CH 04 Effects and risks Updated
Penis Envy effects, risks and why portion size matters
How Penis Envy effects are described, why the same weight can be much stronger than other cubensis, the main risks and the combinations to avoid.
- Onset
- 20 to 60 min
- Main effects
- about 3 to 4 h
- Same gram vs JF × GT
- about 1.5×
- Age
- 18+ only
The effects of Penis Envy are the effects of psilocybin and psilocin, the same compounds every Psilocybe cubensis contains. What differs is how much of them a gram can hold. In the one study that compared cultures directly, a gram of dried Penis Envy contained about one and a half times the total of a Jack Frost × Golden Teacher cross and more than three times that of Jack Frost (Sharchaton et al., 2026). A portion measured by habit from another cultivar can therefore turn out much stronger than intended.
Timeline
The Dutch Trimbos Institute describes the course of a mushroom experience as follows (drugsinfo.nl). It applies to psilocybin mushrooms in general; no study has timed Penis Envy separately.
| Phase | When | Described |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | 20 to 60 minutes after eating | reality starts to be experienced differently |
| Main effects | about 3 to 4 hours | visual and auditory changes, altered thinking |
| Afterwards | some hours more | effects fading, but not sober and not fit to drive |
What users and information services describe
The Trimbos Institute lists visual effects such as walls that seem to move in waves, music and sounds that come in very intensely, and thoughts that are experienced differently: something simple can suddenly seem very complicated. Some people feel at one with nature. Physical effects include relaxed muscles and large pupils, and some people get a headache or feel nauseous.
Shop and media texts describe Penis Envy as intense and visual. Those are descriptions of strength. Nobody has shown that the character of the experience differs from other cubensis at an equal amount of psilocybin and psilocin. Expectations and surroundings, set and setting, shape the experience as much as the cultivar name does.
Why portion size matters more here
Three findings from the lab data stack up:
- Higher content per gram. Penis Envy measured 17.59 mg/g, against 11.38 mg/g for a Golden Teacher cross grown in the same conditions.
- Variation between single mushrooms. In the strains where single fruiting bodies were measured, psilocybin varied by 12.8 to 23.4 percent (coefficient of variation) within one strain. One large mushroom is no fixed amount.
- Variation between harvests. In an older study, psilocybin in cubensis varied by a factor of four between flushes of the same culture (Bigwood and Beug, 1982).
Dutch-Smart's strain card for its APE grow bag reads: "This strain is very potent, so start with a clearly lower dose than you are used to with a regular cubensis." The Trimbos Institute makes the general point that strength is hard to judge with mushrooms and that taking too much is a risk, because it raises the chance of a bad trip.
Practical consequences that follow from this:
- Weigh, do not count mushrooms. A 0.01 g scale makes the amount repeatable.
- Mix dried material from several mushrooms of one harvest before weighing, so one strong cap does not dominate.
- Do not top up early. The onset can take up to an hour, so a second portion taken in that window arrives on top of the first.
- Regard a new bag, flush or supplier as unknown, even if the name is the same.
Difficult experiences
A bad trip, in the Trimbos description, means feeling anxious or confused, suddenly distrustful, or losing control over your thoughts. People with psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety or psychosis, run a much greater chance of these risks, and someone who is not feeling well can better not use mushrooms or truffles at all. People who are susceptible can develop a psychosis after use. Some people report temporary problems with memory or concentration, or see visual noise, afterwards.
The Trimbos Institute advises a safe and calm environment, for example a quiet place in nature, and a trip sitter: someone who has not taken anything. The shop's strain card gives the same advice, "a safe, familiar environment with a sober person present".
Combinations to avoid
- Lithium. In an analysis of 62 online reports of lithium combined with a classic psychedelic, 47 percent described a seizure (Nayak et al., 2021).
- SSRI and SNRI antidepressants. In a survey, people on these medicines often reported weaker effects than expected, and the dampening could last up to three months after stopping (Gukasyan et al., 2023). Weaker effects are a reason to wait, never to take more, and never a reason to stop a prescribed medicine on your own.
- MAO inhibitors, alcohol and other drugs. The APE strain card warns against combining with alcohol, SSRIs, MAOIs or other psychoactive substances. Combinations make effects harder to predict.
Traffic and help
Do not drive or cycle in traffic. Dutch law prohibits driving under the influence of any substance that impairs driving (Road Traffic Act, article 8), and the Trimbos Institute notes that after the main effects you are still not sober. In the Netherlands the Drugs Infolijn of the Trimbos Institute answers questions anonymously on 0900 1995; in an emergency, call 112.
The law page covers where possessing Penis Envy is an offence. In most countries it is.
