Political Science Final Essay

Mushrooms have been part of sacred rituals for thousands of geezerhood ago in the early tribes of Central America and Mexico (Health Education, 2008). Psilocybin is extracted from psilocin mexi tidy suma mushrooms and other genus related mushroom species or artificially prep ared in the drug laboratory (Health Education, 2008). Chemically, it is related with lysergic acid diethylamide and commonly known as shrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, or magic mushrooms (Health Education, 2008).Historically, for Indians in the Southern and Central America, psilocybin-containing mushrooms were inviolable mushrooms and regarded as a means to the world of the spirits. At present time, Psilocybe mushrooms are widely available in irreverent and dried forms that are ordinarily ingested, chopped or brewed in tea (Health Education, 2008). Generally, psilocybin users experience quiver physical sensations, mild euphoria and increased medicament visual sensations and music sensitivity (Health Educat ion, 2008). Literature Review Brief HistorySculptures and human-like mushroom arts were prevalent during 1000-500 BC (Freeman, 2004). It was inferred that these artifacts have religious implications. As direct evidence, ordinal century manuscript of Codex Vienna Mixtec proved the utilization of numinous mushroom in religious rituals (Freeman, 2004). The Seven Flowers was known as Mixtec immortal of hallucinatory plants represented through an image with a pair of mushrooms in hands (Freeman, 2004). Also, Aztec believed that moving from earthly to super natural realms back and forrad was possible under the power of entheogen, the Prince of Flowers.This was called the flowery dreams by the Aztec and ascribed to hallucinatory effectuate of the sacred mushrooms (Freeman, 2004). In relation to this, Gordon Wasson personally witnessed the velada session led by curandera Maria Sabina at the Mazatec village in Huatla de Jimenez. This velada session is a religious ceremony involving the magic mushroom (Freeman, 2004). Pharmacological Properties Mushrooms with hallucinatory effects are naturally cultivated in the cow pastures and fields of the southeastern and northwest parts of the fall in States (Freeman, 2004).The most common of all these mushrooms is Psilocybe mushroom containing hallucinogenic substances. The stems of psilocybin-containing mushrooms are slender and long with caps having underside dark gills. While the caps of fresh mushroom are dark brown along the edges, white or light brown central part topped in opaque-gray or white stems, dried mushrooms are rusty brown with scattered whitish parts (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2006). In 1958 Dr. Albert Hoffman, the lysergic acid diethylamide discoverer, identified psilocybin and psilocin as the active components of Psilocybe mushroom (Freeman, 2004).About four to cristal milligrams per gram of this mushroom is its average psilocybin constituent (Freeman, 2004). In addition, psilocybin is classif ied as hallucinogenic drugs typically found in the United States, South American regions, and Mexico (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2006). This mushroom contains trace pith of psilocin and 0. 2% to 0. 4% of psilocybin (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2006). Further, psilocybin was reported as a very stable substance that can last even for 150 years in a test mushroom (Freeman, 2004).