A workflow quantified psilocybin and psilocin in dried psychedelic mushroom samples and revealed substantial alkaloid variability.
Evidence
This analytical method study tested an optimized extraction protocol and combined hydrogen and phosphorus qNMR on dried psychedelic mushroom samples, including user-provided and laboratory-grown material.
Caveat
The work validates a measurement method rather than clinical effects, and the observed variability may depend on sample source and storage conditions.
Simplified
Psychedelic mushrooms of thegenus contain the psychoactive tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin, compounds currently under clinical investigation for the treatment of depression and other psychiatric conditions. However, the accurate quantification of these alkaloids in fungal matrices remains analytically challenging. Here, we report an optimized extraction protocol and a robust, nondestructive quantification method based on quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance () spectroscopy. Using a combination ofH- andP NMR, we achieved simultaneous detection and quantification of psilocin and psilocybin in driedsamples with high accuracy and reproducibility. Our method revealed significant variability in tryptamine content and psilocybin-to-psilocin ratios among user-provided and laboratory-grown samples, underscoring the potential influence of storage conditions on alkaloid stability. Compared with conventional chromatographic approaches, qNMR offers a rapid and calibration-free alternative for the routine analysis of psychedelic fungi. This approach may facilitate quality control in emerging clinical and regulatory contexts of psychedelic mushrooms. Psilocybe Psilocybe cubensis1 31
Key numbers
0.154 to 0.456%
Range
Total tryptamine content as a percentage of dry biomass.
95%
Extraction Efficiency
Percentage of total psilocybin and psilocin recovered by the fourth extraction.
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