Why we got it wrong: Fly Agaric 101: The Magical Mushroom (Amanita muscaria)
(StoneAgeMan) This is the Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), aka the mushroom from Super Mario Brothers. It’s famous, yet I think the general consensus is that no one should ever eat it, never. That’s probably the safest thing to do, but it has been used for thousands of years by our ancestors.
CONTENTS
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - The legend of Santa Claus and Amanita urine
2:21 - Mushroom hunt
2:52 - Mushroom time-lapses
2:42 - When are changes updated?
3:06 - Amanita and mycorrhizal associations
3:52 - Identification of Amanita muscaria.
5:17 - Amanita chemistry
6:20 - Decarboxylation
7:07 - What the mushroom does
8:11 - Conclusions
Big thanks to all current and future patrons who are helping fund this science and filmmaking outreach via Patreon: bit.ly/2Sfmkph. "Amanita Dreamer" can be found at: amanitadreamer.net. (Big thanks to her help in this series). Remember to follow on Instagram: untamedscience.
Ever wonder, "Is Amanita muscaria psychedelic?" The short answer is yes. Also known as the Fly agaric mushroom, it has psychoactive properties that can alter perception and mood. This intriguing fungus interacts with brain and body to produce unique effects. The answer about it being psychedelic is more nuanced.
What is a safe dosage for first-time users? Are there risks or side effects associated with this mysterious entheogen. Guidance on preparing for an experience that is responsible use that understands the potential legal implications is also covered.
What is it, where does it come from?
Dude, it's totally grove if you prep set 'n setting
Amanita is often recognizable by its vibrant red cap with white spots and is a mushroom species native to temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
This fascinating fungus has a rich history tied to nature and culture because it is known for its psychoactive properties.
It contains two primary active compounds, ibotenic acid and muscimol. These chemicals interact with the brain's neurotransmitters, specifically targeting the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors. This interaction can lead to various effects, including changes in perception, mood, and consciousness. Some may experience euphoria, a dream-like state, or heightened sensory experiences. More: magicdoze.com
"Planting Medicine" airs Tuesdays at 1:00 pm on KPFA.org (Berkeley) and KPFK.org (Los Angeles).
"Planting Medicine," formerly "Herbal Highway," enhances the community’s knowledge of herbal (plant) medicines by sharing voices of traditional, holistic healers and their shamanistic healing practices.
Hosted and produced by Emiliano Lemus (aka "Emilia No-Lemus") and Renée Camila.
Planting Medicine originates in the San Francisco Bay Area, each Tuesday at 1:00 pm on 94.1 FM in the Bay and 90.7 FM in the Los Angeles Basin and online at kpfa.org and kpfk.org.
Call the LA studio at (818) 985-5735 and the office (818) 985-2711. Listen LIVE.
Today's show: Medicinal Berries: Host Emiliano Lemus dives into the world of medicinal berries. Join them to learn about the special healing properties carried by these wondrous fruits.
(Please don't call in with questions about drugs. This is a serious show about herbs and legal medicinal uses. And if you do call, don't laugh like Beavis & Butt-Head.)
15 Victorian drugs for kids and Brits
(Gaslight Diaries) Shocking plants (heroin, cocaine) and chemicals used as 'medicine' in England
World of herbs is bigger than pot
Good vs. Bad Bud: Differences to Notice
(Cannabis Guy) Oct. 10, 2025: Cannabis Guy breaks down the four signs of quality cannabis — look, smell, and feel. What frosty trichomes really mean, how terpenes reveal top-shelf flower buds, and how to avoid the classic signs of mids. From dull, dry buds to sticky, aromatic flower that burns clean and smooth, this is a complete guide to spotting good cannabis every time. Whether a grower, buyer, or just tired of getting burned by low-grade bud, this video teaches how to identify real quality legal pot.
Chapter 1: The Look: Visual cues reveal most of a bud’s story. Good: vibrant greens and purples, orange pistils, shimmering frost of trichomes. Trichomes are cannabinoid and terpene factories. Structure and density—tight, compact buds = good growing conditions. Contrast with bad weed: dull, brownish, yellow, moldy, airy, or leafy. Warning: buds with seeds, excess stems, or gray fuzz.
Chapter 2: The Smell: Aroma is a major quality indicator. Good: bold, distinct scents like citrus, pine, diesel, or berries—driven by terpenes with good preservation through proper curing. Bad weed: smells like hay, grass, or wet cardboard → poor curing. Stale, bland, or ammonia-like smells = old or wet-jarred weed → bacteria/mold risk.
Chapter 3: The Feel: Texture reveals quality. Good: sticky, springy, and resinous—snaps when broken. The “snap” test is proof of proper drying and curing. Airy/hollow buds = poor lighting or low nutrients. The ideal feel = sticky, dense, but not brittle.
Info: When it comes to bad vs. good, knowing how to tell good flower apart from trash is key. More
Woman crosses over and gets told our role on earth (near death experience)
(The Other Side NDE, Aug. 6, 2022) Having had an NDE in February of 2008, Kelly’s life was shifted and forever changed. During her near-death experience, she was witness to many things and shared in many experiences that allowed her to return to her physical body with all of her senses awakened. As a psychic, medium, and intuitive channeler, she now works towards walking beside others and walking others home as a soul guide.
Music from this video is from the independent record label Akashic Records here ▶️ youtube.com/channel...
#nde #neardeathexperience #neardeathexperiences
near death experiences
NDE
🎵 Background music licensed through AudioJungle and Epidemic Sound
🎥FOOTAGE licensed through VideoBlocks and Filmpac, except parts about the topic that have been used under fair use.
DISCLAIMER: This video is taken from an interview by this channel (The Other Side NDE) and is not taken from another channel, and it is all original content.
To enter the Buddhist meditative absorptions (zen states, jhanas, dhyanas), one has to be meditating regularly enough to reach "access concentration." Jhana Expert Leigh Brasington says two hours per day.
Now one rests/focuses on in-and-out breathing (anapana) until awareness does not drift: Thoughts are no longer pulling attention away. And if there are thoughts, they tend just be wispy and in the background -- like clouds passing through a vast, clear sky.
Brasington says this always takes at least 30 minutes to get to. Stay here for 10 minutes before moving into the absorptions:
First
Serenity has made all the difference!
To enter the first absorption, after access concentration is achieved and sustained for a good 10 minutes, find and move the attention to a pleasant sensation in the body.
Place attention on the pleasantness of the pleasant sensation, dropping in-and-out breath awareness.
Leave (keep) awareness on the pleasantness of the pleasant sensation, and the absorption will find you.
The first absorption is accompanied by piti-sukha.Piti (rapture, joy, bliss, zest, effervescence, euphoria) is "nervous energy," somewhat like having a finger in a light socket.
Sukhais "happiness" (pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, abiding calm). It is in the background, whereas piti is very much in the foreground.
Personally, I didn't like this excited piti state much. I'm sure I "fell into it" on a 10-day Goenka retreat when I started insight (vipassana) meditation.
Second
The second absorption is sukha-piti, when happiness comes into the foreground and piti takes a backseat.
To arrive at here, one takes a big in-breath and lets it out with a good sigh. By doing so a lot of the nervous energy drops away, and mostly sukha remains.
Third
Stay here a bit then take another deep breath, let it out, and imagine dialing back the happiness until it is contentment. This is the third absorption.
Fourth
For the fourth absorption, just imagine dropping into stillness and silence. This is as far as I got.
These first four are called the "material absorptions," and the next four the "immaterial absorptions."
The instructions to getting to the final four are just as easy, like skipping a stone across a placid lake, moving deeper and deeper into the coolest and deepest absorption.
It is possible for ordinary Americans with little to no experience to experience jhana. His knowledge of Buddhist sutras is impressive. The commentarial Abhidharma (the "Higher or Ultimate Teachings"), which came later as a systematic presentation of the Buddha's Dharma, sort of discounts the jhanas as being too hard to access.
It instead promotes "dry insight," or vipassana,
as somehow more accessible. [But insight without deep concentration is
inaccessible.] Brasington also says the Abhidharma attempts to make the Buddha's teachings
into one consistent Teaching, which is an impossible goal because the
Buddha taught different things to different people, effectively
reaching them where they were. More
EDITOR'S NOTE: Theravada tradition, particularly in Burma, states that the Buddha composed the Abhidharma while in Tavatimsa, the celestial "World of the Thirty-Three." It is a systematic summary of the Dharma in ultimate terms, meticulously and uniformly breaking down subtle subject matter into its constituent elements. For this reason some choose not to believe it represents what the Buddha taught, preferring the sutras and monastic code as if they had not also been systematized. The three great divisions of the Buddha's Teaching, called the Tripitaka or "Three Baskets," are the "Sutra Collection" (Sutta Pitaka), "Higher Teachings" (Abhidharma), and "Discipline" (Vinaya).
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