Buy magic mushrooms. It’s often said in the psychonaut communities, ‘a cube is a cube.’ referring to the well known Psilocybe cubensis shroom species. But looking at Golden Teacher vs. Penis Envy, we’re bound to disagree.
There’s more to magic mushrooms than the effects they may generate. Every strain is unique and worth your attention, even if they resemble each other at first glance. Which should you explore first? What makes them different?
Read on for a comparison of GT and PE. We touch on their origin, appearance, and chemicals to see whether the psychonaut phrase holds.
Shroom Basics
Let’s introduce these fungi to set the stage for our Golden Teacher mushroom vs. Penis Envy comparison.
Both mushrooms are from the Psilocybe cubensis species. This category has over 200 known strains with psilocybin and psilocin as its primary chemicals. Both are pan-tropical and arrived in the US in the last century.
Golden Teacher is a moderately potent specimen. Users call it Gold Cap and Golden Halo for its color. This magic mushroom is more resistant to contamination than Penis Envy, making its spores ideal for novice taxonomists.
Penis Envy is among the most potent shrooms in the Americas. Its name refers to its unique and evocative shape. Its spores are widespread in amateur microscopy but necessitate some experience, making them suitable for intermediate researchers.
These basic descriptions already point to several Penis Envy vs. Golden Teacher discrepancies. They differ in appearance, potency, and use for taxonomists. Let’s explore in more depth.
History
When considered from a historical standpoint, there’s little to say about Golden Teacher vs. Penis Envy. All shrooms we know today were featured in rituals worldwide for thousands of years.
Mushroom shamans used psilocybin to hallucinate and reach spiritual awakening. These practices span all four corners of the globe, but strain classification wasn’t prominent among mystics. For all we know, they could’ve been using GT and PE.
What about the more recent history of these two strains? Magic mushrooms are illegal in America, so their origin stories are somewhat messy. Here’s what we know about their arrival.
American mycologist Franklin Sumner Earle first described the Golden Teacher in Cuba in 1906. They got classified as Psilocybe cubensis in 1949, and a report in 1957 described their effects. In 1980, Floridians found them growing in a forest.
Ethnobotanist Terrence McKenna discovered Penis Envy in the Colombian Amazon in 1970. He took its spores to the States; mycologist Richard Gee isolated and perfected them. They became renowned for their name and potency.
In a nutshell, GTs traveled from Southern America to Florida through natural processes and grew in the wilderness. PE arrived with a researcher and got developed in a lab. This difference shows in the appearance of these two magic mushrooms.
Appearance
The easiest way to compare Penis Envy vs. Golden Teacher is through the appearance of their fruiting bodies.
Golden Teachers have an ashy red cap with a yellow-golden center. The top is slightly curved, usually around two inches in diameter. The stripe is hollow and thick towards the base, while the gills range from off-white to purple-brown.
Like all magic mushrooms, GTs get a blue tinge when bruised. Their flushes are prolific and thrive even in suboptimal conditions.
Penis Envy looks like you’d expect from its name. Its phallic shape features a thick and wrinkly stem. The cap is round and bulbous, remaining relatively close to the base and rarely opening up. The gills are only visible by removing the top.
These shrooms are light tan or brown, becoming blue when bruised. They’re harder to cultivate due to their low spore content and flourish usually only in controlled conditions, courtesy of their lab-based background.
It’s easy to tell these two strains apart when looking at their fruit. How do they compare in the chemistry department?
Chemicals and Effects
The final contrast of Golden Teacher vs. Penis Envy stems from their chemical composition.
Until recently, we knew little about psilocybin. Anecdotes say Penis Envy is the most potent variety, but the shroom experience is too individual to trust reports alone.
Then a team of Oakland scientists organized the Psilocybin Cup in 2021 to qualify the potency of over 60 magic mushrooms. Researchers used shrooms grown by the locals, so we take the study’s conclusions with a grain of salt. They’re still invaluable for the community, though.
Across strains, psilocybin ranged from 0.15% to 2.26% in dried specimens. Penis Envy surpassed 1%, ranking as potent. Golden Teachers are more moderate, with around 0.75% psilocybin.
How does this potency translate into effects?
Again, we’re limited to user experiences of magic mushrooms. Psychonauts report several key differences, though.
Golden Teachers get the first part of the name from their speckled cap; the second comes from their insightful effects. Users report a smooth trip, not too overpowering or intense. It’s less about visual hallucinations and more likely to induce introspection.
Penis Envy is said to induce a heavy-hitting and fast-acting experience. It’s intense, heady, and reported as rich in ‘wavy’ hallucinations. Users call the high clean, light, and euphoric, but too powerful for novices.
Is a Cube a Cube?
After comparing Penis Envy mushrooms vs. Golden Teacher, we see ‘a cube is a cube, unless it’s a Penis’.
There’s much to fungi outside these effects, as evident in taxonomy and microscopy. One look under the lens is enough to display numerous distinctions between these strains. When you get passionate about shrooms, each cube becomes a world of its own.
Would you like to do some further research on these two strains? Visit our shop to buy lab-grade spore syringes and launch your investigation. Stay tuned to our blog for more fascinating overviews.