In many sources, this mushroom is still called deadly by inertia, but in reality, adherents of such formulations tend to exaggerate too much. The active ingredients of fly agaric dissolve easily in water, especially during boiling. Therefore, for a more or less experienced specialist, it will not be difficult to turn a fly agaric into a completely edible mushroom. The most common recipe includes 3 key ingredients. First, boil two or three times and remove the decoction. Secondly, long drying. Thirdly, soaking and boiling. Although many are generally limited to several boilings with the removal of the broth.
One of the distinguishing features of this fungus is the unpredictability of the consequences. The result is influenced by the region where the fly agaric grows, and the dose taken, and the physical condition of the person, and even the morale. Sensations can be very diverse: visual and auditory distortions, mood swings up to euphoria, relaxation, drowsiness, trembling, low blood pressure and loss of balance.
An impressive overdose on the verge of poisoning is fraught with delirium, confusion, irritability and, of course, hallucinations. In particularly difficult cases, convulsions annoy. Even coma is possible. It usually takes 30-90 minutes from the time of use to the onset of symptoms. The peak of sensations occurs 3 hours after the start. A full return to normal occurs within 12-24 hours. However, the residual effects sometimes last for several days.
Due to the aforementioned unpredictability of the consequences, the red fly agaric remained in the shadow of psilocybin mushrooms for a very long time. They were much more popular due to their predictability. And this is the key to mass recreational use. The range of potential effects is very wide: from sedation and even sleep to excitement, hallucinations, accelerated living of many different lives, as well as micro- and macropsia, when a person perceives himself to be significantly reduced or increased.
The situation changed markedly when the persecution of psilocybin-containing mushrooms began. After legislative prohibitions, their use in many countries has become problematic. Then adherents of microdosing began to pay more and more attention to fly agarics. There are plenty of good examples all over the world. So, in some regions of Lithuania, the ritual use of these mushrooms, infused with vodka, is increasingly practiced during wedding feasts. And in general, more and more local holidays are not complete without their use. In addition, the Lithuanians also prepare dried fly agaric, and then deliver them to the Saami - the inhabitants of the Far North, who use them in shamanic rituals.
The traditions of the use of fly agaric by the peoples who have been living in Siberia from time immemorial are being actively revived. We are talking about representatives of the Uralic language family living in Western Siberia, and about the Paleo-Asiatic peoples living in the Russian part of the Far East. But the Tungus and Turkic ethnic groups on the territory of Central Siberia practically do not use the entheogenic properties of this fungus, although occasionally there are single evidence of such ceremonies.
In the western part of Siberia, the traditions of using the red fly agaric have always been strong. But its use remained within the competence of shamans for a long time. For them, it was a convenient way to achieve trance. Otherwise, they had to achieve this state by ritual dances for several hours. That is, in the west of Siberia, the fly agaric was primarily a ceremonial instrument.
But in the east of the region, these mushrooms were not the prerogative of shamans. Yes, they actively used them to conduct mystical rituals, but ordinary members of the tribe also used fly agaric, so to speak, for recreational purposes. It was in Eastern Siberia that they invented a simple but effective way to filter the components contained in these mushrooms. To avoid a number of side effects, the local tribes came up with the idea of drinking the urine of people who had eaten fly agaric. Despite this filtering, psychoactive elements in this case have an even stronger effect.
To the discovery that the human body is an excellent filter, people did not come of their own free will. The classic example is the Koryaks. For this ethnic group, the independent collection of fly agarics was strictly prohibited, and not everyone had the financial opportunity to purchase them from a shaman. Only rich Koryaks could afford such luxury. And the poor - yes, that's right - were content with drinking their urine. Over time, they noticed that in this way they get not only the worst, but even the best effect.
Fly agaric traditions vary greatly from tribe to tribe. Modern researchers have about 15 ways to use them. They are eaten raw and dried, baked and fried. Decoctions and extracts are prepared from them. And the most exotic method is to eat deer meat, previously fed with fly agaric.
Of course, the goal pursued by the person has always played an important role in the ceremonies. For example, shamans primarily used old fruiting bodies for their rituals. And the hunters and young men who underwent the rite of initiation used young, unopened hats peeled from the skin, because they contain the highest concentration of active substances.
Fly agaric was an integral component of the concoctions used by the Scandinavian and ancient German berserkers and Ulfhednar to achieve a frenzied state on the eve of battle. According to some hypotheses, red fly agaric, along with ephedra and harmala, was part of soma, a ritual drink of the Vedic and ancient Persian cultures.