Psilocin is the psychoactive metabolite of psilocybin, which is present in psilocybin mushrooms and magic truffles.
Once psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down into psilocin. It is the psilocin that acts upon the brain’s receptors to induce psychedelic effects in the user.
The effects of psilocin can be experienced upon ingesting either pure psilocybin, magic truffles, or magic mushrooms.
Psilocin acts on serotonin receptors, increasing the amount of serotonin available in the brain, and producing profound changes in perception. It is psilocin’s actions at the 5-HT2A receptor that are thought to be most important for its psychoactive effects.
Once psilocybin enters the body, it is quickly converted into psilocin, and the psychological effects will become apparent after around twenty minutes. The activation of the 5-HT2A receptor is linked with changes in cognition such as visual and auditory hallucinations, tactile perceptions (such as tingling or warmth), and synaesthesia (the merging of senses).
Psilocin induces a profound state of mind where the usual limits of consciousness are expanded. Realizations about the self and the universe may come to the forefront, and people will often describe feelings of unity, interconnectedness, and unconditional love.
Studies have shown that psilocin induces a mystical experience, and that the intensity of this directly correlates with the benefits that users report following the trip. It is this mystical aspect that retreats like Synthesis hope to amplify in order to bring the benefits of psychedelics to their participants.
After taking psilocin, you will start to feel the effects after around 20-60 minutes. You will experience changes in perception that will last between 4-6 hours.
Psilocin will be be almost totally gone from your body after 8-12 hours. It takes psilocin’s prodrug, psilocybin, around a day to be excreted from your body.
Both psilocybin and psilocin can be detected in a urine drug test, although they will have left your system a day after ingestion.
A blood test would also pick up psilocybin in your body, although this would only work within the first six hours after ingestion.
In most countries, psilocin is a prohibited substance in the same way that psilocybin is. Therefore fungi that contain psilocin are subject to the same restrictions as fungi that contain psilocybin.
All known mushrooms that contain psilocybin also contain psilocin. There are no known fungi that contain psilocin but no psilocybin – they always seem to be present together.
Pure psilocin is still illegal in most countries, although is rare to come by.