Is It Safe to Eat a Mushroom Chocolate Bar?

Interest in psychedelics has grown rapidly in the past few years. Some of this is due to promising medical trials indicating psychedelics could be used to treat depression or PTSD. But psychedelics are also used recreationally and are increasingly available in a variety of forms for that purpose. One of the most common is a mushroom chocolate bar – chocolate infused with psilocybin.

In this article, we’ll talk about what you need to know about psychedelic mushrooms. 

What Are Psilocybin Mushrooms?

Psilocybin mushrooms are naturally occurring fungi that contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin. When consumed, the psilocybin converts to psilocin, causing a variety of changes in a person’s subjective state. Effects include profound euphoria, enhanced sensory perception, more emotional sensitivity, and changes in thought patterns.

For this reason, psilocybin mushrooms are often referred to as “magic mushrooms” or, simply, “shrooms.” But magic mushrooms are often unappealing to eat on their own – they have an earthy taste and slimy texture that many people find off-putting. To make them more palatable, people have lately been finding many different ways to consume them, such as in the form of mushroom tea or as a mushroom product like a chocolate bar or magic mushroom gummies.

There are a couple of major reasons people choose to take shrooms:

• Spiritual Exploration: Many users seek a profound connection with themselves or the universe, describing the experience as deeply spiritual or enlightening.
• Therapeutic Benefits: Recent studies suggest psilocybin may help treat mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction, though research is ongoing.
• Recreational Use: Some individuals use mushrooms recreationally to experience altered states of consciousness, including euphoria, visual distortions, and a sense of interconnectedness with the world.
• Personal Growth: Users often report that the introspective nature of psilocybin trips helps them confront unresolved personal issues, emotional trauma, or provide clarity in life decisions.

Consuming one of these magical bars will bring on a variety of effects. You’ll feel your skin start tingling, music will be more enjoyable, and you’ll feel major euphoria. Thoughts will seem to come more easily to you; you might become more articulate, and you’ll be more emotionally open.

But there are also dangers to magic mushrooms. Chief among them is what’s known as a “bad trip.” Psychedelics like shrooms put people into fragile, almost childlike mental states. If a person eats a mushroom chocolate bar that is too potent or that person isn’t in the best frame of mind when taking it, intense fear, anxiety, paranoia, and disturbing hallucinations could result. The person may feel like they are losing control, losing their sanity, or even dying. They could carry trauma as a result of the experience.

While shrooms have shown the potential for helping people in certain circumstances, it’s dangers like these that have gotten psilocybin classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. This means it’s illegal to possess, distribute, or use.

However, the legality surrounding magic mushrooms is in flux. Some cities, like Denver, Colorado, and Oakland, California, have decriminalized the personal use of psilocybin, meaning law enforcement deprioritizes its enforcement. And in 2020, Oregon became the first U.S. state to legalize the controlled, therapeutic use of psilocybin under specific guidelines.

Is It Safe to Eat a Mushroom Chocolate Bar?

No drug is ever “safe.” Eating a magic mushroom chocolate bar means taking on all the risks associated with psilocybin mushrooms.

Aside from bad trips, which we’ve already gone over, these include:

• Flashbacks (Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder – HPPD): Some users experience flashbacks or random recurrences of certain aspects of the mushroom trip, such as visual distortions, long after the effects have worn off.
• Aggravation of Mental Health Issues: People with preexisting mental health conditions, especially those with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe anxiety, may find that mushrooms exacerbate their symptoms. Psilocybin can trigger psychotic episodes in vulnerable individuals.
• Impaired Judgment: While under the influence of psilocybin, users may experience altered thinking and judgment, leading to risky behavior such as accidents, unsafe environments, or poor decision-making.

What’s more, unless you made the mushroom chocolate bar yourself, you have no idea how potent it is. That means you could end up taking more than you’d planned, which could lead to a really bad time.

There are also physical side effects that can occur. For example, magic mushrooms are well known to cause nausea and could even lead to vomiting. This is because the stomach becomes extraordinarily sensitive while taking shrooms. While not life-threatening, it’s certainly not fun, so this is something to be aware of.

Mushrooms also impair your fine motor skills. While not dangerous in itself, if you go for a drive after eating a mushroom chocolate bar this obviously could be life-threatening – to yourself and others.