Detecting Psychoactive Drugs in the Developmental Stages of Mushrooms
Journal of Forensic Sciences May 1, 2000 S K Gross 17 citations
Psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds in mushrooms, can first be detected at the mycelium knot stage of development. Psilocybe cyanescens mushrooms were grown from spores under controlled conditions, and samples taken at different developmental stages were analyzed using TLC and GC/MS. Light influenced the timing of development and the mushrooms' appearance but did not affect the earliest detection stage. These findings may assist law enforcement and forensic chemists in identifying psychoactive mushrooms at earlier growth stages.