What is it?
Certain types of naturally occurring mushrooms contain hallucinogenic chemicals -- psilocybin and psilocin. These mushrooms are generally grown in Mexico and Central America and have been used in native rituals for thousands of years.

What does it look like?
Dried mushrooms.

What are the street names/slang terms for it?
Shrooms, caps, magic mushrooms.

How is it used?
Mushrooms can be eaten, brewed and consumed as tea.

What are its short-term effects?
When ingested, mushrooms produce a syndrome similar to alcohol intoxication sometimes accompanied by hallucinations. Once ingested, mushrooms generally cause feelings of nausea and other physical symptoms before the desired mental effects appear. The high from using mushrooms is mild and consists of distorted perceptions. Effects may include different perceptions of stimuli like touch, sight, sound and taste. Onset of symptoms is usually rapid and the effects generally subside within 2 hours.
The effects of mushrooms are unpredictable each time they are used due to varying potency, the amount ingested, and the user's expectations, mood, surroundings, and frame of mind. Effects can include sweating, nervous feeling, paranoia.

Where are mushrooms purchased?
Some mushroom users order kits with the spores and grow their own in a closet or basement. Others look for naturally growing mushrooms and run the danger of mistakenly selecting poisonous mushrooms, which can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion.