A Synopsis of the Penis Envy Mushroom

The Penis Envy (PE) mushroom is one of the most unique and interesting varieties of the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom, with an equally unique & interesting history. This strain is colloquially known as the most potent Psilocybe Cubensis magic mushroom variety and countless anecdotal reports have claimed that the experience elicited by consuming Penis Envy mushrooms is much more intense, visual, and euphoric relative to other varieties some have even compared their experiences to similar to ones elicited by other considerably stronger substances, such as DMT, LSD, or Mescaline. It’s theorized that this is due to both a higher concentration, & a higher ratio of Psilocin to Psilocybin. PE mushrooms also have a fascinating origin story that has become somewhat of a legend in the psychedelic space, involving several high-profile names international smuggling, genetic mutations, prescription drug dealing, robbery, and murder!

With that said, today we’ll take a walk down history lane and take a look at the comprehensive and interesting life of the Penis Envy Mushroom.

The Complex History of the Penis Envy Mushroom

Legend has it that Penis Envy originated from an exceptionally large and healthy mushroom found deep in the Amazon Rainforest, by fabled ethnobotanist Terrence McKenna who is credited as being a mystic, psycho-naut, distinguished lecturer, author, and advocate for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants.

McKenna is said to have, with the help of indigenous guides, found a colossal patch of mushrooms growing deep in the rainforest, and took several spore prints from this culture. During the 1970’s, magic mushrooms were already illegal in most countries do the enactment of the UN Psychotropic Substances Act in 1971 however, mushroom spores were not actually prohibited since they do not possess the psychoactive compounds found in Psilocybin. The idea of explaining this to a Customs agent was not something Mckenna wanted to do, so he just sandwiched the prints between two microscopy slides, labeled the slides with a rare genus name, and took his chances. Fortunately, this went off without a hitch, and soon Terrence was back in his home state of Colorado where he soon began cultivating mushrooms from his prints. Terrence sent several prints from the exceptional Amazonian specimen to many of his ethno-mycologist colleagues.

One of these colleagues was Steven Hayden Pollock, a medical doctor who had a passion for psychedelic mushrooms, and was 40 years ahead of his time in believing that they were the most effective medicine for the treatment of several psychological conditions. Pollock was also the first person to document the existence of Psilocybe Tampanensis (along with several other species). Pollock received a spore print from the exceptional Amazon mushroom culture from Mckenna, and set about propagating and refining this culture on an agar medium. For several months/years (it’s not known exactly how long) he performed culture isolation, narrowing and strengthening the genetic profile with every generation, until one day a large, odd looking mutation occurred.

Although Pollock is quite unknown and rarely credited for the several innovations that he contributed to human understanding of Psilocybin mushrooms. He can rest knowing that his contributions and risks to his freedom were not made in vain, as both Psilocybe Tampanensis and Penis Envy Cubensis are now cultivated throughout the world, and are recognized as two of the most desirable Psilocybin varieties.

Terrence McKenna Steven Haden Pollock

Penis Envy Characteristics

Name & Shape

The name of this strain is questionable, and doesn’t refer to the endowments possessed by either of the gentlemen above. The name is derived from its shape, in that the mushroom resembles a phallic object.

The visual characteristics of this mushroom variety include a large, thick, and extraordinarily dense stem that is typically white in colour, and an underdeveloped, bulbous cap that is distinctly more rounded than most other Psilocybe Cubensis varieties. Penis Envy mushrooms are also one of the densest varieties of magic mushrooms, and while they are typically shorter in height and smaller overall than other species, they still possess significant weight due to their density.

Psychoactive Properties

The psychoactive effects elicited by Penis Envy magic mushrooms are reported to be more intense and have distinctly more wave-like visual hallucinations. It is believed that Penis Envy Mushrooms contain not only higher concentrations of psychoactive compounds, but also a higher ratio of psilocin-to-psilocybin  these are the two compounds found in magic mushrooms with the highest concentrations are responsible for the psychedelic effects experienced by users.

• Interestingly, it is actually Psilocin that binds with the 5-HT2A receptor in the human brain which causes these effects, however Psilocybin is quickly dephosphorylated (removal of phosphate from an organic group via hydrolysis) into Psilocin by the liver after ingestion.

• This higher psilocin-to-psilocybin ratio effectively serves to make the onset of effects occur slightly sooner and heavier when taking Penis Envy mushrooms (since the body does not have to dephosphorylate as much psilocybin into psilocin), however, this does not affect the overall duration of the trip

It is also commonly reported that a penis envy mushroom experience carries less of a body high, rather, it leaves the user feeling light, euphoric, energetic, & and imaginative. To put it concisely, it is a very clean high.

These effects can include:

• Vivid visual stimulation,
• Intense feelings of euphoria
• Deep introspection
• Philosophical thoughts
• Tremendous joy
• Distortion of space and time
• Synesthesia (i.e.. hearing colours, seeing sounds)
• Mystical’ or spiritual feelings of connectedness to the universe

Variations of the Penis Envy Mushroom

Beginning in the late 1970s with Stephen Pollock, there have been several entheo-mycologists and genetics vendors who have performed culture isolation/crossing on the Penis Envy strain. This has resulted in several distinguishable sub-variants, such as:

• Albino Penis Envy (Albino PF x Penis Envy) **
  • The Albino Penis Envy variety has the milky white colouration of the Albino PF variety and its caps are sometimes tinged dark blue. Albino Penis Envy mushrooms are also smaller than Penis Envy mushrooms on average.
• Penis Envy #6 (a mutation)
• Trans Envy (Transkei x Penis Envy)
  • Penis Envy Uncut magic mushrooms have a distinct physical feature which is that its caps do not open at all, even late in the mushroom’s maturity. Additionally caps are distinctly darker than regular Penis Envy. They are also said to be the most potent of all of the Penis Envy varieties.
• Texas Penis Envy (Texas Orange Caps x Penis) **
• Penis Envy Uncut (a mutation)
  • Penis Envy Uncut magic mushrooms have a distinct physical feature which is that its caps do not open at all, even late in the mushroom’s maturity. Additionally caps are distinctly darker than regular Penis Envy. They are also said to be the most potent of all of the Penis Envy varieties.

Summary

The Penis Envy magic mushroom is a very interesting variety of Psilocybe cubensis that human scientific understanding of is actually quite limited. It’s visually distinct, considerably difficult to cultivate, and it’s potency is unmatched within the cubensis genus — which has resulted in these mushrooms being highly sought after, especially by experienced Psycho-naut.