Psilocybe species

Also known to be hallucinogenic are the indole derivatives psilocin and psilocybin found in the so-called magic mushrooms, Psilocybe species. Ingestion of these small fungi causes visual hallucinations with rapidly changing shapes and colours. Psilocybin is the phosphate of psilocin although based on 4-hydroxytryptamine, they also act on 5-HT receptors. 

A number of us (including me) had tried the infusion of the leaves and we thought we experienced something, though much weaker than the Psilocybe species of mushroom. 

Mushrooms that contain psilocybin are of the genus Psilocybe and belong to the Basidiomycetes class. Over 90 Psilocybe species are psychoactive, and they grow naturally around the world. Psilocybin (phosphorylated 4-hydroxydimethyltryptamine) usually accounts for 0.03 to 1.3% of the total weight of the mushroom, though potency can vary greatly. 

Some Psilocybe mushroom eaters, in an effort to avoid LSD and PCP tainted varieties sold on the street, try to pick their own mushrooms. In theory, this should be easy to do. Psilocybe (species containing psilocybin) mushrooms grow naturally around the world and in the United States particularly in the Pacific Northwest and southeastern states. Mushroom hunters often seek out cow pastures, riverbanks, pine forests, and wood chips in search of over 90 known species of Psilocybe mushrooms. The problem, though, is that it is very difficult to tell the difference between Psilocybe and other poisonous mushrooms. Psilocybe and poisonous look-alikes can grow side by side. 

One Psilocybe species is documented from northern Algeria P. mairei, resembling the potent Psilocybe cyanescens. This group thrives in riparian habitats—open areas with sandy soils seasonally littered with wood debris. P. mairei is relatively rare, having been collected only a few times this century. Do these few collections represent the end of a bygone era when mushrooms were more prevalent Perhaps P. mairei is the same species that inspired the artist who drew the mushroom figures in the Tassili cave. 

The following analyses are derived from research conducted over the past twenty years. Considerable variation in the content of psilocybin and psilocin had been found within each species. For the purpose here and with but one exception, I am listing the maximum concentrations detected in twelve Psilocybe species. [For more complete information, please consult the references in Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World—... 

Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive maps detailing the species s distribution pattern. Traditionally, mycologists have often neglected relatively tiny species, such as Psilocybe semilanceata, that tend to share their habitats with other, more prominent species. The sarcastic phrase "The mushrooms occur in abundance wherever mycologists abound" is particularly pertinent in reference to the Psilocybe species. Prior to the discovery of psilocybin, the Psilocybe genus languished in the literature, shrouded in obscurity. To this day, few... 

In accordance with their strong psychoactivity, chemical analyses of Psilocybe semilanceata specimens have revealed high levels of psilocybin. It is safe to say that this species has been more thoroughly studied than any other Psilocybe species, including the Mexican species, whose dried mass is known to contain 0.2 - 0.6 psilocybin. 

Biochemical precursor of psilocybin is found in all fruiting bodies of the Psilocybe species. The precursor has a hydrogen atom where psilocybin s only CH3 group is... 

Despite the poisoning case reported in England, the early German literature does not classify Panaeolus species as poisonous (see Figure 27). The Psilocybe species were treated similarly. 

Psilocybe species they very seldom develop blue stains when handled or injured. 

It is important to keep in mind that more comprehensive studies on taxonomy and biochemical composition are needed in order to fully understand the Panaeolus species. Perhaps A. Weil s suggestion that Panaeolus subbalteatus from America s Pacific Northwest induces comparatively stronger somatic effects than the Psilocybe species can be investigated chemically as well as toxicologically, in order to reject or support this hypothesis. 

Psilocybin levels in Inocybe aeruginascem are comparable to those found in Psilocybe mexicana Heim. Moreover, Inocybe aeruginascem contain traces amounts of psilocin at most. Baeocystin, on the other hand, is accumulated at levels comparable to those of psilocybin. The alkaloid content of the Inocybe species differs from those found in the Psilocybe species, which contain three to live times more psilocybin than baeocystin. The variation of alkaloid content across different samples of fmiting bodies is illustrated in Table 7, which shows the results from analyses of mushrooms collected at a location in Caputh near Potsdam on June 8, 1986 (see Figures 32 and 34). 

The literature clearly indicates that Psilocybe semilanceata is one species that, at prime locations, can be easily identified without consulting a diagnostic key. Psilocybe semilanceata is known for its uniquely distinctive appearance, so that microscopic tests are not needed to distinguish this species from other pasture-dwelling mushrooms. The situation is different, however, for Psilocybe species that thrive on wood debris, as illustrated by the tragic story at the beginning of this chapter. Besides, compared to Europe, the North American mycoflora includes a much broader and varied spectrum of mushroom species to begin with. 

The discovery and usage of different color reagents as a means to differentiate certain species or even genera has been attempted for quite some time, with only moderate success, for the most part. Melzer s Reagent is a well-known mixture whose usage was propagated as a method for identifying the Psilocybe species. For this purpose, however, it turned out to be just as nonspecific and worthless as metol. 

In 1966, Heim and his colleagues reported that an unknown Psilocybe species had been confiscated in Canada. The mushrooms appeared to be very similar to Psilocybe semilanceata. Shortly thereafter, A.H. Smith determined that the same mushroom species was popular among students in Vancouver. It wasn t long before Psilocybe semilanceata was recognized as a species quite common throughout the Pacific Northwest. Moreover, the mushrooms turned out to indistinguishable from European Psilocybe semilanceata samples. 

Compared to the time of Wasson and Heim s discovery, recent decades have brought significant changes to several regions of Mexico in terms of how local Indians relate to the psychotropic Psilocybe species. In many remote parts of the country, mushroom cults still exist in their specific contemporary forms which combine Christian views with elements from pagan and pre-Christian Nature religions. 

Experts on bluing gilled mushrooms, who travelled to South America and the Caribbean, discovered several psychotropic species (e.g. Panaeolus cyanescens in Jamaica), even before mycological research established the existence of these species. According to those few scientific publications on taxonomic identity, the two most commonly used species are Psilocybe cubensis and Panaeolus cyanescens. Around 1970, tourists who had previously been looking for Psilocybe species in Mexico learned that they are abundant among Colombia s mycoflora as well. 

Still, usage of the Psilocybe species continued, despite harsh penalties for possession and use (a total of 74 individuals were sentenced in 1972, and 27 in 1973). 

Due to the widespread distribution of this Psilocybe species across England, particularly Scotland and Wales, Psilocybe semilanceata appears to be more popular in England than in any other European country, with the possible exception of Norway. This is an opinion echoed in numerous scientific and medical articles published on the subject in Great Britain. In my opinion, these publications contain the most detailed descriptions of casual use of psilocybincontaining mushrooms species by la q)ersons anywhere in the world. 

R. Watling mentions a non-fatal case in Scotland, where Inocybe geophylla (Sow. Fr.) Kumm., a mescaline-containing species, had been mistaken for the Psilocybe species. 

Aside from the two disputed mushroom species mentioned above, several psychoactive Psilocybe species can be found in Japan. There are several known cases of accidental ingestion that occurred during the 20th century, resulting in psilocybin syndromes without inducing fits of dancing. 

The above experiments are rather amateurish, and the descriptions of results are heavily influenced by a simplistic perspective which assumes that the mushrooms s pharmacological effects proceed along a single, narrow track. Still, these accounts demonstrate that comparable dosages of Japanese mushroom species have psychotropic effects similar to those caused by Psilocybe species found on other continents. 

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