Use of amanita muscaria has also been attributed to the Lappish shamans of northern Finland, where the mushrooms grow in profusion and have sacred uses.

Different colored varieties are said to have different potencies, with red said to be stronger than yellow. Complicated recipes spell out the preferred ratio of cap to stem that should be observed, how to dry them, grind them into a powder, how much water and at what temperature should be mixed with the powder. Regarding how much should be consumed, the dosage often is referred to in terms of the number of mushroom caps, but this is dangerously vague, as a cap could be as small as half an inch or as wide as a dinner plate.

Reports about the flavor of the amanita muscaria mushroom vary widely. Opinions range from tasting fine to tasting terrible. Of course, there are several different colors of the mushroom. Mycologists (mushroom experts) categories them into six variations named from the color of the cap: white, red, red-orange, red-brown, yellow-orange and melon.