It’s not hard to see parallels between Star Wars and psychedelics: Jedi struggle to master the force, a mysterious power that can heal, inspire insights about oneself, and reveal the interconnectedness of all things. The force can cause harm or be used for control, as well.
While we can’t say if George Lucas took shrooms to write Star Wars, (he has instead gone on record saying his inspiration comes from mythology and history), the iconic space opera happens to have a lot of thematic overlap with the world of modern psychedelics. The movies have been a familiar guide for many psychedelic trips, too, so it’s hardly surprising that homage to the space opera now exists as the Jedi Mind Fuck strain of Psilocybe cubensis.
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The Origins of Jedi Mind Fuck
Tracing the origins of cubensis strains can be tricky. It involves chasing down internet rumors and underground growers — and there are several connected to Jedi Mind Fuck, also known as JMF.
The strain has grown in popularity in the last few years, particularly through amateur mycology groups on social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram. Who created the strain is unclear, with some speculating it is a rebrand of established cubensis strains, while others suggest members of the mycology community on Instagram are responsible.
Credit is often given to the once-prominent Instagram account of AgarMyco1. The person behind the account is known as “Agar Joe” or “Myco Joe,” who disappeared under mysterious circumstances and is said to have died by suicide. Several sources DoubleBlind spoke with (who wish not to be named) confirmed Joe had been an advocate of psilocybin mushrooms and was very active in teaching others to grow. However, none could confirm Joe created JMF or provide documents or locations confirming his disappearance. The AgarMyco1 Instagram account is no longer online.
Other posts point to the Instagram user MrMyco as the creator of Jedi Mind Fuck, saying Myco Joe only popularized the mushroom. (Whoever is behind the current MrMyco account did not respond to DoubleBlind’s request for comment at the time of publishing.)
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Jedi Mind Fuck Characteristics and Features
While its origins are murky, what we do know is that Jedi Mind Fuck is known for producing abnormally large fruits. Growers on Reddit routinely display massive shrooms weighing dozens of grams and outliers like this 300-gram specimen are some of the biggest we have seen. The results are achieved with repeated cloning of large fruits, a technique that can be done with any strain, although JMF maintains a reputation for some of the biggest fruits around.
Otherwise, JMF looks like any other P. cubensis with golden to bronze colored caps, white stems, and a slight blue bruising. Spores are dark purple to black. A leucitic (mostly white JMF) variety also exists, which is attributed to California genetics hunter Miss Mush.
Growing Jedi Mind Fuck Mushrooms
Jedi Mind Fuck has a reputation for being an aggressive colonizer, meaning under the right conditions, mycelium will rapidly grow on substrate. However, exactly how quickly Jedi Mind Fuck will colonize, how soon it fruits, and how prolific the fruiting will be always depends on growing conditions like the temperature, humidity, and what substrate is used.
“Why are we thinking that sterilized substrate is going to produce the best medicine-bearing mushrooms?” asked Travis Tyler Fluck, an activist and cultivator who contributed to the decriminalization of mushrooms in Denver. Fluck has won several top spots in the Hyphae Cup, a competition in Oakland that ranks mushrooms based on their potency, so Fluck has the authority to speak about growing — but still said we have lots to learn.
“We don’t know how to create probiotics yet for the substrate, but I think that’s coming,” Fluck said when asked for technical details on shrooms like Jedi Mind Fuck. Fluck only buys substrate from specific suppliers because he thinks there is something in the microbiome of the horses around the supplier’s substrate that his specific mushroom genetics likes to work with. But when pressed for specifics, Fluck defaulted to emphasizing people build a connection with the mushroom.
“You know, I would say to growers, just pay attention to the mushroom,” he said. “How it expresses itself. And trial and error [is important] … once you figure that out, then you start hanging out with the mushroom. And the mushroom knows what it likes. It’s very adaptable.”
Jedi Mind Fuck Potency and Dose
Like many cubensis strains, Jedi Mind Fuck has been hyped as extra potent, with standard doses between one and three grams getting rave reviews. Unfortunately, these claims haven’t held up to data published by the Hyphae Cup, with JMF not topping any charts. The 2022 Hyphae Cup clocked Jedi Mind Fuck in at 1.9 mg of psilocybin per gram, trailing far behind the top spot (Shiva Lingham with 21.9 mg/g) and even falling short of the average, which can be around five to seven grams, according to the representatives at Hyphae Labs.
Current comparisons of cubensis usually focus on the ratios of various compounds found in cubensis like psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, noraeocystin, and aeruginascin, which the Hyphae Cup currently documents and many cite online. But this data isn’t a standard, cautions Caine Barlow, Australian mycologist, fungal educator, and DoubleBlind contributor. The Hyphae Cup is a competition, not formalized data on how strong a psilocybin mushroom will be. Just because the JMF submitted to Hyphae had 1.9mg of psilocybin is not an indication yours will, too.
“The only way to benchmark strains and species is to grow them in identical conditions,” Barlow said. “Exactly the same inputs, exactly the same growing technique.”
Jedi Mind Fuck Effects
How the chemistry of a mushroom like Jedi Mind Fuck works is complex, and any specific effects are hard to pin down. For example, reports on potency and visuals range from, “Easily the most potent mushrooms I’ve ever encountered … One of the most visually active with very DMT-ish, writhing geometric fractals,” to another user saying, “Super happy but not much visuals with them. And I guess they’re a little weak because I need twice the amount I usually take for a good trip.”
We can’t tell you how Jedi Mind Fuck will make you feel or how hard you will trip. But in the future, this could change, and discrepancies across subjective experiences with Jedi Mind Fuck are exactly what people like Bollinger are working to understand.
“What we need to be looking at is how this mushroom will work with your metabolism,” said Bollinger, one of the creators of the Hyphae Cup and developer of the testing methods for psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Bollinger also urged that we “expand the picture beyond just the consumed and look at the consumer.”
Bollinger also said that measurement of compounds is difficult because there isn’t a standardized chemical profile for cubensis mushrooms. It’s possible that individual cubensis have unique chemical fingerprints, and while research is in its early days, developing our understanding of these variables could potentially offer insight into the variance in experiences between cubensis strains.
“Let’s build a language around the chemo profile and standardize that, then we can do the conversations around what is an experience,” Bollinger said, before rattling off possible targets that might explain how individuals process psilocybin: metabolism, specific genes, liver function, and MAO function, for example. These variables and others could contribute to personalized medicine informing a trip. “Understanding yourself before you take these things is going to be crucial,” he said.
“The wildcard will always be expectation, set and setting,” Barlow said. “If we want to create biochemically interesting mushroom trips, cubensis is not the species we want to be using as it lacks the novelty that is present in the Psilocybin Gene Cluster of other species, and the extra genes that create compounds in larger quantities.”
Jedi Mind Fuck Legality
Bollinger’s vision for the future of psilocybin mushroom consumption is, in part, blocked by the fact that psilocybin remains a Schedule I Substance in the United States. Possession of psilocybin in most parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe can come with very serious consequences, like a criminal record, fines, or even jail time. A few exceptions exist, like legal access in Jamacia and the Netherlands — along with some countries in Latin America where use is tolerated, but not legal like Mexico and Costa Rica.
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Laws prohibiting psilocybin have been in place since the 1970s, but times are beginning to change. In 2020, Oregon passed Measure 109, allowing licensed producers to grow or synthesize psilocybin, while other licenses let facilitators and centers administer psilocybin legally. Colorado is moving in a similar direction with decriminalized mushrooms in Denver, and in 2022, Colorado voters approved Prop 122, which allows for legal psilocybin services. Utah also recently legalized the use of psilocybin and MDMA as mental health treatments.
Jedi Mind Fuck Safety
Regulation might not be all bad, because there are considerable risks to taking magic mushrooms, even for healthy people. Intense visual distortions, amplified emotions, and reflecting on our lives can be challenging. Educating yourself and knowing how to trip safely is non-negotiable for anyone taking psilocybin. Also, anyone with a personal or family history of schizophrenia or psychotic episodes may not be able to take psilocybin. Other concerns include cardiac conditions, seizures, or certain medications, like lithium and others. Always consult with a medical professional before taking psilocybin.
The context in which psilocybin mushrooms are used shapes the experience. Understanding set and setting (your mindset and environment) when taking psilocybin is essential. It’s difficult to predict what mushrooms will make someone think, feel, or do, so it’s best to be ready for anything. Putting thought into a safe and comfortable space to trip in, along with having access to a support network will make the twists and turns of psilocybin easier to manage and process afterward. And choosing the right shrooms might be something we should be thinking about, too.
“Arguably, the chances of you getting the same experience from two different cultivators with the same genetics is not very high,” Bollinger said. “I would not give it an over-50% chance that you’re gonna get the same experience.” In other words, just because a supplier or fellow psychonaut says a shroom will make you feel a certain way doesn’t guarantee anything. “Now, if you had the same genetics from the same cultivator two different times,” he added, “that would have a higher likelihood of being similar experiences,” although no two mushroom trips will ever be alike.
Shrooms are living organisms, and just like how set and setting can influence psychedelic experiences, the cultivator and the environment they create will affect how a mushroom grows — and some would say the effects it will have. Whether you call it chemicals or medicine, what’s inside a mushroom is only a small fraction of a trip, because what’s inside a person, and inside what set and setting they create, makes up the majority of the psychedelic experience. That said, choosing which mushroom to take matters. Fluck’s formula for best results is to strive to “know the person that’s cultivating it, know the person making your product, and understand that person, what they’re doing, and people that have consumed them around them.”
DoubleBlind is a trusted resource for news, evidence-based education, and reporting on psychedelics. We work with leading medical professionals, scientific researchers, journalists, mycologists, indigenous stewards, and cultural pioneers. Read about our editorial policy and fact-checking process here.
DoubleBlind Magazine does not encourage or condone any illegal activities, including but not limited to the use of illegal substances. We do not provide mental health, clinical, or medical services. We are not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, or advice. If you are in a crisis or if you or any other person may be in danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency resources. If you are considering suicide, please call 988 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
