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Psilocybin and ayahuasca get mentioned in the same breath a lot.

They're chemical cousins, they both elicit visionary experiences that people won’t shut up about (guilty), and they both show up on many a bucket list.

Incidentally, the bucket assumes a whole new meaning once you’ve tried ayahuasca. IYKYK.

But the truth is, there’s plenty that sets these medicines apart.

So for today’s newsletter, we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: How different are psilocybin mushrooms from ayahuasca? 

Here’s how they break it down.

5,000+ legal psilocybin sessions have happened through Althea. (We’ve been busy.)

Across all those journeys, 97% of participants rated their experience as beneficial, and <1% had a serious adverse event.

Maybe the reason those numbers are so strong is that we only work with vetted, licensed providers in Oregon and Colorado’s state-regulated programs.

This modality changes lives. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Our small-group experiences come in well below market rates.

Answer a few questions, book a call, and our care navigators will help you figure out your next step.

These two medicines may be related, but the family resemblance only goes so far. Clayton Ickes starts with what they share: “Despite both being tryptamine, serotonergic psychedelics that can produce profound emotional and visual experiences, provide insight, and help improve mental health, the differences are profound when you look closely.”

The first split is temperament. Masha Steiner-Renoir has sat with both and casts them into different roles entirely: “Mama Aya feels like a strict mother who sits you down and keeps your attention until she is done relaying the lesson. There’s no looking away. Mushrooms feel more mischievous to me.”

Then there’s where they take you. Kate Schroeder contrasts the destinations: “Psilocybin often feels like going deeply into yourself, while ayahuasca is more often described as entering into an encounter.” So the neurochemistry rhymes, but the trips might not.

The subjective experience is one thing. The body is another, and ayahuasca generally asks more of it. For Terry Turner, one side effect has been reason enough to skip it: “Ayahuasca tends to cause purging while psilocybin usually does not.” 

But brace for more than a few queasy hours. Amy Charlesworth lays out a steep commitment: “Ceremonies are often held over multiple nights and can be extremely intensive and physically demanding.” A psilocybin session, by contrast, usually lasts an afternoon and then you’re on to integration.

Ayahuasca can also play rough with other drugs. Amy points to the pharmacology: “Because ayahuasca contains MAO-A-inhibiting compounds, there are additional considerations around medications and medical history that make proper screening really important.” Skipping that step is asking for trouble.

We’re not here to crown a winner, but this discussion might help you at least decide where to begin. Amy fits the two medicines into a curriculum: “I sometimes describe mushrooms as the undergraduate experience and ayahuasca as graduate-level medicine.” Her advice for newbies follows: “Start with mushrooms rather than jumping immediately into a three- or four-day ayahuasca experience.” 

As for which is better, nobody’s biting. Monica Ramunda credits the setup over the substance: “I wouldn’t describe one as automatically stronger, gentler, or more healing. Either can be deeply intense, and the experience depends on the dose, preparation, setting, and individual.”

Whichever way you lean, keep your intentions open and your expectations loose. Kate says the two don’t always stay in their lanes: “Psilocybin can be profoundly visionary and ayahuasca can be profoundly psychological. Neither medicine comes with a predetermined storyline.”

A few facilitators mentioned ayahuasca ceremonies, but no one actually said what they entail.

Boy oh boy, now we can really talk about some differences.

A traditional ayahuasca ceremony runs through the dark of night, with a curandero serving you his thick, sticky brew by the cup. He’ll be singing icaros, the healing songs meant to evoke energies and steer the ceremony, over a haze of mapacho smoke. Before you even set foot in the maloca, you’ll complete a dieta, adhering to rules about what to eat and do to become more receptive to the plant spirit and its lessons.

Regulated psilocybin sessions in Oregon and Colorado don’t look much like that. Not the ones we’ve been to anyway.

They're every bit as intentional, but let’s just say there’s a lot less culture shock (and ontological shock) for the average American.

You’re in a quiet room in a cozy spot, with headphones and an eye mask on. The setup is pretty comfortable (physically at least). And that’s so your awareness can stay with what’s going on inside.

So yeah, pretty different. Imagine thinking psychedelics are interchangeable. Couldn’t be us.

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That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.