Psychedelic Science: How Hackers Are Making DIY Shrooms
There’s no denying that psychedelics are making a comeback – both legally and underground. In many countries, the use of magic mushrooms (psilocybin) is allowed in controlled medical settings to treat anxiety, depression, and end-of-life distress. It’s also being studied as a treatment for other disorders like PTSD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Meanwhile, the illegal use of psilocybin has been making headlines as many well-educated professionals experiment with it as an out-of-body or near-death experience catalyst and revelatory tool.
Intro
From my personal experience, psychedelics can be a lot of fun but often require a little dose of education to get the most out of your experience. I was never told about what to expect, what will happen, or how the experience will change me. The worst part was not knowing that there were common mistakes made by first-time users who had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
But it’s not just first-time users who are in the dark- people wanting to explore the benefits of psychedelics have also been stymied by red tape, which is where the hackers come in.
A ‘hack’ is a trick or shortcut that produces an innovative solution to a problem. Hacking is applied to many things, like programming, science, and even business. The idea of hacking your life can sound a little silly or unprofessional at first but when you look at it, there are some amazing benefits to hacking your experience with psychedelics. This was one man’s story of how he benefited from doing just that and by sharing his experience, he hopes to inspire others to find their own way toward healing and growth with psychedelics.
Things You’ll Need
*Mason Jar (or empty ice cream container) *Bicycle Pump, Carbon Dioxide Inflator, or Empty Balloons (unless you have a bicycle pump) *Duct Tape or Rubber Band *Silver Mirror Film *Piece of aluminum foil, a sponge, and rubbing alcohol for cleanup
- Fill the Mason Jar with 4 to 5 inches of wet dirt. Place an aluminum foil circle on top of the dirt and shape it into a dome. Wrap the pieces in duct tape or a rubber band until it is tight enough to stay in place but not too tight to push out all of the moisture from the soil. 2.
If you are using a bicycle pump, inflate the plastic bag with air until it is slightly bigger than your mason jar. Be careful not to over-inflate, which could cause it to pop. Place your bag over the top of your jar, tucking it into place on all sides. Attach a hose from your bicycle pump to fit into one of your jar’s air holes. Inflate just enough so that you can still squeeze a good amount of air out of it when you let go.
Step 1
From accidental epiphanies to formal experimentation, psychedelic drugs have been shaping our culture for thousands of years. In more recent history, breakthroughs in pharmacology led to mind-altering substances being researched as potential treatments for everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression. Science has begun to catch up with our intuitions about the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, with clinical trials involving LSD, psilocybin (a hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms), and MDMA (another well-known hallucinogen) yielding promising results so far.
Nowadays, some psychologists are suggesting that we might be able to produce some of these psychedelics safely and cheaply at home–by which they mean from an ordinary lab or college chemistry lab rather than a dark basement laboratory.
Conclusion
Whether a biohacker’s end goal is to recreate the effects of mushrooms, or to do some serious scientific research, getting ahead of this new wave is key. There are plenty of resources for guides and hints on how to get started. The best place to start? Well, that depends on what you want your foray into the world of psychedelics to be about. Just remember-making psychedelic drugs is illegal in most countries without special permission, and they can be very dangerous when taken without an understanding of the chemistry involved.
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