h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I wish I had a reindeer that I could skate away on... It's interesting how we humans can devise methods for drug ingestion. Is it the 'substance' that enhances the methods of collection and ingestion?

And of course it's not just reindeer urine that was drunk. In Siberia, and probably other places (see Gordon Wasson's research), human urine was also used, since the hallucinogen passed through the body largely unchanged -- so multiple people can get high off one mushroom, as long as they're not TOO fastidious. Here's a quote from Georg Langsdorf, who visited the Siberian Koryak tribe in 1809:

"The Russians who trade with them [Koryak], carry thither a kind of mushrooms, called, in the Russian Tongue, Muchumor, which they exchange for squirrels, fox, ermin, sable and other furs: Those who are rich among them, lay up large provisions of these mushrooms, for the winter. When they make a feast, they pour water upon some of these mushrooms, and boil them. They then drink the liquor, which intoxicate them; the poorer sort, who cannot afford to lay in a store of these mushrooms, post themselves, on these occasions, round the huts of the rich, and watch the opportunity of the guests coming down to make water; and then hold a wooden bowl to receive the urine, which they drink off greedily, as having still some virtue of the mushroom in it, and by this way they also get drunk."

Weird Weird Weird
also quite interesting

I tend to disagree with the statement that Fly Argaics are not "Magic Mushrooms"..but....

Whilst it is true they are not classed as Psilocybin shrooms, (the coomonly called magic mushroom or Liberty Caps belong to this group) they instead belong to the second Halluciogenic type, Amanitas, which have Hyoscyamine, muscimol and ibotenic acid as their psyco active ingredients.

the problem with The Fly Argaric and the more potent Panther Cap (Amanita Panterina) is the concentration of active ingredients vary between 0.1% and 1.2%, making a narrow margin between a haluciogenic trip and a terminal trip.

Liberty Caps, on the other hand have a Lethal Dose 50 (dose at which 50% will die) is estimated at 80 lbs (roughly 40 KG). ie less than that of salt.

Anyone trying any of these shrooms without expert advice is asking for severe trouble if not death.

End Lecture.

Chris

Oh PS reference source for above "A Guide to British Psilocybin Mushrooms" By Richard Cooper. Long since out of print I think.

Chris

PS If anyone knows that it is still in print, please tell me, as my copy was stolen, and I only have a p'copy done for the person who stole mine.

Chris

Appears to be in print from Freedom Books... see http://www.freedombooks.co.uk/gbpm.htm

I once found a whole crop of magic mushrooms growing on my father in laws lawn. I took a couple to show to a friend who knows these countryside things and she told me what they were. But when I got back home, father in law had mown the lawn, and they've never grown again! never mind, probably not a bad thing. The 2 I had got left on a shelf in the horse riding stables where I worked, and I never saw them again - perhaps the horses got at them? Hmmmm, that would explain a thing or two....