Liberty Cap
A typical Magic Mushroom.
Liberty Cap Mushroom has been illegal to pick, prepare, eat or sell since 2005 as they are now considered a class A drug. Liberty Caps contain the active ingredients psilocybin and psilocin. which can cause hallucinations and in some cases, nausea or vomiting.
Mushroom TypeCommon the liberty cap mushroom, Magic Mushroom. Shroom Scientific NamePsilocybe semilanceata Season StartSep Season EndDec Average Mushroom height. (CM)5 Average Cap width (CM)1 Please note that each mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
The cap can vary in shape, size and colour. When young it is translucent brown and will stay brown if the weather is wet. if the cap dries it becomes buff/white/grey/silver but almost always has a darker to black bottom edge. The cap has a ‘nipple’ which can be quite pronounced or present and the bottom edge always tucks under. When fresh, the cap has a translucent covering that, if you are very careful, can be peel away.
Gills
The gills start light grey/black, are mottle and have a lighter edge but become very dark purple/black as the spores are release.
Stem
The stem is off white, shaggy on close inspection, can have a blueish base with mycelium still joined. The stem usually curves and bends and is rarely straight.
Flesh
Has very thin flesh.
Habitat
More common in fields, moors and grassland where animals are graze but can found in lawns and in parks.
Possible Confusion
Some of the Mottle Gills from the genus Panaeolus can look similar but none have both a pronounced umbo and a bent and curving stem. Some of the grassland bonnets (Mycena sp.) might look similar with age too, yet their striated cap might be a easy giveaway liberty caps mushrooms.
Spore Print
Dark purple. Ellipsoid.
Frequency
Common.
Other Facts
Magic Mushrooms are currently treated the same as heroin or LSD and are class A drugs but very recently. (Oct 2021) the government was looking to change this due to the clear benefits from treating. certain illnesses with psilocybin and psilocin, the active components of Magic Mushrooms. These include chronic depression and PTSD. The research is ongoing but they do seem to be proving useful in the medical field.
Through this piece we’re going to take a deep dive into. Liberty caps Psilocybe semilanceata identification and effects to see how it affects the body.
Let’s start with the facts: Magic Mushrooms are illegal and have been since 2005 they are deeme as class A drugs. They bring to mind the rave and house scenes of the 1990’s and are generally looked on with disdain and suspicion.
But magic mushrooms have been use for more than 10,000 years in various spiritual and medical. rituals for their ability to alter consciousness and trigger mystical experiences.
liberty cap mushroom identification
The most common liberty cap mushroom is Psilocybe semilanceata or the liberty cap and it found in pastures or verges.
The cap of the liberty cap mushroom will change colour depending on how much moisture it retains. In wet conditions the colour will be yellowish-brown. It has a glutinous layer which can be remove. When dry out the colour fades from the liberty cap mushroom. The conical cap remains a similar shape throughout these changes. It has striated markings with a distinctive small nipple at the very top The thin stem can grow up to 7 or 8cm. The gills are pale creamy-grey at first. but as the liberty cap mushroom matures they become a dark purple-brown.
The effects of Liberty Caps
The psychoactive ingredient of these liberty cap mushroom called Psilocybin and is also found. in some different species of fungi. This ingredient is what causes the hallucinations and causes alarming symptoms including vomiting. stomach pains and anxiety attacks. Liberty Caps are best treated with caution.It takes .2 to .5 grams of dried magic mushrooms to begin. to feel the effects of the psilocybin. Height, weight and metabolism affect
How a person may feel when ingesting magic mushrooms.
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Euphoria and feelings of unity with everything around them
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peaceful mentality
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Spiritual awakening and transcendence
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Rapid mood changes or swings
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A growing feeling of detachment to the current reality? or feeling as if it is not real, also known as derealization
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Feeling a sense of connection, but disengagement, from the objects and people that surround the user. this is also known as depersonalization
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Distorted or irregular thought patterns
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Distorted, altered, or enhanced visualizations. such as vivid colors, and halos of light around people or things
Negative effects of Liberty Caps:
Alongside potential addiction and drastic changes in behaviour. there are some physical effects of liberty cap mushroom look alike that can be dangerous.
It can make you feel:
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paranoid
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anxious
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panicked
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overwhelmed
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like vomiting
They can cause extreme stomach pain and diarrhea. they raise your blood pressure and heart rate and can cause seizures in individuals.
Positive effects of Liberty Caps:
There is currently a lot of research done into the positive effects of magic mushrooms and psychedelics. on mental health and illnesses like depression. The psilocybin seems to “re-order” the way our brain approaches problems and allows. people to get to the root cause of the problem and then help to reduce the symptoms of depression. In a recent study at Imperial college London. 59 people took part in a trial comparing liberty caps mushroom to conventional antidepressants. and they found that those taking the magic mushrooms were more affected than those who took the. “conventional” antidepressants. In that their mood increased and they were more able to deal with the root causes of their issues. ( during these trials the participants given therapy alongside the compounds tested)
Still great care needs to taken with this mushroom as it is still illegal to pick and have them. as well as their dangerous side effects on your body. There is a great deal of research left to done into them. for example their long term effects and whether there is any toxicity built up over time. For further research I would look to the internet and to official studies. over the coming years to see what should done with the legality and availability. but for now as i mentioned at the beginning liberty cap mushrooms are illegal.
What does Liberty Cap do?
The main psychoactive component in the liberty cap mushroom, psilocybin, works on the part of the brain that helps regulate both arousal and panic responses to different stimuli. Unlike LSD, liberty caps do not always cause significant visual hallucinations.
Dangers & Risks Associated With Taking Liberty Caps
One of the main dangers is the misidentification of the liberty cap mushroom . This leads many people who would not otherwise jeopardize their safety, to do so, sometimes with a tragic outcome. This is becoming rare. due to the increased efforts of police and legislators in preventing. lookalike sales of poisonous liberty cap mushroom.
The other dangers and risks are often attributed to the potency or the dosage ingested. Most people will consume their liberty caps as part of a prepared and brewed tea. while others will incorporate it into a food item to mask the unpleasant taste. There are also people that will dry and crush liberty caps and either. encapsulate them in predetermined dosages or mix them into chocolate bars.
The potency of liberty caps will depend on several factors, including the species of liberty cap mushroom. its origins or where it was grown, the growing conditions, the maturity or harvest period. and whether the user will consume them in a fresh or dried state. The amount of psilocybin found in the dried mushrooms is concentrate more than ten times compared to the amount found in fresh liberty caps.