpful to take your weight into account. A lower bodyweight usually means a lower dose will be sufficient. Also, be aware of the fact that different truffle species may cause different effects as well. This will largely depend on varying concentrations of active compounds.

Effects of Magic Truffles

After consuming truffles you will start noticing the first effects after about 30 to 60 minutes. The duration of an average truffle trip ranges between 4 and 6 hours, with a peak usually in the first two hours. Everyone experiences the usage of truffles in their own different way, but here we describe the most reported effects.

• Truffles influence perception, this may be in sounds, visions and physical sensations. Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there) are usually only caused by extremely high dosages. In normal dosages colors are usually perceived as more intense, objects may appear wavy or pulsating, as well as bigger or smaller than they actually are. Sounds, for instance music, are often perceived in a different, more intense way as well.
• The perception of time is altered, minutes may seem like hours. In more extreme cases time may seem to have come to a stop altogether.
• Short-term memory is affected, one may lose his train of thought in the middle of a sentence or gets “lost” on his way to the bathroom.
• The feeling of being an individual may fade. You may feel way more unified with other people and the world around you. Truffle trips are often compared with very mystical and religious experiences.
• Your emotional state changes, in most cases people will laugh a lot and become euphoric. On the other hand, negative feelings like anxiety may also arise.
• Your thinking will often become more associative. This means you are more likely to make connections between things that usually go by unnoticed.

We speak of a bad trip when someone is no longer enjoying their trip and becomes anxious. Especially the thought that a trip will not stop can be frightening. It’s advisable to ensure yourself in advance that truffles will always stop working after a few hours. It’s also nice to have others around during your trip who can remind you of this fact. You can also try to change the situation you’re in. For example, change the music that is playing, eat or drink something, go inside when you are outside, or the other way around. Talk to the person who is having a bad trip with light conversation. Tell him or her that the trip will end.

As a general rule, truffles will amplify the mood you are in. Only use truffles when you are feeling well, both physically and mentally. Take truffles in a safe and quiet environment . Most people find that a location in the countryside makes for the most beautiful experience. Preferably, don’t have anything planned the day after your trip, so you have time to rest and evaluate your experience.

The human body builds up tolerance for the active substances in truffles very quickly. Therefore, it’s not possible to have daily or continuous trips. Also, there are so-called cross-tolerances with other substances. Recent use of LSD for instance, may lessen the effect of truffles or prevent an effect from occurring altogether. We advise a minimum of 10 days between trips.

Shelf life of Magic Truffles

The truffles’ shelf life is a little longer than a month when continuously stored at a temperature of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. Truffles may look different after a while, read more about this under the header “Appearance”.

Truffles and other substances

We strongly advise against the combination of truffles with alcohol, (illicit) drugs and certain prescription drugs. Not only does it spoil the purity of the experience, it can also cause several negative effects. In this section we give several examples. Please consult a doctor when in doubt.
The combination with alcohol can lead to nausea and mental instability.
The combination with cannabis can lead to an unwanted prolongation and intensification of the trip.
We also advise against the combination with antidepressants. Antidepressants in the categories “SSRI” and “tricylic” typically have an effect on the neurotransmitter serotonin. The active substances in truffles are similar to serotonin. This can have unwanted interactions. Antidepressants in the category MAOIs lead to a major prolongation and intensification of a trip. MAOIs can even be life threatening when combined with alcohol or certain drugs, prescription drugs and foods. Therefore, never combine truffles and MAOIs.

NICE TO KNOW

About species and names of Magic Truffles

In the past decades four species of mushrooms have been found of which the mycelium is capable of forming sclerotia: Psilocybe tampanensis, Psilocybe mexicana A, Psilocybe atlantis and Psilocybe galindoii. Over time all kinds of exotic sounding names have arisen, from Cosmic Muesli to Philosophers’ stones. Most of the time, these new names pop up because of commercial reasons. Actually there is not a single case in which a new name also referred to a new species. Nonetheless, there may be differences in comparison to the truffle from which it originated. Often these are caused by differences in cultivation, which may make a longer period of growth possible. This can result In a bigger and/or stronger truffle. The so-called dragontruffles originated from a process like this. Magictruffles will happily provide these kind of variants when they are requested by their customers. We do this by cloning these variants in our advanced laboratory and giving them a new name. The Hollandia truffle for example, we provide under the name Dutchii and dragontruffles we have called DragonSlayer.Active compounds of Magic Truffles

The substances psilocybine and psilocine are the active compounds in truffles that cause a trip. Dried truffles contain about 1,5% of psilocybine and psilocine. The body turns psilocybine into psilocine, so actually it is the latter that causes the effect. Psilocine is very similar the human body’s own serotonin. In practice, this means some of the effects of truffles are similar to a considerable dose of serotonin. Sensory input (like visions and sounds) are not being transmitted to the brain correctly, which causes you to perceive things differently from normal. Also, feelings of euphoria are often reported.

Appearance of Magic Truffles

Size, form and colour of a truffle are of little relevance in determining the quality or strength. A truffle is a living organism that uses enzymes to grow in size and to produce active substances. A truffle can only use its enzymes once. As a result there are small truffles with a high concentration of active substances (like the Galindoii) and bigger truffles of which this concentration is relatively low (like the Mexicana). The appearance of truffles is also dependent on breeding conditions and the substrates that are used. A truffle that is bred on rice at a low temperature looks very different from the same truffle that is bred on grass seed at a high temperature. The differences in appearance are exploited by some sellers by giving them a new name (as if they were a new species).

Over time it is possible that a white film or fluff appears around truffles. This phenomenon arises when there is no exchange of gases in the package. This will cause the CO²-level to rise. The white film or fluff is in fact the formation of new mycelium and thereby a natural and harmless process.
Also, sometimes truffles can appear green or blue. This may cause people to think they have gone bad, but this is not the case. In reality it is psilocine that has coloured indigo from oxidation. The natural colour of truffles can make the indigo colour seem green or blue.