Morphological and chemical analysis of magic mushrooms in Japan.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms circulating in Japan were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. Psilocybe cubensis contained psilocin (0.14–0.42%) and psilocybin (0.37–1.30%) in the whole mushroom, with higher concentrations in the cap than the stem. Copelandia species contained psilocin (0.43–0.76%) and psilocybin (0.08–0.22%) in the whole mushroom, again with more alkaloid in the cap. Psilocybe cubensis is psilocybin-rich, while Copelandia is psilocin-rich. The combination of SEM and optical microscopy was effective for observing characteristic fungal tissues such as basidiomycetes, spores, cystidia, and basidia.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Morphological and toxicological analyses were performed on hallucinogenic mushrooms that are currently circulated in Japan. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated a three-dimensional microstructures in the mushrooms. The complementary use of SEM with an optical microscope was effective for observing characteristic tissues, such as basidiomycetes, spores, cystidia and basidia. Hallucinogenic alkaloids were extracted with methanol and determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a UV detector set at 220 nm. The psilocin/psilocybin contents in Psilocybe cubensis were in the range of 0.14-0.42%/0.37-1.30% in the whole mushroom (0.17-0.78%/0.44-1.35% in the cap and 0.09-0.30%/0.05-1.27% in the stem), respectively. The hallucinogenic alkaloids in Copelandia were 0.43-0.76%/0.08-0.22% in the whole mushroom (0.64-0.74%/0.02-0.22% in the cap and 0.31-0.78%/0.01-0.39% in the stem). It thus appears that P. cubensis is psilocybin-rich, whereas Copelandia is psilocin-rich.