Muscimol Isolate: The Ultimate Way to Experience Amanitas

You've heard about (and probably enjoyed) Amanita Muscaria mushrooms, but do you know about muscimol isolate? It's the new-and-improved way of experiencing everything these shrooms have to offer.

Unlike the whole mushrooms or their powdered varieties, muscimol isolate is an extract from Amanita species' active compound, ensuring a much stronger concentration for maximum effect. And while all our products are rigorously tested, the isolate is the safest way to enjoy the mushrooms — you don't have to worry about decarbing them!

From understanding muscimol to getting to grips with the differences between concentrates and raw ingredients, we'll take you on an in-depth tour of this recent addition to our store. 

A Brief Amanita Mushroom Reminder

Regardless of how well you know Amanita Muscarias, you always need a refresher every now and again. But don't worry; this will be brief. And if you need more information, you can always check out our full-blown discussions on its effects and why they occur. 

There's really no telling how Amanita mushrooms will affect individuals as it's dependent on so many factors, including their genetic makeup, where the mushroom was grown, and the dosage. However, anecdotal evidence suggest that the most common feelings/sensations are:

• color shifting
• muscle relaxation
• magnification
• hallucinatory states
• dream potentiation
• intense love and/or sociability
• boosted music appreciation, and
• libido changes. 

In a nutshell, the effects can be trippy, even though these shrooms don't contain any Psilocybin. 

But why do such experiences purportedly happen after consuming Amanitas? The answer is simple: muscimol, the compound we've isolated to provide 97.5% potency and eliminate the need for decarbing to eradicate the ibotenic acid. 

What is Muscimol?

Muscimol is a psychoactive compound found inside the Amanita Muscaria mushroom alongside ibotenic acid, its prodrug counterpart. First isolated from this genus in 1964, the compound's synthesis wasn't published until 1965. 

The compound is a strong agonist of the brain's GABAa receptors. To be precise, it's a "selective othosteric agonist. And you'd be forgiven for thinking, "okay, but what in the world does that mean?"

Allow us to explain. 

The GABA receptors respond when GABA releases into your brain's post-synaptic nerve terminal. These are your main inhibitory receptors (or regulators), so when agonized (like our good friend muscimol will do when it binds to the receptors), it produces an inhibitory effect.

But said effect is unlike inebriation caused by alcohol or psychedelic drugs. Instead, anecdotes state you'll feel sedated, euphoric, experience synesthesia (e.g., seeing sounds and hearing colors), and reach a dream-like state of mind.

Without the impacts of other compounds found in Amanita mushrooms, muscimol reportedly offers a more uplifting, stimulating experience, rather than a hallucinogenic or trippy state commonly associated with magic mushrooms.

These feelings only occur once the agonist has attached itself to your brain's GABAa receptors. And, as we're sure you can imagine, this isn't instant. 

After consuming the isolate, it will take about an hour for the effects to kick in. They'll peak at around three hours and last between ten and 24 hours. However, the timings may be different, depending on your genetic makeup and the dose you consume.

What is Ibotenic Acid?

Otherwise known as ibotenate, it's a chemical compound and psychoactive drug occurring naturally in Amanita muscaria and similar species of mushroom. Structurally, it's similar to the neurotransmitter glutamate. Thus, it acts as a non-selective glutamate receptor agonist. 

Basically, it can be a potent neurotoxin. Like the apparent nice effects of muscimol, the negative impacts of ibotenic acid are dose related, sources state. 

Anecdotal evidence shows the most common symptoms after ingesting the compound include (but aren't necessarily limited to):

• nausea
• vomiting
• drowsiness
• floating sensations
• retrograde amnesia
• confusion, and 
• visual distortions. 

These unenjoyable experiences typically begin within 30 to 60 minutes of consuming ibotenic acid. However, some of them pop up much later. 

It's for this reason that Amanita mushrooms, particularly Fly Agarics, get such a bad reputation. It purportedly causes all the less-than-pleasant effects of such shrooms, which is why enthusiasts have to perform the decarboxylation process (i.e., decarbing) to turn it into muscimol before consumption.

This process involves using either heat, acid, pressure, all the above, or lactobacillus (that is, a bacteria strain). People often choose the heat method as it's the least labor-intensive and doesn't require as much equipment. 

That said, it's still quite a "high stakes" process — one we wouldn't recommend beginners doing! Thus, enthusiasts tend to buy professionally decarbed Amanitas or muscimol isolate, the even safer way to enjoy the mushroom's effects. 

Concentrates VS Raw Materials

We've explained muscimol. We've explained ibotenic acid. You know the former purportedly offers pleasant effects, whereas the latter elicits unpleasant reactions. But why would you choose muscimol isolate over raw mushrooms, powders, or other Amanita products?

While the more astute among you may have picked up on our (sometimes not so) subtle allusions, we'll be much more direct here. 

Strength

Our muscimol isolate boasts 97.5% potency, which means you get a whopping 975mg of the psychoactive compound per gram.

For context, Amanita mushroom powder runs at just 5.6mg of muscimol per gram! 

And if you bought the raw Amanita Muscaria mushroom, you'd get about 6mg in one cap before decarboxylation.

Decarb converts between 10% and 20% of the ibotenic acid into muscimol, while removing the rest. Since there's 30mg to 60mg of the compound in one cap, you'd end up with 9mg to 18mg of muscimol (including the 6mg already present).

Preparation Ease

Speaking of decarbing, you simply don't need to worry about that with muscimol concentrate — a massive stress-relief for beginners.

But even the most seasoned Amanita enjoyers will enjoy the more straightforward approach. No heating or pressurizing faff to deal with. 

Muscimol Isolate: The Perfect Choice for Amanita Enthusiasts

Offering increased safety, less hassle, next to no preparation times, and a far stronger per-gram concentration, muscimol isolate is the choice for Amanita enthusiasts. Just make sure you always purchase from a reliable, trustworthy, lab-tested sources!

References

https://amanitamushrooms.com/products/muscimol-isolate https://amanitamushrooms.com/blogs/articles/amanita-muscaria-effects  https://psychedelicreview.com/compound/muscimol/  https://psychedelicreview.com/are-prodrugs-the-next-wave-of-psychedelic-drug-development/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscimol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibotenic_acid 
https://amanitamushrooms.com/products/amanita-mushroom-powder 
https://pharmacia.pensoft.net/article/56112/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria