Discrimination of Psychoactive Fungi (Commonly Called "Magic Mushrooms") Based on the DNA Sequence of the Internal Transcribed Spacer Region.
Food Hygiene and Safety Science (Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi) January 1, 2003 Takuro Maruyama, Osamu Shirota, Nobuo Kawahara et al. 14 citations
Magic mushrooms sold in Japanese markets are difficult to identify by appearance alone, especially when dried and powdered. By analyzing the internal transcribed spacer region of their ribosomal RNA gene, researchers classified the samples into six genetic groups and matched them to known species using DNA databases. Chemical analysis showed that Panaeolus cyanescens contained the highest level of psilocin among the mushrooms tested, while Amanita species contained none.