Meet the Amanita Muscaria Mushroom

If you’ve ever used a mushroom emoji while texting a friend, then you’re already familiar with the Amanita muscaria mushroom. This famed mushroom with its white-spotted, rounded red cap and frilled gills looks almost too fantastical to be real–yet it is. 

Amanita muscaria mushrooms belong to the wider mushroom genus, Amanita. This unique branch of the fungus family encompasses up to 1000 different species of mushrooms, each with its own distinctive qualities. However, Amanita muscaria is among the best known and has been used in an impressively diverse range of ways throughout the last 4,000 years of human history. 

The unique Amanita muscaria species is a native dweller of temperate regions of woodland and forest in the Northern Hemisphere, however, its hardiness and adaptability has also seen it make itself at home in parts of the Southern Hemisphere too. 

One of the most remarkable features of Amanita muscaria mushroom is the potent presence of compounds contained within it. Through the careful extraction of these compounds, a concentrated extract can be formulated and used to make products that can support sound sleep, ease pain, and turn down the volume on anxiety.

In this article, we’ll dive into the origins of the Amanita muscaria mushroom, what Amanita muscaria extract is, and some of the products that Psyched Wellness has created using their own legal and proprietary Amanita muscaria mushroom extract.

The Amanita muscaria mushroom: Where do they grow?

Historically, scientific evidence tells us that the Amanita muscaria finds its origins in the Siberian–Beringian region, which is modern day Siberia and Russia. Although the mushroom is a native of the Northern hemisphere, it can also be found in select regions of the Southern hemisphere. In other words, the Amanita muscaria mushroom can be considered a truly cosmopolitan fungus, having made its way across the globe. 

What is most critical to this growth of this iconic mushroom is the proximity of deciduous and coniferous trees..The Amanita muscaria mushroom thrives at the base of tall trees such as pines, larches, firs, cedars, and birches, forming a symbiotic relationship with their roots. Given this habitat, you can find Amanita muscaria mushrooms in locations as diverse as forests, woodlands, heaths, and even gardens.

Northern hemisphere Amanita muscaria mushrooms differ in some ways to their Southern hemisphere counterparts. For example,  the fruiting season (the formation of the actual mushrooms themselves) takes place in summer and autumn across most of North America, but later in autumn and early winter in warmer regions close to the Pacific Ocean. This audacious mushroom thrives in the island nation of New Zealand and is even considered a fungal weed due to its prolific growth under beech and pine trees. 

What is Amanita muscaria mushroom extract?

Through the passage of history, cultures across the globe have harvested Amanita muscaria and crafted extracts to potentiate the mushroom’s  therapeutic compounds. Extracts are preparations containing the active components of a herb, plant, or fungus in concentrated form. 

Amanita muscaria contains a diverse range of active compounds, however, the three that are most prominent and active in the mushroom are muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine. Muscimol typically occurs in the highest concentrations in Amanita muscaria mushrooms and represents a key component of Amanita muscaria mushroom extract. 

Nowadays, scientific research tells us that muscimol may be responsible for a number of different therapeutic effects. There’s emerging evidence that muscimol may hold antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, which could be beneficial for people with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Muscimol has also been associated with anxiolytic effects, which means that it can help to ease anxiety. In one 2024 study on rodents, for example, a microinjection of muscimol helped to diminish behaviors linked to anxiety and depression.  A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis has additionally found evidence that muscimol can be a helpful treatment for pain caused by nerve injuries. People throughout the world also rely upon Amanita muscaria mushroom extract to help support deep sleep and rich and vivid dreams. 

Calm: The only legal Amanita muscaria extract in the USA

Creating Amanita muscaria extracts is a process that benefits from deep knowledge of the ways in which the mushroom’s active compounds can interact. 

At certain concentrations, particular combinations of muscimol, muscarine and ibotenic acid can trigger very unpleasant effects including nausea, drowsiness,  sweating, salivation, disorientation, and vomiting. On the other hand, well-balanced and carefully-crafted extracts can remove  the toxic components, allowing the user to experience therapeutic effects such as calm, relaxation, creative thoughts, pain relief and mild euphoria. The key is in the preparation of the extract. 

Currently, there’s only one Amanita muscaria mushroom extract that is legal in the USA, and it’s produced by Psyched Wellness. Our extract is formulated from Amanita muscaria mushrooms that are wild and hand-picked by expert foragers. From these specimens, we create our proprietary, full-spectrum natural extract, AME-1. 

AME-1 has been subject to 90 days of toxicology tests to ensure its safety for consumers. Extensive testing has demonstrated that AME-1 isn’t linked to any signs of toxicity or adverse events. What’s more, AME-1 extract has also achieved GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) certification from the Food and Drug Administration. It’s additionally the only product to be manufactured in facilities under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions. 

AME-1 is the principal ingredient in our popular Amanita muscaria tincture, Calm, which allows users to sink into relaxation and sleep without a high or any hangover the following day. Calm is available in a 30ml bottle with 15 servings and a 60ml bottle with 30 servings. 

Amanita muscaria mushroom products

Beyond Amanita muscaria tinctures, there are two other safe and legal ways to enjoy experimenting with Amanita muscaria products: Gummies and chocolate. These two popular oral delivery methods represent delicious ways to enjoy the diverse therapeutic effects of the remarkable Amanita muscaria mushroom. 

If you’re not sure how to choose between the three products, here’s a brief overview of each to help you decide.

Calm Tincture 

• Fast-acting (the effects can become apparent in as few as 15 minutes)
• Long duration of effects, lasting from four to six hours
• Simple dosing: A single serving is 2 drops
• Users often report a light, buzzy feeling but with no hangover the next day
• Results can be felt with just one dose.

Gummies 

• A delicious and edible delivery method
• Vegan
• Straightforward dosing
• It can take up to an hour for gummies to take effect, which is ideal for those who don’t want to experience the effects immediately
• Due to a longer metabolization process through the digestive system, the effects are longer lasting (6+ hours)
• Users experience elevated mood and perception but without a psychedelic high.

Chocolate

• An ideal legal mushroom gift for yourself or others
• A delicious way to enjoy the Amanita muscaria mushroom
• The effects of Amanita muscaria mushroom chocolate lasts 6+ hours
• Slower onset of effects (up to one hour) so you can enjoy a treat before getting ready for bed
• Therapeutic effects can include reduced anxiety, feelings of calm, sleepiness, and vivid dreams with no high or hangovers.

Regardless of which Psyched Wellness product you choose, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’re consuming a toxicologically-tested, lab-formulated product. Psyched Wellness is proud to be the only operator in the US crafting Amanita muscaria products that enable consumers to enjoy this powerful therapeutic fungus both safely and legally.