Cooking with Magic Mushrooms: The Psilocybin Cookbook

Turn your trip into a culinary treat—head to the kitchen to make your next psilocybin experience unforgettable

Magic mushrooms offer so many marvels, from transformative healing to excitement. One thing they are not known for is flavor. David Connell’s quest to make psilocybin palatable led him to develop recipes that integrate small, measured quantities of shrooms into tasty food and drink.

Stop gnawing on bitter, fibrous stalks and begin your journey with a calming, pleasant snack or sip. These healthy, delicious recipes are lactose-free, with gluten-free substitutions throughout, and have no added sugars. Photographs and illustrations will inspire your explorations of food, fungi, and consciousness.

Read on for an excerpt of Cooking with Magic Mushrooms: the Psilocybin Cookbook  by David Connell, now available from our site or your local bookseller!

As all mushroom fans know, eating little fun-guys, as I like to call them, can be a trying experience. As much as we love and appreciate them, none of us enjoy the sensation of chewing on dried out, fibrous fungi stalks. Our experiences learning to integrate small, measured quantities of shrooms into food and drink inspired us to collaborate in our kitchen on this definitive guide to cooking with shrooms.

We hope that it helps you experience your fun-guys in new, healthful, and meaningful ways. With that in mind, we have decided to make all the recipes as health conscious as possible—while still being delicious and a little indulgent from time to time. You’ll find that everything here has no added sugars and is lactose-free; we have also included gluten-free substitutions throughout. Happy cooking, and best wishes as you embark on your journey with food and fungi!

We would like to include a quick word on safety and intentional psychedelic use. The ideal dose in all our recipes is usually one gram per serving or less, though this may vary. Keeping track of your dosages, particularly if making and consuming multiple recipes, is critical to ensuring you have a safe and enjoyable experience. Unintentionally consuming more than your intended dose can lead to an unexpectedly intense experience, or even a bad trip.

Individuals diagnosed with, or at risk for mental health conditions that may include elements of psychosis (detachment from consensus reality), Bipolar I disorder, and schizophrenia should abstain from using psychedelics, unless under the supervision of a licensed, experienced mental healthcare professional. Because these types of conditions have a genetic basis, individuals with a parent diagnosed with either condition should be particularly careful about their use of psychedelics.

Individuals who are prescribed psychiatric pharmaceuticals should also be mindful of their use of psychedelics. Commonly prescribed drugs, including SSRIs, SNRIs, and MAOIs, interact with psychedelics and can lead to serotonin syndrome. MAOIs are also present in some foods, such as yogurt, aged cheeses, and other fermented foods. St. John’s Wort, a common nutritional supplement, is also an MAOI. Individuals who are prescribed benzodiazepines should keep in mind that those pharmaceuticals counteract psychedelics. If you choose to use, please respect your body, mind, and spirit by being mindful of the other chemical factors involved. TripSit’s Guide to Drug Combinations is a helpful visual resource (tripsit.me), and The Vaults of Erowid (erowid.org/psychoactives/) contain extensive qualitative reports of drug experiences.

Harm Reduction and Safety

There should be a balance between these two primary layers of the psychedelic experience. If one of these is out of equilibrium, the other should compensate for this distortion. For example, if someone chooses to ingest a psychedelic in order to process trauma, their external environment should be curated by the traveler and the sitter (a trusted person who can stay with you during your trip) to serve as a safe container for the experience. If the setting is more unpredictable, such as a music festival, concert, or other gathering, the responsible psychonaut will be sure that their internal state is at equilibrium before choosing to ingest any substances.

These concepts lead to the foundation of psychedelic peer support. Organizations such as Kosmicare and Zendo Project collaborated on a beautiful book, entitled The Manual of Psychedelic Support, that was published by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The book details the philosophy of psychedelic support, and explains at length the four principles of psychedelic support:

1. Safe space. If someone is having a challenging experience, try to move them into a comfortable, warm, and calm environment. If possible, try to avoid noisy or crowded spaces. Ask what would make them most comfortable. Offer blankets and water.

2. Sitting, not guiding. Be a calm meditative presence of acceptance, compassion, and caring. Promote feelings of trust and security. Let the person’s unfolding experience be the guide. Don’t try to get ahead of the process. Explore distressing issues as they emerge, and recognize that simply being with the person can provide support.

3. Talk through, not down. Without distracting from the experience, help the person connect with what they are feeling. Invite the person to take the opportunity to explore what’s happening and encourage them not to resist it.

4. Difficult is not bad. Challenging experiences can wind up being our most valuable, and may lead to learning and growth. Consider that it may be happening for an important reason. Suggest that they approach the fear and difficult aspects of their experience with curiosity and openness.

You can find more invaluable resources online at zendoproject.org. You can also download The Manual’s full text for free at psychsitter.com.

Integrating Your Psychedelic Experience
Integrating a psychedelic experience is a crucial step in the journey of psychedelic use, especially when these substances are approached for their potential therapeutic benefits or for personal growth. Integration, in the context of psychedelics, refers to the process of assimilating the insights, emotions, and visions encountered during a psychedelic experience into one’s daily life. It’s about making sense of what was experienced during the altered state of consciousness and applying it in a way that promotes healing, personal development, and a greater understanding of oneself and one’s place in the world.

The importance of integration cannot be overstated because the psychedelic experience can often be profound, overwhelming, and life-altering. Without proper integration, the insights gained can remain abstract, confusing, or even distressing, failing to produce lasting positive change. Integration helps individuals process their experiences, allowing them to extract meaningful lessons and insights that can lead to significant personal transformation. This process often involves discussing the experience with a therapist or guide, journaling, meditation, and other reflective practices that help translate the psychedelic journey into actionable steps for personal growth.

Moreover, integration is essential for grounding the individual after the often- intense emotional and psychological effects of psychedelics. It provides a safe space for individuals to unpack their experiences, confront any challenging or negative aspects they encountered, and begin healing any psychological wounds that were revealed. With integration, the individual can work through these challenges constructively, turning potential trauma into a catalyst for resilience and understanding.

Integration also supports the broader societal acceptance and understanding of psychedelics. By emphasizing the importance of thoughtful, responsible use and the work that comes after the experience, integration helps to dispel the misconceptions about psychedelics being merely recreational drugs. It highlights their potential as tools for profound personal and spiritual growth, encouraging a more respectful and mindful approach to their use. In doing so, integration not only benefits the individual but also contributes to a cultural shift towards recognizing the value of psychedelics in mental health, wellness, and personal development.

Want to keep reading? Check out Cooking with Magic Mushrooms: the Psilocybin Cookbook  by David Connell, now available from our site or at an independent bookstore near you.