The Difference Between Magic Truffles And Magic Mushrooms

The myth that magic truffles and magic mushrooms differ in their effect and potency is still going around and may confuse the one or the other aspiring psychonaut. Is there really a difference between magic truffles and magic mushrooms? We take a look at these differences and will help clear up the myths here in this article!

There are still some shroomers who think that there are big differences between magic mushrooms and magic truffles. But the differences between the two are in regards to their appearance and the way they grow and not with their effect or potency.

The first thing you possibly want to know is that the magic truffles that you can get today are actually no real truffles like the fruiting bodies (sclerotia) of the genus Tuber. The magic truffles that you can find today are the fruiting bodies of the psilocybe mushrooms that are growing below the ground and this is really the only thing that sets them apart. They are essentially the same thing as the part that grows out above, the visible part that we call mushroom.

Now, what’s important to know for psychonauts is that both types of fruiting bodies of a magic mushroom, no matter where they grow, the mushroom or the “truffle” that grows underground contain the psychoactive molecules such as psilocybin and psilocin. And when it comes to their effectiveness, they’re both very much the same.

WHAT IS A TRUFFLE?

A truffle can be seen as survival trick of a fungus which can develop under some circumstances. While fungi can grow to mushrooms (like our magic mushrooms) they don’t always. When the fungus cannot get enough nutrients or doesn’t have sufficient oxygen to grow they will grow their fruiting body underground instead. This part that develops underground is what’s called truffle or sclerotia.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE PSYCHEDELIC EFFECT BETWEEN MAGIC MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES?

There is practically no difference in the effect from consuming magic mushrooms and magic truffles. They both contain the same active compounds and can induce the same type of psychedelic experiences. The difference is more in how these psychoactive substances can be found, now if we compare the “truffles” to the mushrooms. One difference is that mushrooms grow in stages with their latest growing stage normally producing the most-concentrated amounts of psilocybin and the other psychoactive substances. This also means that not all mushrooms are necessarily equally potent, this will depend on in what growing stage they are. The “truffles” from a particular strain on the other hand all have the same potency with no variation in potency between them. This can make truffles easier and safer to dose.

WHAT ABOUT THE MYTH THAT TRUFFLES ARE LESS POTENT THAN MUSHROOMS?

There are still myths being spread among some shroomers that magic truffles would be weaker than mushrooms but these myths are exactly that, myths without science that would back them up. Both fruiting bodies, whether they grow above or under the ground are really essentially the same. There is no evidence for that the one or the other would contain a higher amount of psychoactive substances. What possibly had a role in forming the myth is that low quality truffles had at some point been on the market so it’s likely that this was a reason for the still somewhat tarnished reputation of magic truffles. But if you get your magic truffles from a reputable source they will always be at least as potent and effective as magic mushrooms.