Enhancement of Indole Alkaloids Produced by Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer (Agaricomycetideae) in Controlled Harvesting Light Conditions
International journal of medicinal mushrooms January 1, 2009 Hasan Rafati, Hossein Riahi, Ali Mohammadi 8 citations
The psilocin content of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms depends strongly on the lighting conditions during harvest. Mushrooms harvested in complete darkness contained up to 100 times more psilocin than those harvested under dim daylight or indirect daylight. A simple one-step extraction with chloroform and derivatization with MSTFA followed by GC-MS analysis was used to measure psilocin levels. Preventing natural light in the harvesting chamber may therefore have a considerable effect on the psychoactive potency of the mushroom.