Investigating Psychedelic Tryptamines: Extraction and Quantification from Psilocybe Mushrooms
Science Letters April 17, 2026 Beatriz P. Senra, Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira, Carlos J. A. Ribeiro
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms contain psilocybin (0.5%–1.5% in dried mushrooms) and psilocin, which have therapeutic potential and are used recreationally. An optimized extraction method using cold methanol with 10% water and kinetic maceration yielded 1.98% psilocybin and 0.10% psilocin. A thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method with Ehrlich's reagent was developed for rapid identification of these tryptamines, suitable for forensic applications.