The Amanita muscaria mushroom is linked with a host of health benefits. Many people turn to this interesting mushroom to help with pain and insomnia. They are following in the footsteps of ancient civilizations who used amanita for medical reasons and in shamanic practices.
These days, you can find fly agaric tinctures for sale online. Alas, relatively few sellers include third-party lab reports. Thus, you have no idea of the product’s muscimol and ibotenic acid content. One alternative is making amanita tincture yourself; this guide shows you how.
Although making and taking an amanita tincture can be fun, not everyone has the time. Also, you may not like the inclusion of alcohol in the process. Fortunately, there’s a quick, easy, and delicious alternative; amanita gummies. VidaCap is one of the market leaders, and its gummies contain 500mg of amanita extract each. Best of all, with updated third-party lab reports, you know exactly how much muscimol is in every bite.
Why Are People Using Amanita Tincture?
The amanita mushroom’s best-known compounds include muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine. However, it is muscimol that’s associated with therapeutic effects.
One animal study suggested that muscimol could help reduce neuropathic pain. Another found that the compound could help control seizures. At present, there’s a lack of relevant studies on humans outlining the benefits of amanita.
Yet, anecdotal reports suggest that the mushroom is beneficial in relieving pain and helping people get to sleep. This is potentially due to the relaxant effects associated with muscimol.
Interestingly, the compound is similar to GABA in chemical structure. GABA is a neurotransmitter known for producing a calming effect by blocking specific signals in the central nervous system.
How to Make an Amanita Tincture
There is no definitive amanita tincture recipe since the ingredients can vary slightly. However, the first step involves sourcing the mushroom. One option is to forage amanita, but you must improve your knowledge of the mushroom significantly before proceeding.
While it has a distinctive appearance, it can be mistaken for other mushroom species. For instance, an edible Mexican species, Amanita basii, resembles it. Also, when amanita’s white spots wash off in heavy rain, one might think it is A. caesarea.
In some cases, people create their tinctures with fresh amanita. This means they clean the mushrooms and chop them up before beginning.
However, drying the mushrooms thoroughly is best if you want a stronger tincture. Options include air drying, using a dehydrator, or oven drying. You can then remove most of the remaining moisture via a desiccant.
If the above sounds like a lot of work, you can purchase dried amanita from a reputable online vendor. Unless you live in Louisiana, the mushroom is legal throughout the United States and many nations worldwide.
A Quick and Easy Tincture
At this point, you should place the dried amanita in a glass mason jar. Next, fill the jar with vodka (yes, really) after washing your hands. Put the lid on and give the jar a shake. Store the jar in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks, shaking frequently.
After this, strain the concoction, keeping the liquid and discarding the mushrooms. Finally, decant it into dropper bottles for easy use.
You’ll find that commercial amanita tincture sellers will place their mushroom caps in water and simmer to reduce the liquid, which is filtered and cooled. They might add spring water and high-proof pure grain ethanol (instead of vodka). Such providers should produce a better standard tincture than what you’ll make at home, but there are no guarantees.
Certain brands will add ingredients such as lemon or manuka honey to ensure the tincture tastes more palatable.
How to Consume an Amanita Tincture
It is difficult to provide guidelines on amanita dosing due to the lack of research into its effects on humans. The homemade amanita tincture outlined above is best used as a topical for pain. Use the dropper to place the tincture on the affected area and rub it in. Many users claim that the concoction’s painkilling effects are felt almost immediately.
Commercial sellers tend to provide instructions. Since it is a tincture, use the product by placing a few drops beneath your tongue. Hold the liquid there for up to 60 seconds before swallowing. This should enable the muscimol to get absorbed directly into your bloodstream via the mouth’s mucous membranes.
Above all else, use a very small amount at first to see how it affects you. There is minimal data on how much muscimol constitutes an “effective” or “psychoactive” dose in humans.
A study from Molecules, published in 2020, suggested that 10-15mg of muscimol is a psychoactive dose. However, there isn’t enough evidence for it to be conclusive.
Also, unless you decide to pay for lab testing, you have no idea how much muscimol is in your homemade amanita tincture. We can tell you that it’s imperative to decarboxylate your mushrooms to convert their ibotenic acid content into muscimol.
This process involves simmering the dry or fresh mushrooms and adding lemon juice to decrease the pH to between 2.5 and 3. A failure to decarb your amanita means it will have a high ibotenic acid content.
Amanita Tincture: A Warning
The poorly regulated Amanita muscaria industry is riddled with low-grade products. This has led to a growth in the number of individuals suffering from severe adverse effects after using a fly agaric product.
One study analyzed over 5,600 comments on social media groups from people who used amanita. It found over 200 instances of adverse effects. In men, the most prominent side effects included abdominal pain and vomiting. Women reported headaches as the main issue.
Ibotenic acid is linked with many of the mushroom’s side effects. Although, once again, research is limited. With this in mind, checking the lab reports of brands selling amanita products is key. If a company can’t provide this information, it is not worth the risk of buying the product.
Although making and taking an amanita tincture can be fun, not everyone has the time. Also, you may not like the inclusion of alcohol in the process. Fortunately, there’s a quick, easy, and delicious alternative; amanita gummies. VidaCap is one of the market leaders, and its gummies contain 500mg of amanita extract each. Best of all, with updated third-party lab reports, you know exactly how much muscimol is in every bite.
Final Thoughts on Making an Amanita Tincture
If you plan to create a tincture from Amanita muscaria mushrooms at home, please ensure you decarboxylate them first. Doing so will turn most of the fungi’s ibotenic acid content into muscimol, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects.
Making the tincture involves little more than sourcing the mushrooms and a glass jar, adding high-proof alcohol (or vodka), and having a little patience. If you intend to buy a tincture online or in-store, only use brands that include third-party lab reports with every batch. Otherwise, you have no idea what the muscimol content is.
Use only a small amount first to gauge the Amanita muscaria tincture’s effects. Proponents of the mushroom claim that it is a potent painkiller and can help combat insomnia. If you feel that nothing else is working, perhaps it is worth trying a fly agaric tincture.
