Philosopher’s StonesChap. III
Chap. III
Effects of philosopher’s stones, as they are described
The argument. What happens after eating philosopher’s stones: onset, peak and duration, the effects health services and users describe, the claims shops add, and the risks.
Revised
Philosopher’s stones produce the effects of psilocybin: after 20 to 60 minutes perception starts to shift, colours and sounds grow more intense, thinking becomes associative and the sense of time loosens. The main effects last about three to four hours, and most people do not feel fully sober until five or six hours after eating. That is how the Dutch public health service DRUGSinfo of the Trimbos Institute describes it, and it applies to every truffle species.
Why the species makes little difference to the kind of trip
Truffles contain psilocybin, which the body converts into psilocin, the compound that acts on the brain. Laboratory work on sclerotia has found mainly psilocybin, with little or no psilocin. The Tampanensis truffle therefore works the same way as a Mexicana or an Atlantis truffle. What differs between packs is the amount, a question for the strength chapter.
Shops nonetheless give each strain a character. A Tampanensis is often sold as “balanced”, with “visual experiences and mental clarity”; other strains are labelled social, giggly or visual. DRUGSinfo is blunt about this: labels that say how visual or energetic a truffle is are not correct, because they all contain the same active substance. Set, setting and dose explain far more of the difference between two sessions than the name on the pack.
A typical timeline
| Time after eating | What is commonly reported |
|---|---|
| 0 to 20 minutes | Bitter, nutty taste; often nothing else yet |
| 20 to 60 minutes | First changes: restlessness, yawning, chills, a tense or full stomach, a feeling that the room looks different |
| 1 to 2.5 hours | Peak: patterns on surfaces, brighter colours, sounds and music felt more strongly, waves of laughter or emotion, thoughts that jump |
| 2.5 to 4 hours | Effects come in gentler waves with clearer moments in between |
| 4 to 6 hours | Return to ordinary perception, tiredness, hunger; not yet sober enough for traffic |
These times are ranges, and they shift from person to person. Shops advise taking truffles on an empty stomach; a full meal beforehand tends to slow the onset, which tempts people into taking more too early.
Effects people describe
Health services and experience reports describe a fairly consistent set of effects during the trip:
- Seeing: colours become brighter, surfaces seem to breathe or ripple, walls can appear to move, and with eyes closed there are coloured patterns.
- Hearing: music sounds layered and close; ordinary sounds can become distracting.
- Thinking: associations come fast, ideas feel significant, and following a conversation can become hard.
- Feeling: euphoria and laughter, but also sadness, anxiety or suspicion. Moods can change quickly.
- Time and self: minutes stretch, and some people report a sense of unity with their surroundings or with nature.
- Body: dilated pupils, relaxed or heavy muscles, nausea, sometimes a headache.
Pollock himself was restrained in print. In the 1978 species description he and Guzmán wrote only that “a bioassay” had established that the fungus “is psychoactive in man”. In a later piece, quoted by Harper’s, he was far more lyrical. Neither is a measurement, and neither tells you what your own session will be like.
When it goes wrong
A difficult trip, with fear, confusion or the feeling of losing control, becomes more likely with a higher dose, a busy or unfamiliar place, and a bad mood beforehand. A common mistake is a second portion after 45 minutes because “nothing happens”; the two portions then peak together. If someone panics, move them somewhere quiet, keep the light low, stay with them and remind them that it is the truffles and that it will pass.
Some risks are not about mood:
- People who should not use them: anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The risk of a lasting psychiatric reaction is real for this group.
- Lithium: in an analysis of 62 online reports of lithium combined with a psychedelic, 47% described a seizure (Nayak and others, 2021). Never combine them.
- Other substances: alcohol and cannabis make the experience less predictable. If you take prescription medicine, ask a pharmacist before you use truffles.
- Traffic: do not drive, cycle or ride a scooter until the next day. In the Netherlands driving under the influence is an offence under article 8 of the Road Traffic Act.
- Tolerance: it builds quickly, according to the Jellinek, so a second session soon after the first gives weaker effects. Taking more to compensate raises the other risks.
In the Netherlands, the Drugs Infolijn of the Trimbos Institute answers questions on 0900 1995. In an emergency call 112 and tell the ambulance crew what was taken; they have a duty of confidentiality.
Preparing a session
Choose a day with nothing planned afterwards and a place you know. Have a sober person present who knows what you have taken. Put away phones and screens you do not want to deal with, keep water, fruit and something warm to wear within reach, and settle on music in advance. Start low: what a low dose means for this species is set out under strength. The trip report shows how such a session can unfold.