History
Etymology
Dosage
Effects of Magic Mushrooms
A General Topological Examination Of The Scenery
Tolerance and Dependence
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Family : Strophariaceae
Genus : Psilocybe
Species : cubensis; cyanescens; semilanceata
Genus : Panaeolus
Species : campanulatus; subbalteatus
Common Names: Shrooms; Magic Mushrooms; Sacred Mushrooms; teonánacat, mushrooms, magic mushrooms, mushies, shrooms, boomers, psilocybes, cubes (P. cubensis), liberty caps
There are more than 180 species of mushrooms which contain the psychedelics psilocybin or psilocin. They have a long history of use in Mexico and are currently one of the most popular and commonly available natural psychedelics.
There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanita species). The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes.
Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.
Psilocybe mushrooms have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans in Central and South America. The first european record of their use showed up in the 16th century writings of a Spanish priest who wrote about the Aztec's use of both mushrooms and peyote. In 1957, Wasson became the first in modern times to document and publish a description of his own experience (Life Magazine). The active ingredient of the mushrooms, psilocybin, was soon isolated and by the mid 60's mushrooms were being both studied and used recreationally. In 1968 possession of psilocybin mushrooms was made illegal in the United States.
Hallucinogenic mushrooms have been part of human culture as far back as the earliest recorded history. Ancient paintings of mushroom-ed humanoids have been found in caves in the Saharan desert. Central and Southern America cultures built temples to mushroom gods and carved "mushroom stones". These stone carvings in the shape of mushrooms, or in which figures are depicted under the cap of a mushroom, have been dated to as early as 1000-500 B.C. The purpose of the sculptures is not certain, but these stones may have been religious objects.
The Mixtec culture of central Mexico worshipped many gods, one known as Piltzintecuhtli, or 7 Flower (his name presented in the pictoral language as seven circles and a flower) who was the god for hallucinatory plants, especially the divine mushroom. The Vienna Codex (or Codex Vindobonensis) (ca 13th-15th century) depicts the ritual use of mushrooms by the Mixtec gods, showing Piltzintecuhtli and 7 other gods holding mushrooms in their hands.1
The Aztec people had a closely related god of the entheogens. Xochipilli, Prince of Flowers, was the divine patron of "the flowery dream" as the Aztecs called the ritual hallucinatory trance. The Aztecs used a number of plant hallucinogens including psilocybian mushrooms (teonanácatl), morning glory seeds, Salvia divinorum, Datura (tlapatl or toloache) , Peyote (peyotl), and mixitl grain. Psilocybian mushrooms were used in ritual and ceremony, served with honey or chocolate at some of their holiest events.2
With Cortez's defeat of the Aztecs in 1521, the Europeans began to forbid the use of non-alcohol intoxicants, including sacred mushrooms, and the use of teonanácatl ('wondrous mushroom', or 'flesh of the gods'3) was driven underground.
In the mid 16th century, Spanish priest Bernardino de Sahagún wrote of the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms by the Aztecs in his Florentine Codex :
"The first thing to be eaten at the feast were small black mushrooms that they called nanacatl and bring on drunkenness, hallucinations and even lechery; they ate these before the dawn...with honey; and when they began to feel the effects, they began to dance, some sang and others wept... When the drunkenness of the mushrooms had passed, they spoke with one another of the visions they had seen."
According to Sahagún, the psychoactive mushrooms which were ingested by the Aztec priests and their followers were always referred to as teonanácatl though the term does not appear to be used by modern indians or shamans in mesoamerica. 4 The varieties most likely to have been used by the Aztecs are Psilocybe caerulescens and Psilocybe mexicana. Psilocybe cubensis, which is currently quite popular as it is easy to locate and cultivate, was not introduced to America until the arrival of the Europeans and their cattle.
During the early 20th century there was dispute amongst western academics as to whether psychoactive mushrooms existed. Though Sahagun had mentioned teonanácatl in his diaries, an American botanist William Safford argued he had mistaken dried peyote buttons for mushrooms. This theory was strongly disputed by Austrian amateur botanist Dr. Blas Pablo Reko, who had lived in Mexico. Reko was convinced that not only did teonanacatl refer to psychoactive mushrooms as Sahagun had written, but that people were still using these mushrooms in Mexico.
In the early 30's, Robert Weitlaner, an Australian amateur anthropologist witnessed a Mazatec mushroom ceremony (velada) just northeast of Oaxaca, Mexico. After hearing about the dispute between Safford and Reko, he contacted Reko, told him that the Otomi Indians of Puebla used mushrooms as inebriants, and sent him samples of the mushrooms. Reko forwarded the samples to Stockholm for chemical analysis, and to Harvard for botanical examination, but by the time the samples arrived they were too decayed to be properly identified.
The samples had been received at Harvard by ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes. Schultes quickly became a supporter of the idea that Teonanácatl did indeed refer to mushrooms and in the Harvard Botanical Museum Leaflets of April and November 1937 he argued against Safford's conclusions and urged that further work be done to identify the mushrooms. In 1938, Schultes and Reko went to Mexico and after hearing reports of Mazatec veladas near Huautla de Jimenéz northeast Oaxaca and collected specimens of Panaeolus sphinctrinus, which was reported to be the primary psychoactive mushroom used by the Mazatecs. They also collected Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe caerulescens, and possibly a few specimens of Psilocybe mexicana,5 all of which were deposited in the Harvard herbarium. While P. sphincrinus was identified as psychoactive, only two analysis have since detected indole alkaloids in the species, while hundreds of other analyses have not detected any activity whatsoever. The mushrooms which were examined were probably a mixed collection labeled as one species. 6
The investigations of Schultes and Reko came to an end during World War II, and little more was learned until the early 1950's when amateur mycologist R. Gordon Wasson, and his wife Valentina Povlovna, became interested in the traditional use of mushrooms in Mexico. In 1953 Wasson and a small group travelled to Huautla de Jimenéz where they observed an all night ceremony under the guidance of a shaman named Don Aurelio. Two subsequent trips to Mexico led to meeting the Mazatec curandera Maria Sabina who on June 29th 1955 provided Wasson and his companion photographer Allan Richardson with Psilocybe caerulescens during a Velada.
In 1956, Heim requested help from Sandoz in extracting the active ingredients of the mushrooms. Albert Hofmann, a research chemist at Sandoz, soon isolated psilocybin and psilocin and developed a synthesis technique. Wasson continued to travel to Oaxaca over the next few years, and with Roger Heim published a description of the Mazatec velada and seven varieties of psilocybian mushrooms in the May 13, 1957 issue of Life magazine. Popular information about the mushrooms soon spread. Experimentation with the mushrooms and the synthesized substances began and "magic mushrooms"7 were soon part of the 60's 'psychedelic' movement.
/ et'e-mol'e-je / 1. the origin and history of words
The name of the genus "Psilocybe" comes from the Greek words "psilos" (bare) and "kube" (head), warped into New Latin to form "psilocybe". Literally translated, this means "bare head", most likely referring to their appearance.
The most psychoactive compounds found in Psilocybe mushrooms are psilocybin and psilocin, which are discussed at length in the next part. The original Greek spellings for these are "psilocybin" and "psilocin" while the Latin spellings are "psilocybine" and "psilocine". Both sets of spellings are used. The Latin spellings are predominant in Europe, while most scholars in the field prefer the Greek spellings.
Recreational doses range from 1-5 grams of dry mushrooms depending on the species and individual strength of the specimens. Dosages for wet mushrooms will be approximately 10 times higher (10-50 grams). Because different species vary in size, the number of mushrooms per gram will also vary.
Dosages vary significantly from person to person, species to species, and mushroom to mushroom. A good recommendation is to start with a low dose, and wait to try high doses until after you've experimented with them a few times. High doses are much, much better in a safe environment while low doses are more functional in social or public situations.
The following doses give a range from relatively low dose to relatively high dose for a few of the more common species of mushrooms. Make sure you know what type of mushrooms you're eating before you decide on a dosage. The most commonly purchased dry magic mushrooms in the United States are P. cubensis.
P. cubensis 0.5-5 grams 5-50 grams 0.25-3 big mushrooms or 2-20 small mushrooms P. cyanescens 0.5-3 grams 5-30 grams 1-6 large mushrooms or 2-14 small mushrooms P. semilanceatas 0.5-3 grams 5-30 grams 20-120 mushrooms (40 per dry gram)
Psilocybin effects can be overwhelming and unpleasant, especially if you're not relaxed and ready for them. Experienced mushroomers strongly recommend starting with a low dose and increasing the intensity over several trials until one finds the dose they are comfortable with. "Boosting" with mushrooms, taking an additional amount sometime during the trip in order to increase the effects, is generally not considered very successful if it happens after the effects begin to taper at all.
There are people who never go for more than an ultra light trip, and some feel it must be an earth-shattering experience. You'll probably find your dosage somewhere between these two extremes.
The primary effects of mushrooms come from several active alkaloids they contain; the most common are psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. Psilocybin is a more stable compound than psilocin, but is broken down into psilocin after ingestion.
Depending on how much and how recently one has eaten, Mushrooms generally takes 30-60 minutes (though sometimes as long as 2 hrs) to take effect.
The primary effects of magic mushrooms last for 4-6 hours when taken orally. For many people there is an additional period of time (2-6 hrs) where it is difficult to go to sleep and there is definitely a noticeable difference from everyday reality, but which is not strong enough to be considered 'tripping'.
The effects of mushrooms are greatly effected by dose and an individual's sensitivity to psilocybin. For some rare people 1/4 gm of Psilocybe Cubensis (a very small amount) is enough to propel them into full visionary states, with Open Eye Visuals, unpleasant stomach cramps or gas, and other High-Dose effects, while for others the same amount would be barely (if at all) noticeable, possibly causing a slight cold feeling during the first hour and other 'Threshold' effects. It is therefore important to get to know your individual reaction to small amounts of all entheogens. Be safe.
In the beginning stages of onset, Mushrooms are likely to cause a sort of undefineable feeling similar to anticipation or anxiety. There may be a feeling of energy in the body, and the sense that things are different than usual. As the effects intensify, a wide variety of perceptual changes may occur; pupil dilation, visuals, mental stimulation, new perspectives, feelings of insight, quickly changing emotions (lots of laughter), possible paranoia and confusion. More advanced users may seek spiritual awareness or a sense of universal understanding through their use of mushrooms. Closed-eye visuals are extremely common with psilocybin mushrooms. Open-eye visuals are common for some people and are more likely at higher doses.
The effect-time curve of mushrooms, as with other entheogens, are characterized by a short period between ingestion and 'Coming Up', a short (but often experientially long) Coming Up period, a Plateau period, Coming Down, and then After Effects.
Some but not all of the following effects characterize the following effects levels. Please note that the minimum dosage indicated for Medium and High Doses are extremely low and those who reach these states with less than 1.0 gm of Cubensis are rare. You may be one of them, be careful.
Slight cold feeling, mild gas or nausea, nervous-feeling, slight pupil-dilation, mild visual changes including lights seeming brighter, lights having a 'starry' look, and noticing movement at the periphery of vision, giddiness, feeling more emotionally sensitive, and many other effects related to a change in neurochemistry.
'Cold' feeling, gas and/or stomach discomfort, nausea, pupil-dilation, open-eye visual effects: lights gain auras, star-pattern effects, rainbowing around lighting, lights seem brighter, often 'more beautiful', notice movement in periphery, sometimes increased ability to focus, sometimes reduced ability to focus, visual field 'distracting', visual field 'entertaining', closed eye 'visuals': normal closed eye 'blobs' take on patterns, shapes, distinct forms, increased ability to visualize creatively, spontaneous detailed images, feelings of time-dilation, feelings of `coming home again' which is often more pronounced for those who have used mushrooms before, feelings of belonging and connection, increased emotional sensitivity, increased ability to focus on emotional problems or memories, chance of becoming 'caught in a loop' thinking / dwelling on a single thought or feeling (usually negative or painful), realizations about past feelings, realizations about how to live, gain a new perspective on current lifestyle and behaviors, feelings of connection with those around you, noticing things which are normally ignored or taken for granted, feelings of wonder, spirit, joy, sadness, despair, religious awakening, contentment and possibly latent psychological crises can come out..
All of the Medium Effects, usually with a significantly more uncomfortable Coming Up, more pronounced nausea sometimes (rarely) resulting in vomiting, sometimes significant mental discomfort associated with feelings of fear and often times accompanying a "what have I done to myself" or "how far am I going" thought, the unpleasant Coming Up effects usually lessen with familiarity and more knowledge about the safety and character of mushroom effects. High Dose Effects are usually characterized by the closed eye visualizations being significantly more elaborate and enfolding, religious revelation, spiritual awakening, near death experiences, loss of self, talking to seemingly external, autonomous entities, extreme emotional responses, repressed memories coming to life, latent psychological crises can come to the surface, an increase in artistic sense, and intense feelings of wonder, connection, joy, fear. High Dose Effects can also include extreme time-dilation, with experiences of wall-clock minutes taking an experientially large amount of time, watching clocks or digital counters where the seconds seem to take minutes to count off. One of the most interesting effects is the feeling of awakening for the first time ever from a previous state of sleep, of liberation from what is now seen as a life-long state of bondage. Paradoxically, it is this new awareness which feels normal and natural and the previous fog which is seen to have been unreal all along. The bemushroomed seeker is convinced that, once gained, this awareness is impossible to lose, but inexplicably by the next day it is just a memory.
Usually the first effects of psiloc[ybin/in] are perceivable after ten or twenty minutes. Funny or strange things may pop into your mind. One may feel very relaxed or like jumping all over the place. Next you may feel like you were blasting off, up towards the stars, rising high. Chewing the mushrooms for about ten minutes in your mouth enables the psilocybin and its analogues to enter the brain faster - if the mushrooms are immediately swallowed, it may take as long as 1 hour for the first effects to set in.
If you get any physical symptoms, this is when they will hit. You can avoid or at least reduce nausea by not eating very much before the trip and not moving around too much during this phase. Throwing up is uncommon but not unheard of; having a barf bag around, especially on the first few trips, is a good idea. If you find that your body really doesn't like shrooms, a motion sickness pill (Dramamine and similar anti-histamines) beforehand may help. But don't worry about it too much, even if you feel queasy the nausea will end quite quickly.
One will begin entering the realms of the experience; often the first real signs are simple hallucinations with the eyes closed or in darkness, little colored pixels floating around etc. If one is going to go to the toilet, it should be done now.
1 hour is usually sufficient for the more powerful effects to set in. The body will feel heavy and drowsy.
After two hours the peak of the experience. Often quite awesome.
By now one will again start to remember the concepts of normal reality and may feel like getting something to drink and eat, or talk and do some moving about.
After about six hours most of the effects have disappeared and sleeping becomes possible.
If you trip at night and fall asleep when the trip is ending, this is when you'll wake up... and the odds are you'll feel GRRRRRREAT!
Afterglow of the experience will persist anywhere from few days to several weeks; what you've learned may change your life. Occasionally this learning will be negative and you'll be depressed for a while as you assimilate the fact that you've been wrong about something for all your life, but the depression is never extreme and - cheezy as it may sound - you will be a much better person afterwards.
The mushrooms can be fun. One may feel like eating them every day. A - not cool, B - not good. A mental/physical tolerance builds up quite fast: usually three or four times with 7 day intervals cause diminished effect and notably less divine trip. I'd recommend visiting the spiritworld 4 to 10 times a year, for the freshness and divinity of it. Most of us know an acid- or pot-head - a drug abuser. I call acid/ mushroomheads Eraserheads (seen the movie?), as they are often bit paranoid and manic-depressive and dullheaded. It's easy to get bad vibes off the psilos - just do the mushrooms like you'd do alcohol - without respect or any care. So - use the consciousness of turbocharged-monkeybrain we all have. And if you only want to get your brain fucked up there are better substances for that in the world.
Many people experience nausea and/or vomiting during mushroom experiences, epecially with higher doses. Other possible negative effects include anxiety and unzanted or frightening thoughts and visions. Mushrooms, though perhaps to a lesser degree than LSD, can precipitate strong, temporary changes in an individual's experience of life and reality. It can be a powerful psychoactive experience, especially at higher doses, which is significantly affected by experiences, set and setting. Recent experiences, especially strong ones, can have a substantial effect on a trip. Physically or psychologically unsettling events in the days before a Mushroom trip can blossom into more serious distress and trauma while tripping. It is important to be prepared for the possibility of encountering difficult or frightening mental states. The Psychedelic Crisis FAQ addresses some of the issues involved in dealing with a difficult trip.
Mushrooms are neither physically addicting nor likely to cause psychological dependance. Many people actually find that their desire to use mushrooms goes down for a period of time after use. As with all substances, some people will use them more frequently than they are comfortable with. There is a short period of tolerance after Mushroom use. Using Mushrooms two days in a row is likely to lead to a diminished experience the second day, though spaced 5-7 or more days apart, this effect is nearly non-existent.
Contraindications
Take clothing that keeps you warm and dry. If your clothing is inadequate, a day out picking mushrooms can be a real pain. Mushrooms are best collected and stored in paper bags, which allow air movement. Multiple bags allow different species to be kept separated. A basket works well as a holder for the various bags. Some people like a variety of paper cups in a basket so the mushrooms can be easily put into the correct container. Be sure to bring a set of bags and/or baskets for each person. Energy. Mushroom hunting can be really tiresome at times. Take your happiness and food rations with you - you'll probably need both.
Once you have located the site keep it clean. If it is a cowfield, don't leave any gates open or either the owner of the field or the bull of the herd will get you. Try to just do your thing and then get out of there. Don't scream and shout. I wouldn't recommend telling about a site to anyone - it instantaneously creates an "anonymous mmp-site" - and suddenly everyone is there, sooner or later including the cops too.
OK, run around the field... do you find any mushrooms? If none found, you are not looking hard enough. No matter where you go in the fall, there's some sort of mushroom there. You'd be surprised at how well the things can hide themselves. Found - what is it? Whether you identify it or not, put each species into different container - if in doubt - different container or throw it away. There are always two phases in identifying - when picking and when cleaning (or should be). Always check carefully - saves you lot of trouble.
"Collect mushrooms in a flat-bottomed basket. Take along a roll of wax paper and wrap each species you find; do not use plastic wrap since it hastens decay. This will keep species separate and fresh until you return home. A pocket knife or trowel is useful in extracting mushrooms from the ground; be very careful not to disturb the underground root system more than necessary. Bring note cards with you and jot down pertinent field data. In particular, note the habitat of the mushroom, including what type of tree it is growing on or near; whether it is growing singly, scattered, in groups, or in clusters; any distinctive odor or taste; the color of the cap, stalk, gills, pores, or teeth, and latex, which may change after the mushroom has been picked. Note any color changes when it is bruised. You can also use the note cards to set up spore prints in the field; they will often be ready by the time you return home. If you are absolutely certain of the identification of an edible species, you can clean it in the field. Until you are experienced, however, it is best to take the mushroom home intact; the stalk base is often a crucial identification feature, and cleaning can remove diagnostic characteristics. The more characteristics you can observe, the better chance you have of identifying the mushroom. It helps to have fresh mushrooms rather than old ones, and to collect many specimens of one kind at various stages of growth."
Once ready for a trip after a yearlong meditation in the wilderness, one is confronted with a problem - how to get that dry and unpleasant tasting stuff down?
This one is a bit sweet but does a good job of covering the taste. Take a half glass of warm or cold water, three or more spoonfuls of honey, and according to taste, spices such as nutmeg, ginger and others. Grind the mushrooms with spices into fine powder, mix everything carefully and gulp down.
Get some cacao beans/powder for this one. Warm some water to 40-60 C. Let the mushrooms steep in this water for about five minutes, fish 'em out and add cacao powder and mix well. Or you can grind mushrooms into fine powder. Sweeten with honey, and drink. Another variation is hot chocolate - melt some chocolate in water instead of cacao.
Drown some dried mushrooms in warm/hot water, wait five minutes, and drink. If you seriously dislike the taste of shrooms, just drink the water (although you'll lose part of the effect). I find that this is a good way of getting the shrooms down as well though, just dump in a baggy of strong tea and you won't taste a thing. Word of warning: if you leave the shrooms in for too long, they'll expand and mutate into disgusting blobs of slime. Also a nice way of getting some clue of their original appearance, provided the mushrooms are intact.
Blend an appropriate amount of fresh mushrooms and orange juice in a blender. The orange juice masks the taste quite well, the blender chops up the shrooms into tiny chunks so all the psilocybin is digested, and the vitamin C in the juice won't hurt either.
Just add fresh or dried mushrooms on top. Note that eating a lot adds to physical interference.
The finer you grind the shrooms, the better this works. Take a piece of paper and fold twice so you have a V-shape, and make a little pile of shroom powder on one end of it. Open your mouth and let the stuff flow in, then drink water/juice/tea/whatever to wash it down. Figure out an optimal pile size, and you can down the shrooms in record time with no taste and maximum psilocybin ingestion efficiency. Just be careful not to laugh or sneeze when holding the paper, otherwise you'll have to lick the carpet to get the powder... =)
A common technique is to crumble the mushrooms onto a chunky peanut butter sandwich. The peanut butter flavor is said to mask or accompany the earthy taste of the mushrooms well.
For this one, toss mushrooms into your mouth, chew well and swallow. The most efficient and simple method of mushroom ingestion. Dried mushrooms taste quite a bit more unpleasant than fresh ones.
I have heard about people making mushroom wine or mushroom chili. There are lots of foods you can put mushrooms into, but I'd recommend indulging in culinary pleasures after the trip. Also note that excessive heat breaks down psilocybin and psilocin, so always add the shrooms in after the food is cooked.
As you may have noted, except for the cheese on the pizza, none the recipes contain any milk or milk products. This is because several files and/or books have stated that calcium and/or fermented milk products interfere with psilocybin. Mind you, this is far from sure, if anybody can dig up a reference for (or against) this we'd appreciate it. But scientific proofs aside, the Aztec tradition of not eating before tripping is probably grounded in knowledge of possible adverse consequences, so don't eat too much, just enough to get the shrooms down.
Some people find fresh mushrooms better tasting than dried, and it is also believed that they have higher potency. The current theory is that as mushrooms dry, some of the active compounds oxydize leaving them somewhat less potent. Some also claim that fresh mushrooms produce a more visual experience.
Fresh mushrooms can be stored in tupperware or paper bags in the refridgerator for up to a few weeks.
There are many ways to dry mushrooms. The simplest is to lay down clean sheets of newspaper or typing paper on a table or high shelf; preferably somewhere with good air movment. Separate and spread the mushrooms evenly across the paper making sure they do not touch. After 2-3 days, the mushrooms will be mostly dry, having shrunk to a fraction of their original size (fresh mushrooms are approximately 95% water). The color of the mushrooms will also change as they dry.
Once the mushrooms appear completely dry, with the stems no longer breaking apart as they do when they're fresh, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. After 20 minutes, turn the oven off and open the oven door a crack. Let the oven cool for about 5 minutes then place the dried mushrooms in the oven on several layers of newspaper, leaving the door cracked open. After 20 minutes, remove the mushrooms from the oven and let cool in open air for 10 minutes.14
Some people use silica gel to help get their mushrooms completely dry. After air drying for several days, putting the mostly dried mushrooms in an air tight container with an open container of silica gel will draw the last moisture out of the mushrooms. Be sure to keep the mushrooms and silica gel from touching.
Dehydrators are a simple way to help dry mushrooms. They can be purchased at any home store, and are relatively cheap. The primary benefit of using a dehydrator is if you live in a very damp area where mushrooms don't ever get dry with simple air drying...the dehydrator should work. Otherwise the main difference is that it speeds up the air drying process.
For the quickest drying, mushrooms can be put into a cool oven (approx. 90° F) with a fan on if possible. Allow to slowly heat for 2 - 6 hours. Careful not to heat too hot as temperatures higher than 160° F can destroy psilocin. Some believe that this method will reduce the potency of the mushrooms.
This method uses dry ice and a generator to suck out all of the air from the mushrooms. The mushrooms keep their large shape, not shrinking to 10% their fresh size as they will with the rest of the drying methods. Freeze drying does NOT involve putting your mushrooms in the freezer.
Once properly dried, Psilocybian mushrooms should retain their potency indefinitely. One collection of Psilocybe semilanceata from 1861 in England was analyzed and found to be fully potent. More recent experiments have shown mushrooms to remain active for at least 8 years when properly dried and stored.
Once the mushrooms are dry, place them into airtight glass container with a fully sealable lid, and put the container in a dark place. Some psilophiles grind the mushrooms, if you do so, weight the outcome. It is very hard to tell how many mushrooms worth of powder you're taking by just eyeballing a dose. One bonus of grinding your mushrooms is that you can ensure even potency across a large batch. While one P. cubensis mushroom might have a significantly higher potency than another...if you grind them up and mix them together, all measured doses will have the same potency.