Are There Any Real Benefits and Side Effects When Taking Amanita Mushrooms?

Amanita mushrooms are taking over right now, in all kinds of exciting product types, like gummies, chocolates, tinctures, and more. Used widely throughout the world for centuries, these mushrooms are renowned for their psychedelic and relaxing effects, courtesy of their key compound, muscimol. Given the potentially powerful effects of this intoxicating mushroom species, naturally, people want to know what the potential benefits are, as well as the side effects, to make the most informed decision possible when taking them.

Let’s take a look at both the benefits and side effects to offer customers a deeper understanding of what to expect.

What are the Benefits of Amanita Mushrooms?

Amanita Muscaria is renowned for its psychedelic effects that offer a completely unique high that may be hallucinogenic at certain doses. Let’s take a look at what we know about the variety of benefits it can offer through its intoxicating effects as well as its other inherent properties.

Effect on Anxiety

Historically, people have used psychedelic mushrooms to deal with anxiety, trauma, and other mood disorders. And, there’s a reason for that. Amanita mushrooms work on GABA receptors. GABA is the neurotransmitter that plays a massive role in our stress tolerance, our response to trauma, and our sleep. Muscimol is the GABA agonist, which is one way in which it’s unique from psilocybin, and thus, shows why amanita mushrooms are typically regarded as more “calming” and sedating than psilocybin mushrooms.

People say that amanita mushrooms are useful for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), as GABA plays a role in helping the brain process trauma. The mushroom also plays a role in neuroplasticity, which can allow the brain to constantly grow and learn from new experiences, rather than staying stuck in the past, so to speak. Many people report feeling less triggered by situations and events that once caused an anxiety response.

It's also worth noting that GABA plays a role in regulating our body’s inflammatory response. This means that there’s the potential for muscimol to minimize inflammation in the body.

Mood-Boosting Effects

While no studies have specifically been done on the mushroom’s effects on depression, it’s long been known anecdotally that muscimol can improve mood to the extent of potentially helping people manage symptoms of depression. There may be long-term effects related to depression, which is an area in which researchers are showing lots of interest right now.

A Creative Boost

A lot of people notice that they feel a huge creative boost from taking amanita mushrooms. The mushrooms allow us to see things through a new perspective so that we can enter a more creative space, which can help people with creative pursuits of all kinds.

New Insights and Introspection

Amanita mushrooms are able to offer feelings of insight and introspection that can help people feel more spiritually minded, or simply see situations from a new perspective so that they can grow from them and heal.

Neurological Effects

Researchers are finding that amanita mushrooms may be useful in addressing symptoms associated with epilepsy. Again, this comes from the muscimol’s influence on GABA, which has been shown to have valuable effects on overall nervous system function.

Like we said earlier, muscimol plays a role in neuroplasticity, which may play a role in preventing cognitive decline. This is something that has yet to be studied by researchers, but the early indications are promising.

Do Amanita Mushrooms Cause Side Effects?

If amanita mushrooms are boiled prior to use, they’re not associated with any form of toxicity. And, products sold at The Calm Leaf are prepared in this manner so that they aren’t associated with any real side effects that are worth concern. Still, there’s always the risk of side effects.

Risk of Psychosis, or Early Schizophrenia Onset

One thing that is important to know is that if you’re predisposed to episodes of psychosis or schizophrenia, taking muscimol may cause the onset to occur earlier. In other words, people may experience psychosis or schizophrenia symptoms if they were already likely to develop the conditions later on in life.

Safety in Your Environment

It’s also important that you’re in a safe environment when you’re using the mushroom, as it can cause impairment – also, keep in mind that higher doses can cause hallucinations, which may be particularly dangerous in certain situations. That means that you should never drive while under the influence of these mushrooms, and generally try to stay in a risk-free environment – i.e., away from heights, sharp objects, and so on. Also, avoid taking the mushroom when you’re alone in a place that’s unfamiliar to you, as it may be hard to be vigilant of your surroundings.

Paranoia and Anxiety

With any psychedelic mushroom, there’s the risk of having a bad trip, which means that you may find yourself feeling anxious or paranoid and end up not getting the benefits you were hoping for. Keep in mind that certain circumstances do make this more likely, such as being high around people you don’t necessarily feel comfortable around, or even taking these mushrooms when you’re acutely stressed out over a situation in your life. The takeaway is that you should only consume amanita mushrooms when you’re in a safe space, both physically and mentally, to avoid any unpleasant psychological side effects.

Danger When Consuming Raw

Like we already said, you should absolutely never take these mushrooms raw – which would only happen if you foraged them yourself. If you were to take these mushrooms raw, you would be at risk of kidney failure, liver failure, and neurological problems that could all lead to death.

When Taken Responsibly, Amanita Mushrooms Can Bring Lots of Potential Benefits

Amanita mushrooms can provide enormous potential benefits, including relief from a host of psychological symptoms that may be holding you back in your life. They can also make you feel more creative, and help you find insight into your present circumstances. The bottom line is that if you want amanita mushrooms, but you’re worried about the risks, just make sure you’re buying from a legitimate brand, and that you choose a safe space to enjoy them.

Good news is, amanita mushrooms are available at The Calm Leaf and are all crafted by trusted companies, and even have undergone lab-testing to ensure that they’re safe. We offer a variety of amanita products that are easy to take, and simple to dose with so that you can avoid taking more than you’re ready for. This way, you will be able to enjoy the full potential of benefits which come from this fascinating mushroom species.