washing them?

[Amanita_Muscaria_]

I should have just dried them and tap the Amanita Muscaria so the dirt leave, but for some reason i got a dumb idea of putting them in the water and washing them like that. They stayed in the water for some time, not that long, maybe few minutes. Could that contribute into lowering the potency of the Mushroom?

[Amanita_Muscaria_]

Later on i put them into the oven while they were wet ( Mushroom stayed in the oven for about 30 minutes or so) but had take them out after some time due to some reasons. So i put them on the radiator. 10 hours have passed, and some of them turned into black/brownish colour. Some of them are pretty dry already. Do they have to get dry in the 190f temperature? Did the mushrooms loose the potency due to not drying in the right temperature?

[Amanita_Muscaria_]

Later on i put them into the oven while they were wet ( Mushroom stayed in the oven for about 30 minutes or so) but had take them out after some time due to some reasons. So i put them on the radiator. 10 hours have passed, and some of them turned into black/brownish colour. Some of them are pretty dry already. Do they have to get dry in the 190f temperature? Did the mushrooms loose the potency due to not drying in the right temperature?

Yeah lots of mistakes in the process. You likely have a batch that's no longer useful. I just made a video on oven drying and I'm currently editing it. I should be uploading it this Friday or Saturday. If you can't use a dehydrator then just air dry them.

[Amanita_Muscaria_]

So taking them out of the oven prematurely killed the potency of the mushroom or putting them in the water? I've seen a guy on youtube dry them in 190 faranheit, and still got the "psychedelic" effect.

[Marv]

Oven drying goes perfect if you can set your oven on low temperature (around 60°c) with the fan on and the door opened.
But soaking in water wash down the actives very rapidly. A few seconds of contact with water is enough to loose almost everything in the water.
Also we have not seen exactly how you did your process so we can not affirm that your mushrooms went wrong.
The black/brownish color doesn't mean they went bad, it just mean they started to oxydize. That happens when they stay wet and hot for a long time.
You can still try to consume a small dose to see if they are still active ?

[Rebis]

But soaking in water wash down the actives very rapidly. A few seconds of contact with water is enough to loose almost everything in the water.

I just found my very first batch of AMs the other day in my local wood. I think it is probably a bit late in the season.

Because they were a bit muddy, I put them under a running tap and brushed the mud and grass off the tops of the caps that way. The mud, grass, and other debris were quite stuck to the caps. Would this too, that is just running the tops of the caps under a tap for a minute or two remove the active ingredients as well, as a complete dunking in water would?

By the way, the running under the tap and brushing the dirt off, also remove all the white spots from the caps. I would imagine removing the white spots would not alter the potency; is that correct?
_

[Marv]

I can't say, I haven't tried. I don't wash the dirt when it is sticks too hard to the skin but hopefully they will still have good strength since the rain doesn't wash down all the actives neither...
Also go find some more, I'm sure you will find what you need !

[Rebis]

I can't say, I haven't tried. I don't wash the dirt when it is sticks too hard to the skin but hopefully they will still have good strength since the rain doesn't wash down all the actives neither...
Also go find some more, I'm sure you will find what you need !

I will. Tomorrow probably, or Saturday when early morning rain is forecast.

Thanks you.
Rebis.

[Amanita_Muscaria_]

But soaking in water wash down the actives very rapidly. A few seconds of contact with water is enough to loose almost everything in the water.

Ok, then im pretty sure that theyre not active, as i was washing them, they stayed in a little container of water, and i refilled the water a few times,as i refilled alot of redish/yellowish liquid would leave... i dont think theyre active anymore... I got 4 new ones that i picked during the night I dont want to dry them in the oven as i heard that its 30 % conversion on a "good day" So i dont wanna test my luck. So i was wondering if i can just make a tea out of those 4 ones without drying them beforehand?

[Rebis]

I can't say, I haven't tried. I don't wash the dirt when it is sticks too hard to the skin but hopefully they will still have good strength since the rain doesn't wash down all the actives neither...
Also go find some more, I'm sure you will find what you need !

I will. Tomorrow probably, or Saturday when early morning rain is forecast.

Thanks you.
Rebis.

Well, I gathered some more this afternoon . It was my third hunt, and I'm finding about 8 to 12 mushrooms per hunt. I spend about a couple of hours foraging, before heading back home for teatime.

I've put them in my dehydrator at the lowest temperature possible the machine can do, of 40c. I'll see how long it will takes for them to dry.
I've chosen the lowest temperature the dehydrator can do, because Teeter mentions in his book 'Amanita Muscaria; Herb of Immortality', the following:

Page 35:

Drying the herb in the sun produces a trace of a variant of Ibotenic Acid called Muscazone; this is far less less potent than Muscimol with a different affect.

Page 35:

Processing also has an effect on chemical makeup. Shaded cool drying producing more Muscimol than sun drying. Heated drying’s effect varies with temperatures, and above 130.F [about 54C] the mushroom cooks and the heat begins to breakdown these chemicals. Room temperature of up to 120.F [about 48C] seems to be about the best in my experience to me [Teeter].

Teeter also mentions on page 36:

Ibotenic Acid if exposed to ultraviolet light produces Muscazone. Muscazone has less potency than Muscimol but more than Ibotenic Acid does. It is present only in trace amounts in the herb.

The above makes me wonder if, therefore, it would be best to collect AM mushrooms that have grown in the undergrowth, in the shade, rather than the mushrooms growing in more open places?

Nearly forgot to mention - I now clean my AMs by gently scraping the mushroom top clean with a blunt knife, and then give them a final wipe with a damp sponge - it works a treat.

Best wishes,
Rebis.