Do Amanita Mushrooms React Differently with Cannabinoids I’ve Taken?

Amanita muscaria mushrooms are popping up in your favorite cannabinoid stores, including The Calm Leaf, offering yet another legal way to enjoy a dreamy, bliss-inducing high. It’s not surprising, therefore, that cannabinoid enthusiasts are wondering if they can work amanita mushrooms into their daily routines, and more specifically, how certain hemp derivatives may interact with the psychedelic effects of the mushroom.

Cannabinoids vs. Amanita Mushrooms

Before we talk about any possible interactions, let’s compare the two. Cannabinoids are compounds derived from cannabis, which interact directly with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). These compounds attach to cannabinoid receptors in the body, regulating physiological processes, and certain ones get us high, as we all know, thanks to their relationship to specific CB1 receptors in the brain.

Amanita mushrooms, meanwhile, intoxicate us through a totally different way. Amanita mushrooms get their psychoactive effects from muscimol, a compound that acts as a GABA agonist. GABA is a neurotransmitter that dictates many functions of the nervous system, which is why taking the compound gets us high. Amanita mushrooms are associated with dissociative effects, relaxation, euphoria, and visual hallucinations in higher doses.

In other words, these two categories of compounds work on different parts of the nervous system to produce their respective psychoactive effects. This is different from taking two cannabinoids at once, which produces a direct synergistic relationship due to their structural similarities and affinities for the same receptors in the body.

Can Cannabinoids Interact with Amanita Mushrooms?

Now, let’s cut to the chase: there has been no research on the relationship between amanita muscaria (or, more specifically, muscimol), and cannabinoids. This means that the exact nature of any interaction remains unknown. However, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence out there that you can find online, as it’s no surprise that many amanita muscaria fans also happen to use cannabinoids – most commonly, delta 9, through weed.

Whether or not there’s a distinctive synergistic relationship or not remains unknown. But, we have heard enough stories from users to have some ideas of what’s possible.

Psychoactive Cannabinoids

First, we gotta talk about psychoactive cannabinoids, and how they may interact with amanita mushrooms. These cannabinoids include:

• Delta 9 THC
• Delta 8 THC
• Delta 10 THC
• THC-P
• THCV
• HHC

Again, there’s limited information out there. This isn’t too surprising, since amanita muscaria is quite new to the commercial market, as are most cannabinoids that we listed above, with the exception of delta 9 THC. So, all of the anecdotal information we have mainly comes from delta 9 THC and how it interacts with the mushroom. But, delta 9 is structurally similar to other psychoactive cannabinoids, so you can make some guesses as to the relationship the mushroom would have with the others that we’ve listed.

One big takeaway is that if you’re totally new to amanita mushrooms, it’s probably best not to get high off of cannabinoids at the same time. That’s because amanita mushrooms can surprise you by their unique intoxicating effects, and consuming another intoxicating substance with them can, well, get you too high. Not only that, but if you’re also using a cannabinoid, you may not be able to experience the full potential of what amanita mushrooms can offer, since the weed may interact with certain effects of the mushroom, effectively canceling them out.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when used as directed, neither product is considered dangerous. So, it’s unlikely that there’s any risk of toxicity due to a negative interaction. Many amanita enthusiasts, as we said earlier, also smoke weed, so if there were a serious risk associated with combining them, we’d probably have heard about it by now.

Lastly, we want to talk about the delivery method. Remember that each delivery method has a unique onset time, potency, and duration of effects. For instance, vaping a cannabinoid offers about 2 hours of effects, felt quickly and potently, while edibles are longer-lasting, with a longer onset time and more drawn out effects, so to speak. The same goes for the delivery methods of different amanita products. So, consider that as well, as different delivery methods of each product can determine how and when you feel the two compounds together.

Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids

Now, let’s talk about non-psychoactive cannabinoids, and how they might interact with amanita mushrooms. These cannabinoids include:

• CBD
• CBN
• CBG

Again, there’s no research about the interactions that may occur. These compounds are unlikely to potentiate the intoxicating qualities of muscimol, either. But, they may still alter your experience, in subtler ways, like making you feel drowsier, for example. Again, they may also take away from your ability to feel the full potential of amanita, for this reason. So again, as a first-timer, we do recommend sticking to amanita mushrooms on their own, as you will be able to get a much clearer idea of how the mushrooms behave, and whether or not you like what they have to offer.

Why It’s Hard to Know Before You Try it

The bottom line is that everyone is unique. Just because one person had a bad experience smoking, say, delta 8 flower and taking an amanita mushroom gummy, that doesn’t automatically mean the same will happen to you. Once you get acquainted with amanita mushrooms on their own, feel free to experiment with adding cannabinoids into your experience if the idea appeals to you. Just remember to go easy with dosing, to avoid getting too high.

Cannabinoids + Amanita Mushrooms: It’s Up to You

Basically, both cannabinoids and amanita mushrooms can provide you with a host of desirable effects, but you want to be sure to avoid taking them together if you’re a first-timer, for a multitude of reasons, including avoiding getting too high, and missing out on amanita mushrooms on their own. However, if you do take both at once, there’s no reason to worry that you’re going to experience any real side effects that are worthy of concern.

So, experiment as you so choose, and explore the products at The Calm Leaf as we offer both cannabinoids and amanita products in various delivery methods, strengths, and more.