Acadian Coast Cubensis[i], or ACC, is a cultivated strain of Psilocybe cubensis. It’s rare and not much is known about the strain—and at least some of the information available about it is unreliable, since it varies depending on who is providing the information. The origin of the strain has not been documented, but it’s often said to be a stabilized version of genetics originally collected somewhere on the Gulf Coast, perhaps in Mississippi or Louisiana. ACC is not a stand-out strain—it doesn’t look strange, is not unusually potent, it’s basically a typical cube. However, any cube is special, and this strain can produce impressive harvests, in the hands of an experienced grower.
Identification
We have seen conflicting descriptions of this strain’s cap color—that it is dark brown but gets paler with age, or that it is a definite orange, or that it is variable. In shape and size it seems to be that of a standard cube.
Look-Alikes
ACC is a fairly typical-looking little brown mushroom (LB.M.), meaning it not only looks like many other cube strains (though not all), but also like a very large number of other mushrooms, some of them psychoactive, others culinary, and still others deadly poison. It’s not that they all look exactly alike, it’s that they are close enough that no one should attempt to forage any member of this group without a lot of prior experience with mushroom identification.
In any case, it’s doubtful whether ACC as such grows in the wild. It’s true that it is said to have been found growing wild, but that doesn’t mean there is a wild population of this one strain specifically. Cubes are variable. Cultivation chooses a variation and then stabilizes it to produce a cultivated strain, but with rare exception, the wild mushrooms exist in a variable, unstabilized state that isn’t exactly any one strain at all.
Effects
The effects of ACC are essentially those of any other cube, though it is said to have more of a body high than typical. It is debatable whether different cube strains really do have different effects, as opposed to simply different degrees of potency. While it’s true that users’ experiences vary dramatically, it’s not clear whether what strain people are taking really causes much or any of that variation. But in any case, we have not found any claims that ACC is especially unusual in what it does.
In general, psilocybin mushrooms cause variations in mood—most commonly euphoria and a feeling of connectedness—unusual, often insightful, thought patterns, and, especially at higher doses, sensory changes. There are other effects, too, usually called side-effects, and we’ll describe them later, but remember that side-effects are only the ones the user doesn’t especially want. Which effects count as on the side and which are intended is actually up to you.
Potency and Dosage
ACC has not yet been entered into a Psilocybin Cup, so it’s hard to be sure what its potency really is, and estimates vary widely—this strain appears to be variable. However, the estimates average out to about the same as the average of this species of mushroom as a whole.
That doesn’t mean you’re going to have an average trip. The idea that high potency means intense trips and low potency means mellow trips is wrong. The truth is you can have any kind of trip you want to with any psychoactive strain you want simply by adjusting the dose size. Thus, potency isn’t an indicator of how you’ll feel using this mushroom, it’s a guide to how you’re going to measure out the dose that will make you feel the way you want to.
Since ACC appears to be variable, measuring out doses can be tricky. Always err on the side of taking too little rather than too much. You can take a little more later, if you want to, but once you eat a mushroom, it’s in your system for the duration. And unexpectedly high doses can be dangerous.
Growing
Reports on growing ACC vary dramatically, with some people saying it’s fast and prolific, and others saying it’s slow and sparse. One possibility is that it’s both, and that this strain does much better on its second or third flush, provided that the grower can keep it going that long.
In any case, ACC is not considered a good choice for beginners at mushroom cultivation. Using a monotub with plenty of humidity may be your best bet.
Toxicity, Safety, & Side Effects
Psilocybin is a toxin, it’s just a relatively mild toxin (not likely to cause any permanent damage) whose effects many people happen to really like. In fact, psilocybin mushrooms are one of the safer methods of mind-alteration known, but they should be treated with respect, and cases of accidental ingestion should be treated as mushroom poisonings.
Besides the above-mentioned effects that many people like, there are some that people don’t like. Nausea is the most common, followed by problems with balance or coordination and perhaps vomiting. Such side-effects don’t always occur, and are easy to deal with when they do. Less frequent, but more of a concern, is anxiety, which can be debilitating. Anxiety can be avoided to some extent by going into the trip in a calm, centered, mellow headspace in a setting that feels comfortable and safe—it’s been suggested that psilocybin doesn’t so much alter moods as exaggerate the moods already present, so it’s important to give the mushroom a good mood to exaggerate. However, an experienced psychonaut can, especially with the help of a good trip-sitter, ride out a dark, anxiety-ridden trip and even use it as an occasion for important personal and spiritual growth.
Anxiety is more common at higher doses, especially unexpectedly high doses. That’s one reason that it’s important to start with low doses and work up only gradually—and always err on the side of taking too little rather than too much. The other reason is that there are very rare but very serious side-effects, such as convulsions, that are also more likely at higher doses.
There are standard safety procedures for using psilocybin in a healthy and enjoyable way. Besides not using too much, these include never tripping alone, properly preparing both mindset and setting, and taking the time to properly process and integrate the experience afterwards. It’s best to follow these procedures.
Finally, don’t forget that psilocybin in any form is illegal to use or possess in most jurisdictions, and penalties can be severe. Know the law in your area and keep yourself safe from legal action as well as from the side effects of the mushroom itself.
References:
[i] Simms, D. (2023). Acadian Coast Mushroom Strain: Appearance, Origin, Potency & More. Tripsitter
