In the vast and diverse realm of psychedelic mushrooms, one species stands out for its rarity, unique characteristics, and intriguing properties: Psilocybe Natalensis. While less known compared to its more famous counterparts, such as Psilocybe cubensis or Psilocybe semilanceata, Psilocybe Natalensis holds a special place among aficionados of psychedelic fungi. In this article, we embark on an exploration of Psilocybe Natalensis, unraveling its origins, characteristics, effects, and cultural significance.
Origins and Distribution
Psilocybe Natalensis belongs to the genus Psilocybe, which encompasses a wide variety of psychoactive mushrooms containing the compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Native to certain regions of Africa, particularly South Africa, Psilocybe Natalensis thrives in subtropical climates with ample moisture and organic matter. It is often found growing in grassy areas, pastures, and woodlands, where it forms symbiotic relationships with various plant species.
Characteristics
Psilocybe Natalensis is characterized by its distinctive appearance and morphology. The mushrooms typically have small to medium-sized caps, ranging in color from pale brown to reddish-brown, with a conical or bell-shaped profile. The stems are slender, elongated, and often bear remnants of a partial veil, which may form a distinct ring or collar near the cap. When mature, Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms exhibit dark purple-brown spore prints, a hallmark feature of the Psilocybe genus.
Chemical Composition
Like other members of the Psilocybe genus, Psilocybe Natalensis contains psychoactive compounds such as psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. These compounds interact with serotonin receptors in the brain, inducing altered states of consciousness characterized by perceptual distortions, heightened sensory perception, and introspective insights. The potency of Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms can vary depending on factors such as genetics, growing conditions, and environmental factors.
Cultural and Ethnobotanical Significance
In indigenous African cultures, certain species of psychedelic mushrooms, including Psilocybe Natalensis, have been used for spiritual, therapeutic, and divinatory purposes for centuries. Shamans and healers in these cultures have traditionally employed these mushrooms in rituals, ceremonies, and healing practices to facilitate communication with ancestral spirits, induce visions, and promote physical and emotional well-being.
Despite their cultural significance, psychedelic mushrooms have faced stigma, prohibition, and legal restrictions in many parts of the world. However, there is growing interest and advocacy for the decriminalization and responsible use of psychedelic substances, including Psilocybe Natalensis, for therapeutic and spiritual purposes.
Effects and Experiences
Here is a GREAT Article written on reddit, FULL OF user experience reviews for this species of mushroom:
"Natalensis vs Cubensis - a few notes from the mycelial interwebz
In case it might be of use or interest to fellow psilonauts, sharing some accounts of various aspects of P. natalensis including comparisons made with P. cubensis sourced from the mycelial interwebz...this includes some views on their cultivation, potency and qualitative effects, having scanned a few forums (such as the Shroomery and Mycotopia) and Reddit groups. I did this because I was unable to track down a single article on the web on Natalensis (or much information on it of any kind really), and due to the lack of available information, sharing this in case it might inspire interest or be useful to people. I feel this is important information to share, particularly for beginner mushroom growers, as this is widely reported to be a more forgiving and tenacious species to grow (with more aggressive mycelium that can eat through moulds potentially, unlike Cubensis), while also generally being preferred for the experience it provides.
Please feel free to add your own views based on your experiences growing or sampling this species in response to this message.
Summary taken from a Shroomery thread on P. natalensis:
Psilocybe natalensis:
- Are stronger than most Cubensis, on average.
- Grow with same teks and substrates as Cubensis.
- Grow fast.
- Have super aggressive, unstoppable mycelium that uses contam as food.
- Sometimes overlay, but you can pick that off and make it into active tea.
- Fewer bad trips than Cubensis.
- Different trip than Cubensis, some folks like it more. Maybe "friendlier" trip is a better term.
It looks kind of like a Cubensis, but it's a separate species. DNA analysis puts it closer to Cubensis than any other sequenced shroom (per Alan Rockefeller).
Potency:
"They’re usually around 1.5x potency of Cubensis."
"They are about 1.5x as potent as a standard Cubensis I’d say."
"Natalensis are more like 1.5 times as potent as Cubensis."
"Psilocybe natalensis are 1.5-2x more potent and average cubes, less mental fuck and more blissful."
"Natalensis are about double the potency on average compared to Cubensis."
"They are about double the potency on average compated to cubes."
"They are close to 2x stronger than most cubes."
"About twice as strong [as Cubensis] with a nicer come up."
"They are super strong though like 2x the strength of cubes."
"The natalensis I've had were 2-3x stronger than regular cubensis. Although that could just be personal sensitivity or an unusually potent variety."
"3g of Nats sent me to the shadow realm (in a good way), felt like 6g of cubes."
"I had a gram of my Nats last week and it definitely felt comparable to 2+ grams of cubes. Seems to me that the onset is smoother but I did get a little anxious after the peak when I realized just how hard that gram had hit."
"Tried Natalensis out for the 1st time last night. A 2.3g tea fried me! Totally taken by surprise how strong these were. Thought I peaked then an hour later - got slammed hard. I'd put these right up there with APE [Cubensis]."
"It was very very obvious that 2 grams of Natalensis felt like 5 grams Cubensis. My reality was shattered. I began to question my career and intentions. Trip is very “loopy” and visually stimulating. Will potentially kick your ass."
"My Nats are super strong. Stronger than PE and Jack Frost - probably 3x the average cube and very visual. Mushrooms have never given me visuals like these Nats did."
"…it's a different species then Cubensis. They are much stronger too."
"I’d say they are potent like a TaT or ape [Cubensis] strain, definitely stronger than a golden teacher."
"Natalensis are super strong just warning you lol it felt like I took almost 5g [of Cubensis] but I took 2.6g."
"My experience was very profound on just 1.5g via tea; definitely stronger than cubes at the same dose, but extremely gentle, as many have stated."
"Last night I took Natalensis. 1.5g knocked me out of this world. It came on very quickly (about 30min) and then kept intensifying for about 3 more hours."
"Natalensis are about twice as potent as Cubensis but the body load is still there."
"South African here, I recently grew P. Natalensis and tripped last Friday... WOW. A friend and I wanted to give these guys a try – so we each took 1.8g, expecting a light buzz and maybe some mild visuals. To keep a long story short, the come up was at most 10 minutes, and the 1.8g was the strongest, most intense trip I’ve experienced by a lightyear – far exceeding my previous maximum dose which was 8g of P. Cubensis."
"I suggest starting at 1g to test potency, 2-3 grams people reporting DMT like OBE already."
Qualitative effects:
"Finally tried 2 grams. Never eating cubes again. Freakin amazing. Cubes just don't mix well with me, bad body load on the come-up it is always uncomfortable. Large doses of cubes also just made me so fucked I didn’t really remember much. But damn these are so smooth and clean."
"They are usually on par with PE. So around 2x but the trip is superior to cubes. They are more visual, highly euphoric and zero body load. I stopped taking cube’s because they made me bloated and miserable. Nats are really clean feeling. Even high doses are wonderful."
"These were the most uplifting, less anxious, most friendly mushrooms I have ever taken and for those who are yet to try them, I highly encourage you do so. I am in love."
"Don’t want to make a super long post but this HAS to be said. I’ve tried a few different types of shrooms, and many different types of cubes. But I can wholeheartedly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Natalensis is the best of the best. Incredibly strong and visual, but with such a “clean” headspace. I could hardly believe it was only mushrooms, felt like I was hippieflipping in a way. Guys, please try some nats."
"These are hands down the best strain I ever have tried...haven't tried pans yet but these grow super fast and easy. Deff more therapeutic/healing/spiritual for me...cubes give me a crazy body load and I feel more on edge it's weird af."
"For mental health this is the best species I've tried. So much friendlier than cubes. With cubes I would never take them when in an active depression because of the edginess and chance of a dark head space."
"Psilocybe natalensis are hands down the best strain/type of magic fungi I have ever had the pleasure of ingesting. Cubensis give me a heavy body load and I feel a bit more on edge. Pnats had me feeling like a real clean acid trip almost (was a thought I had a few times while on them). They are super euphoric and very spiritual as well."
"I get less body load, less brain fog and feel more awake on Nats. The visuals are lighter and it just feels like an all around cleaner trip. On cubes I always feel a little bit of an emotional roller coaster and I tend to cry at least once per trip. Nats feel more stable and I tend to just feel relaxed, happy and peaceful. I love them and I’ll never grow anything else again. Best trips I’ve ever had."
"They feel very different to cubes to me, cubes are confusing, heavy on the body, and just overall aren’t very fun for me, while nats are light on the body, clearheaded, and are very fun, as well as having very distinct visuals (they have the typical shroom visuals+some of their own flair)."
"P. natalensis is my favorite mushroom to trip with. In my experience, the onset is more gentle than cubes (less anxiety). The visuals are unbelievably colorful and clear, compared to P. cubensis."
"Best trip I’ve had taking shrooms. I’ve done them about 25 other times with cubes. Nats are a different vibe. Very positive!"
"P. Natalensis hands down... the headspace is so uplifting and enjoyable where cubes have tendency to get weird and heavy introspective shit..."
"I personally won't dose high with cubes cause they're scary as shit but nats are so much nicer."
"I tend to be happier on Nats. They seem less edgy to me [than Cubensis]."
"I've just tried Natalensis and am in love. So light, sparkly, upbeat, joyous."
"If cubensis is a rollercoaster, natalensis is a water slide."
"Cubes have an edge and a dark side that make me wary. But Nats are kinder to me. I did get paranoid one time on a higher dose but it was much more manageable than with cubes."
"The experience is also very unique. Really hard to beat, and can make cubes seem harsh and synthetic in way, when compared."
"Gotta say I don’t really have any interest in cubes anymore, they never had me laughing and having that much fun as natalensis."
"Will never eat another regular cube again after eating these lol love to grow them as well."
"Yeah definitely do feel way more healing and therapeutic [than Cubensis] for sure! I definitely feel way better for days after unlike cubes. Just overall better experience from start to finish and the days after are all noticeably better."
"They are a superior trip to cubensis for sure. Stronger than most cubes, very euphoric, and very little body load. I’ve done high doses with them and feel like I could have doubled my dose and just had more fun lol."
"The biggest difference for me is the headspace. Most cubes make me anxious as fuck. On natalensis, my mind goes where I direct it. Even on high doses, I am confident that I am in control of the experience. Dreamy euphoria that comes without conditions. The onset is gradual, no need to buckle up. Minimal body load."
"After Natalensis, I'll rarely touch a Cubensis again save for microdosing."
"I've tried some other strains since making this first post, but still had the best experiences with Natalensis."
“Currently my new favorite the only way I can describe it is it feels cleaner I don't get any preflight anxiety…I wouldn't say their a whole lot more potent definitely stronger but it's a much clearer headspace for me love em.”
"I had very mild nausea on the come up and then waves of bliss kinda body high and ZERO nausea....it was epic! Cubes make me feel shitty and I take zofran/ginger just to lower the nausea, I will probably never eat another cube after trying Nats overlay 1 time."
"These are a great trip. Little to no body load, very visual, and extremely euphoric."
"They do IME have a different trip than Cubensis too. I find them to have little body load, great visuals, and very euphoric. Very nice trip."
"They are amazing, fairly certain there's compounds present that aren't in ps cubensis, they are noticeably different both in the headspace and visuals."
"I can only compare them to APE [Cubensis], and I prefer these. I guess you could say they're about equal in strength, but they give me a whole different level of trip. If cubes are 3D, Natalensis are 4D."
"Like 3g of Amazonians or GT's [Cubensis] vs 3g Natalensis strength wise the Natalensis is more potent but not by much (IMPO) but the trips are different, that much is for sure...put it this way this strain is in many growers top 5."
"It was such a clean feeling trip too. Minimal nausea. Smooth come up. They’re a 10/10 for me and I probably won’t grow anything else for a while."
"They have the most gentle come up, no nausea at all for me. And they are very strong. It's a much more intense trip than Cubensis. And longer lasting."
"Cultivators are describing Natalensis to be as potent as Penis Envy Cubensis while offering a qualitatively superior experience to P. cubensis."
"The trip is definitely a bit different. Better come up and down. Also feel overall on general that lasts longer."
"Come up and down was super smooth. Overall trip felt longer than cubes. No come up anxiety either."
"I found the experience to be much more preferable than Cubes. More smooth, mild, and euphoric. Very little body load as mentioned."
"I ate about 1.5 grams of Nats I grew. Incredibly potent and visual without any body load or anxiety. Very clear headed. I liked it so much I vowed to focus mostly on growing Nats for a while."
"I don’t think I'll do cubes again I’ll save them for microdosing nats have changed my entire outlook on mushrooms."
"I don’t see myself likely to trip on cubes again. Or at least not often. Nats have given me the best trips. When I trip on cubes I’ll often lost the ability to talk and that makes me feel very uneasy. The first time I took Nats I felt so clear headed. I was able to perfectly describe the visuals to my girlfriend and communicate."
"In my experience they have a pronounced empathogenic like headspace and overall sedating feel to them, also no thought loops like cubes. They are all around better for me. Definitely a different compound profile."
"Noticeably different [to Cubensis], I feel a strong empathogen like overtone and little less open eye visuals with stinger closed eye visuals... Certainly more potent. ... By far my favorite species to consume atm."
"Can confirm these are cube killers! I will also most likely not dose cubes for an experience again. The come up is strong, but so clean! And to put clean into words I mean there is ZERO body load that you find with regular cubes. No stomach aching, no weird uncomfortable state between sober-peak, it just shoots you off in about 20-30 minutes."
"Subjective of course, but I definitely agree with the consensus here. Very visual and euphoric, but with an almost sober head space and very little body load. I've only had one trip on them so far, 2gs, but it was fantastic, possibly the best trip I've had on mushrooms, definitely the most fun."
"Very clear headed, it makes the world look more real than it already is, like high definition cinematic god mode. I don’t think I’ll ever eat cubes again, these were on another level all together."
"If you've done acid, that's the best visual comparison. Headspace is calm, no racing thoughts. Less of a body load, more of a "head high" like sativa vs indica. They make my body buzz like I took an addy. I tripped on some cubes the other day and absolutely hated it. I've been spoiled by the nats."
"I just tried P. natalensis for the first time recently, the South African cousin species to cubensis. The trip was actually rather different from cubes, for me at least. It felt more mellow in the head, but the body load was euphoric and lovely. If P. natalensis is an available option (it is growing in popularity, largely because you can grow it exactly like cubes) I highly recommend it."
"A friend imported Natalensis spores from Africa, and he says hands down his favourites to grow and eat. They have a different vibe, he says."
"Nah I won’t say twice as strong [as Cubensis] although it is a hard hitter once it comes on, uncontrollable euphoric giggles at the most random shit, personally a unique experience that I personally feel is characteristic of this strain."
"Less nauseous [than Cubensis], and more clear. … Head space is clearer, sometimes I feel a little confused on Cubensis, wandering around the house not sure what I was going to do next."
"Natalensis is more crystal clear [than Cubensis], hard to explain."
"Natalensis always has a little sparkle to the trip, can't explain it, but we like them."
"They are more like MDMA and not so confusing for me compared to cubes."
"My new favorite for sure, any body load ya do get from them, is a good one."
"Honestly, I too, thought people were exaggerating about Nats. Nope, they weren't exaggerating at all. My first experience was 1.25g and was amazing. No body load. No yawning. Amazing visuals."
"This might sound weird, but Cubes FEEL male to me, a little harder edged, a little more in your face and demanding, while this Nat trip felt distinctly female, deep (very deep!) yet oh so soft, nurturing even, and a heck of a lot of FUN."
"I tried out the Natalensis last weekend. 3.18g and holy shit. It was extremely intense and strange. The visuals were more of a light show quality than the normal crawling swirling. Almost like everything was lit by moving neon light."
Commonly reported qualitative differences vs Cubensis:
- Smoother experience with an easier come up
- Less body load and nausea issues
- Cleaner/clearer headspace
- Generally a "friendlier" and more uplifting and positive headspace, more prone to euphoria
- Distinct/superior visuals"
Our Customers here at Zoombag.ca report this being their favourite go to mushroom after they tried it. It has a "friendlier" high and almost always is prefered over your typical psilocybin cubensis mushrooms.
The effects of Psilocybe Natalensis are similar to those of other psilocybin-containing mushrooms, albeit with potential variations in intensity, duration, and subjective experiences. When ingested, Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms typically induce a range of psychedelic effects, including:
1. Visual Hallucinations: Users may experience vivid and colorful visual hallucinations, ranging from geometric patterns and fractal shapes to vivid landscapes and abstract forms.
2. Altered Perception: Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms can profoundly alter perception, heightening sensory awareness, and intensifying the perception of sound, touch, taste, and smell.
3. Introspective Insights: Many users report deep introspection, self-reflection, and profound insights into their thoughts, emotions, and life experiences. Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms have been likened to "teachers" or "guides" that facilitate inner exploration and personal growth.
4. Emotional Release: The psychedelic effects of Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms may evoke a wide range of emotions, from euphoria and bliss to anxiety and introspective melancholy. Users may confront suppressed emotions, unresolved traumas, and existential questions, leading to cathartic release and emotional healing.
5. Spiritual and Mystical Experiences: Some users describe transcendent or mystical experiences characterized by a sense of unity with the universe, profound interconnectedness, and a dissolution of the ego. These experiences may foster feelings of awe, reverence, and spiritual awakening.
Conclusion
Psilocybe Natalensis represents a fascinating and enigmatic species of magic mushrooms with a rich history, unique characteristics, and profound effects. While less studied and renowned compared to other psychedelic mushrooms, Psilocybe Natalensis holds immense potential for exploration, discovery, and therapeutic use. As interest in psychedelic research and therapy continues to grow, it is essential to approach these substances with respect, caution, and reverence for their profound mysteries and transformative power. Whether as catalysts for spiritual awakening, tools for psychological healing, or agents of personal growth, Psilocybe Natalensis mushrooms offer a gateway to the depths of consciousness and the mysteries of the mind.
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