Here’s all you need to know about wavy cap mushrooms.

Psilocybe cyanescens are more commonly known as wavy cap mushrooms or wavy caps. They’re a potent species of magic mushroom with a distinctive looking “wavy” cap. In the UK, they also go by the name “blueleg brownie mushrooms” because of their blue bruising on the stem and the brown color of their cap. 

Wavy caps are becoming decently popular because of their potency so it’s worth it to know all you can about this type of shroom. This article will go in-depth on everything you’d need to know about them.

Quick Summary

Wavy caps are a potent species of mushrooms that you can find in the wild that are popular because of how strong they are. If you’re looking for them, you need to be careful because there are quite a few poisonous look-alikes of Psilocybe cyanescens out there. 

Where can you find wavy cap mushrooms?

Wavy cap mushrooms grow in a lot of countries including America, Canada, many parts of Europe and Australia. They can be found in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and the San Francisco Bay Area. They’re also found in Western Europe, Central Europe, parts of Western Asia, and New Zealand. 

How do you identify wavy cap mushrooms?

Here’s a guide to help you identify wavy cap mushrooms. Psilocybe cyanescens has some unique characteristics that’ll help you pick them out in the wild.

• Cap

The caps of the wavy mushroom are wavy when they’re mature and can turn blue when they're touched. Wavy cap mushroom caps are usually colored caramel and chestnut-brown when they’re moist but turn pale buff or slightly yellowish when they’re dry. Their caps feel sticky to the touch.

• Gills 

Their gills are adnate and are colored light brown at first but turn dark purple when the wavy cap mushroom matures. The edges of the gills will be more lightly coloured compared to the rest of the gills. The gills of the wavy cap mushroom can also become blue when they’re touched. 

• Veil

Wavy cap mushrooms have a cobweb-like partial veil that peels away as the cap matures. 

• Stem

Their stems are fibrous and white when young but they turn a gray-brown as the wavy cap mushroom matures. 

• Taste and odor 

Wavy cap mushrooms taste and smell like flour.

Are there any wavy cap mushroom look-alikes? 

Wavy cap mushrooms have quite a few look-alikes. Wavy cap mushrooms have look-alikes in the Galerina, Cortinarius, Hypholoma and Leratiomyces family of mushrooms. While they look similar, they are definitely not the same thing. 

You need to be really careful because some wavy cap mushroom look-alikes are poisonous. In particular, Galerina mushrooms can be particularly harmful if you accidentally consume it.

How potent are wavy cap mushrooms? 

Wavy cap mushrooms are considered a highly potent species of magic mushroom. They contain high levels of psilocybin and psilocin which are the chemicals that send people on psychedelic trips. 

Psilocybe cyanescens are one of the most potent magic mushrooms out there with a concentration of 0.85% psilocybin and 0.36% psilocin. Their potency makes them a popular choice for microdosing because you really only need a small dose to start feeling the wavy cap shrooms working.

What are the recommended dosages for wavy cap mushrooms?

The following are some decent recommendations for wavy cap mushroom dosages.

The threshold dosage is 0.15g. A light dose is about 0.15 to 0.65g, a medium dose is about 0.65 to 1.5g and a heavy dose is about 1.5 to 3.3g. Anything 3.3g is a really heavy dose.

Because of their potency, you need to take a lower dose of them compared to other magic mushrooms.  

What are the effects of wavy cap mushrooms? 

Wavy cap mushrooms cause a variety of perceptual, emotional as well as physical effects. If you take high enough dosages, you can even experience what’s known as mystic effects. The effects of wavy cap mushrooms will vary depending on your dosage levels.

Even at lower doses, wavy cap mushrooms can produce mild psychedelic effects. These effects can include brightened colors, sharper edges around things around you, increased clarity, objects seeming to be shaking or moving slightly as well as sounds sounding just a bit off. 

Low doses of wavy cap mushrooms involve slight emotional changes such as getting in a better mood, becoming more calm and being more appreciative about the things around you. You also might feel a bit anxious. 

There are some potential physical side-effects at lower doses. You might feel a bit nauseous, your pupils might become dilated and your heart rate, blood pressure as well as body temperature might increase a bit. These effects are generally subtle and may be difficult to notice.

At medium doses, wavy cap mushrooms induce some decently strong psychedelic effects. These effects might include enhanced as well as vivid colors, noticeable perceptual changes such as objects moving or morphing, pretty looking geometric patterns on the surrounding environments, trails of lights behind moving objects and feelings of synesthesia. You can also expect to hear some distorted sounds around you.

Medium doses of wavy cap mushrooms can make you go through noticeable emotional changes. These include feelings of euphoria, empathy, contentment, peace of mind as well as gratitude. They can also include feelings of anxiety, fear, dread, panic and paranoia.

Physical effects such as nausea, dilated pupils, increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and body temperature as well as heavy sweating can be expected.  

At high doses, wavy cap mushrooms tend to produce intense psychedelic effects such as

intense or vivid visual hallucinations, wild distortions of your perception of the world, really harsh geometric as well as fractal hallucinations and noticeably stronger auditory hallucinations.

Higher doses of wavy cap mushrooms can induce intense emotions such as feelings of ecstasy, bliss, boundless love, gratitude and euphoria. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well and you can potentially feel intense amounts of dread or despair.

The potential physical effects of taking high doses of wavy cap mushrooms include strong feelings of nausea, a higher chance of vomiting and loss of body coordination. These potential side-effects of wavy cap mushrooms make it important to have a trip sitter with you to make sure that you stay safe.

Can wavy cap mushrooms cause mystical effects?

Taking a high enough dose of wavy cap mushrooms can send you on a mystical experience chock-full of mystical effects.  

These effects include a feeling of unity or oneness with the universe, the feeling of gaining insightful knowledge or wisdom of the world, a sense of sacredness or reverence, an incredibly positive mood as well as the sense that you’ve achieved transcendence from time and space. The things that you feel and experience when on a mystical trip are usually difficult to describe in words. Mystical mushroom trips are often described as life-changing by most magic mushroom users.

What’s interesting about wavy cap mushrooms is that you sometimes don’t even need that high of a dose to go on a mystic trip. A medium dose can be enough to induce mystical effects.

How long do the effects of wavy cap mushrooms last?

The effects of wavy cap mushroom trips usually last for about 4 to 6 hours. This duration is about the same compared to other magic mushroom trips. Once the 4 to 6 hours are up, the effects of the wavy cap mushroom will wear off and you’ll be back to your normal self. 

Many users consider the 4 to 6 hour duration ideal for a psychedelic trip. It’s short enough to not mess up your sleep patterns and week but long enough to savor the experience. It’s not a short experience like DMT but not a long-haul trip like LSD. 

Wavy Cap Mushroom experiences

Of course, none of the above effects are unique to wavy caps,  but common effects of magic mushrooms. The main difference is the potency of this magic mushroom variety.

Erowid's experience vaults are well worth a read to learn about other peoples experiences on Wavy Cap mushrooms. 

"After I lay in bed for a while, the effects begin to take hold. Firstly, there's the nearly overwhelming feeling that my mind is melting. The sensation that somehow, everything that I know will be lost, as the synaptic connections are erased. I 'know' this is not the case but it's somewhat disturbing. I can feel the psilocybin washing through my brain and as it does, the holographic representation within my head is distorting and 'melting.'I sense that this is the threshold of what people refer to as 'ego death'. I'm fearful of this happening. I don't want to freak out and wake my son or my wife, since they don't know I'm tripping. So I continue to ride it out, and to reassure myself that the relatively light dose that I took ensures that I'll be able to maintain. Like I said, I'm a lightweight, and given my personal situation, I'm not ready at this point for 'ego death' or to go beyond a level 3-4 trip.About 45 minutes after drinking the tea, the visions start. I remember from experience that I can control the trip at least to the extent of keeping it positive, so my fear begins to dissipate. For me, the best visions occur after ingesting fresh wavy caps (psilocybe cyanescens). With fresh caps, lots of times I see the Green Man, with really beautiful organic visions. With dried wavy caps, for some reason, I have a different trip. The metaphor that creeps in is 'the Ice Cream Computer.' The visions on these dry caps soon become extremely intense. In the dark, without my glasses, the objects in the room are all moving and swaying. My son and my wife are sleeping next to me, and when I look at my son, he looks 'normal' but I can sense my overwhelming love for him, and for my wife. But the visuals with my eyes open are getting pretty wild, so I close my eyes and get in a comfortable position in bed."

"In 15 minutes we both started to feel the effects. (Like my brain is melting in my skull. And I always get this cold feeling.) Dough-nut and I walked across my uncles drive way where he parked into my uncles house becase we where hoping to get a joint from my cousin to mellow the mushroom buzz. We watch my cousin and one of his friends play playstation but I just couldn't handle being in the house at the time. So I told My cousin I was leaving and Told Dough-nut to come with me for a walk to my dock. As we started to walk I felt that giddy kind of energy. I started to talk about how I love how these things make me feel and how sometimes if I look at something I can only hear that thing and nothing else." 

FAQs

• Are wavy cap mushrooms illegal?

Unfortunately, wavy cap mushrooms are illegal in quite a few places around the world because of their psychoactive contents. Please check your local laws to make sure you don’t get in trouble.

• Are wavy cap mushrooms potent?

Yes, wavy cap mushrooms are potent. They have high concentrations of psilocybin as well as psilocin. 

• Do wavy cap mushroom trips last longer than other magic mushroom trips?

No, wavy cap mushroom trips last around the same length of time as other magic mushroom trips. Wavy cap mushroom trips last about 4 to 6 hours.

Final Thoughts  

Going on a wavy cap mushroom trip can be an intense and eye-opening experience. The potency of the wavy cap mushroom means that you won’t need much of it to have a truly memorable experience. 

As with other magic mushrooms, be cautious and respectful - do your research and prepare accordingly. 

As always, we recommend you start with a low dose and make sure you have a proper set and setting.

If you're interested in reading more about other types of magic mushroom, we built this strain library in partnership with some of the top grey market suppliers and mycologists in the country. It’s the result of hundreds of hours of labor, years of experience and the generosity of many many experts in the field. Continuously evolving and 100% free to use.

If you're planning a trip and want some guidance on what the ideal dose is, check out our shroom dosage calculator and this handy guide.