The theory amongst botanists and the like is that since climate conditions are so harsh in this area, plants must bring their A-game to survive. So you’ll see some of the longest and thickest psilocybe cubensis you’ve ever laid eyes on with these guys, along with consistent-sized flushes (many strains get smaller each flush), rapid colonization, and high contamination resistance.

The Ecuador strain is known for its resilience, adapting well to a variety of growing conditions and producing medium to large-sized fruits. It boasts caramel-colored caps and thick stems, with a propensity for dense clustering during fruiting. Noted for its potency, the Ecuador strain delivers a powerful, introspective journey, ideal for psychonauts seeking a deeper connection with the self and the world around them.

Where can Ecuador mushrooms be found?

In Ecuador, or perhaps in your friend’s closet! Kidding, of course, nobody would do something illegal and silly like growing magic mushrooms! But in all seriousness, these are one of the more difficult strains to wild forage if you’re into that sort of thing. While with many cubensis, you can simply stroll in the beautiful climes of the Pacific Northwest of the Gulf Coast. To find the elusive Ecuadorians, you’ll need to book a ticket down to South America (and train for hiking in high altitudes beforehand). Then, of course, if you do all this and find some of these high-altitude fungi, you’ll either need to eat them on the spot or illegally smuggle them on the plane back to the US. I mean, Terence McKenna smuggled spores back to the US in the 1970s (that’s where Penis Envy comes from), so you may get lucky – only one way to find out!

Ecuador – Specifications

Ecuadorian caps are 50-75mm wide with an obtuse umbo (nipple) when mature and sport a reddish/cinnamon to golden brown color. Fruits reach 200mm+ tall, and in classic cubensis fashion, bruise blueish-green when handled. 

From Spore Syringes to Bioremediation – Ecuador Steps Up

Since you’re here reading this, you might assume we mean the magic sort when you hear of Ecuador mushrooms. But Ecuador has some ongoing efforts with fungi that, while not psychedelic-inspired, are equally (if not more) remarkable. 

Northeastern Ecuador, home to the province of Sucumbíos, houses ~1,000 toxic waste pits (courtesy of Chevron). You may have heard of these from the film Crude, which highlights the 1,000,000,000 gallons of untreated poison sludge dumped into the once-pristine rainforest. But, as Chevron has stated, they will fight this now 22-year-old lawsuit ‘until hell freezes over,’ (sounds like it could be a while). So we can be thankful that mushrooms operate on a different timeline. 

In a spectacular display of unity, the US-based Amazon Mycorenewal Project and the Instituto Superior Tecnológico Crecermas formed the Alliance of Bioremediation and Sustainability in Sucumbíos (also backed by the Amazon Defense Coalition). Their mission is to use oil-loving (read: petrophilic. Seems like that word could describe our society at large.) mushrooms to clean up this toxic waste – a concept made famous by world-class mycologist Paul Stamets. 

He and his team experimented on three piles of oil-contaminated soil, proving that mushrooms not only won out in cleaning the soil but created an entire ecosystem as an unintended result. The mycelium ate the waste in the soil, then produced fruiting bodies to reproduce; when these mushrooms eventually died, the insects came to feast on them, this brought birds to eat the insects, and so on. 

Not only can mushrooms secrete enzymes that break down petroleum hydrocarbon, but they also feast on polyurethane plastic, absorb heavy metals, and clean up radioactive spills. 

Ecuador is More than Just Mushrooms

Ecuador translates to ‘equator,’ meaning that this country can get quite hot. While this may be off-putting for those who prefer colder climes, some compelling reasons remain to visit here. 

To see one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth, venture to Yasuni Park. The Biosphere Reserve and Ecuadorian National Park are located there and boast more amphibian, bat, and tree species in a 62-mile radius than anywhere else in the world collectively. 

Your inner Steve Irwin will be nurtured here. In addition to the hundreds of tree, amphibian, and small animal species (like Pocket Monkeys and Jaguarundi Lions), there are also giant creatures like the Green Anaconda and Jaguar. 

Love looking at flowers when you’re tripping on Ecuador mushrooms? Ecuador is the orchid capital of the world, with over 4,000 species; while some live up to six months, other varieties have a lifespan of mere hours (sort of like middle school relationships). 

Alright, flowers aren’t your thing – you’d rather take some Ecuador ‘shrooms and partake in birdwatching. This country has more fowl per square mile than anywhere else worldwide – 1600+ confirmed species and nearly 50 hypothetical ones (with the world record for the number of hummingbird species, to boot). 

Maybe late one night, you hit the town and run into 80-year-old local Aida Buitrón during your stint in Ecuador. If you’re charming enough, she may recount the time poncho-garbed, long-haired, and bearded Bob Dylan ate mushrooms and serenaded a crowd of dirty, tripping hippies in the backyard of her La Esperanza abode. Don’t think twice, it’s alright, because if you take enough Ecuadorian mushrooms, you too will be knockin’ on heaven’s door. 

Disclaimer

We sell premium spore syringes made in sterile laboratory environments containing trillions of spores per syringe, suspended inside a 10cc syringe in pharmaceutical-grade distilled water (for research purposes only). All our syringes are made in a negative-pressure HEPA-filtered clean room. Cultivation of cubensis mushrooms is illegal in the United States of America. Psilocybin mushroom spores are legal in 47 of the 50 states, excluding California, Georgia, and Idaho.