Taking magic mushrooms can be viewed as a pretty straightforward process. However, there is more than one way to ingest these divine, albeit often unsavoury, fungi. One of the most noteworthy consumption methods is lemon tek—a simple recipe that combines shrooms and lemon juice, and is said to have some pretty significant benefits for trippers. Learn how to lemon tek below!

What Is Lemon Tekking?

Lemon tekking, or lemon tek, is the art of mixing psilocybin mushrooms (magic mushrooms) with a small amount of lemon juice. By washing down your favourite mushroom strain with lemon, you circumvent the notorious earthy taste while altering the tripping experience. Lemon tekking is a fantastic choice for both novice and experienced psychonauts given its simplicity. But, if you're a die-hard purest who considers washing down magic mushrooms with lemon juice a travesty—let us explain why you should give it a try.

How Does Lemon Tek Work?

The theory behind lemon tekking is that the lemon juice's acidic nature breaks down the active ingredients inside magic mushrooms—namely, it partially converts the prodrug psilocybin into the psychedelic psilocin. This is what’s responsible for the trippy effects we know and love. However, the exact details are a little fuzzy.

The theory behind this conversion isn't scientifically proven, so, for now, it's more of a forum-based thesis. Regardless of the exact science, lemon juice will help break down the hard-to-digest elements in magic mushrooms (chitin), which means your body is still going to find them easier to digest and absorb. Quicker absorption means a faster trip onset, and potentially more intense effects too. Usually, the process is taken care of by stomach acids in your digestive system, which is why it takes a little while for shrooms to kick in. Not the case with lemon tek.

Does It Have To Be Lemon?

Not a fan of lemon? No problem; you can use lime too! What you're interested in is the liquid's acidity, or, more specifically, the pH. Lemon has a pH of 2, which is very close to our stomach acid (1.4 pH), hence why it does an excellent job of breaking down magic mushrooms! You could also try orange juice, but it has a slightly higher pH and theoretically won't be as effective. If you really want to push the envelope (some trippers report using pomegranate juice), just remember to keep pH in mind. Any juice with a pH of 3.5 or below should have a similar effect to lemon.

How Long Do the Effects of Lemon Tekking Last?

The amount of magic mushrooms you consume dictates the length of a trip. So, if you plan to spend the next eight hours exploring the cosmos with a massive handful of shrooms, lemon tek might not be the best option.

One of the benefits of lemon tek is a quicker onset of effects, but this does come with the caveat of a quicker comedown and shorter overall trip. It's a challenge to estimate the exact length of a lemon tek trip, but if your usual dose of shrooms has you tripping for about six hours, expect to cut it short by roughly 1–2 hours.

Users also describe the lemon tek experience as more pronounced, without the ups and downs usually associated with ingesting psilocybin mushrooms. Keep this in mind if you're new to shrooms, as the intensity can prove overwhelming at first.

Does Lemon Tekking Help With Nausea?

Nausea is, unfortunately, part and parcel with the shroom experience. However, it isn't the psilocybin that causes nausea, but the other hard-to-digest fibres we mentioned above. Lemon helps break down these fibres, making it easier for your body to process. Less effort from your digestive system means less nausea and an overall more pleasant trip. If you really can't stand the stomach discomfort that comes with shrooms, lemon tekking goes some way to making a trip more enjoyable.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Lemon Tekking

If all this talk of stronger trips and less nausea has you excited at the prospect of lemon tekking, we have fantastic news for you—you'll only need a handful of materials to get started.

Lemon Tek Ingredients & Equipment

• 1 whole lemon
• Sharp knife
• Finely ground magic mushrooms (your usual dose)
• Shot glass or mug

Instructions for Lemon Tek

1. Add the finely ground magic mushrooms to a shot glass or mug. The shot glass won't hold as much, so it's more suitable for microdosing. Use the mug if you want to consume your usual shroom dose in one sitting.

2. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze both halves over the ground mushrooms, ensuring the shrooms are submerged. If you don't have enough lemon juice, top up with a small amount of water.

3. Leave the shroom/lemon juice concoction to soak for 20–25 minutes. This ensures the lemon juice has plenty of time to break down the hard-to-digest fibres.

4. Stir the lemon tek mixture well, before downing in one go! If you prefer a more sophisticated experience, try the lemon tek tea method below.

5. Let your psychedelic journey across the cosmos begin!

How To Make Lemon Tek Tea

If a straight shot of lemon juice and mushrooms sounds a little off-putting, don't worry. Another excellent approach is lemon tek tea, a straightforward alternative for the sophisticated tripper.

To make lemon tek tea, follow steps 1–3 outlined above, and make sure you use a mug. Then, instead of drinking the mixture neat, fill the mug with hot water and a tea bag of your choice.

Important note; boiling water will destroy the psilocybin inside your mushrooms, so give the water a few minutes to cool first.

Leave the tea bag to steep for a minute, before giving the mixture a good, final stir. Biscuits and finger sandwiches are optional, but an intense psychedelic trip isn't, so be ready!