The effect of casing and gypsum on the yield and psychoactive tryptamine content of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer.
Kimberley Foster, Isaac Morrison, Marshall Tyler, Rupika Delgoda
Fungal biology February 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.12.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Psilocybe cubensis mycelial samples |
| Intervention | Casing layer |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psilocybe cubensis #fungi-cultivation fungi farming Mushroom growing Mycology #psilocybe-cubensis magic mushrooms Psilocybin mushrooms #psychedelics halluci |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Casing layer significantly increases biological efficiency by about fourfold, while casing plus gypsum maximizes yield and maintains high tryptamine content. |
Abstract
Psychedelic fungi have experienced a surge in interest in recent years. Most notably, the fungal secondary metabolite psilocybin has shown tremendous promise in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. The mushroom species that produce this molecule are poorly understood. Here we sought to examine for the first time, the response of a psilocybin-producing species Psilocybe cubensis to casing (peat moss and vermiculite) and supplementation with gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate), two common practices in commercial mushroom cultivation. Mycelial samples of genetically authenticated P. cubensis were used to inoculate popcorn grain bags. The fully colonized bags of popcorn grain (0.15 kg) were transferred to bins of 0.85 kg pasteurized horse manure, with or without 1 cm thick layer of casing and/or 5 % gypsum. Our results indicate that the use of a casing layer significantly increases the biological efficiency (161.5 %), by approximately four fold, in comparison to control (40.5 %), albeit with a slight delay (∼2 days) for obtaining fruiting bodies and a somewhat reduced total tryptamine content (0.85 %) as gauged by High Performance Liquid Chromatography measurements. Supplementation with both casing and gypsum, however, appears to promote maximal yields (896.6 g/kg of dried substrate), with a biological efficiency of 89.6 %, while also maintaining high total tryptamine expressions (0.95 %). These findings, revealing methods for maximizing yield of harvest and expressions of psychoactive tryptamines, may prove useful for both home growers and commercial cultivators of this species, and ultimately support the growth of a robust industry with high quality natural products.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Healthy human volunteers | 1998 | Experimental study | |
| Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Participants in controlled laboratory experiments receiving a moderate to high oral... | 2015 | Validation study using pooled data from five laboratory experiments | n = 184 |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer Participants with cancer-related psychiatric distress who completed a parent randomized... | 2020 | Long-term within-subjects follow-up analysis | n = 15 |
| Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin | 2017 | Laboratory study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Toward Standardized Products Containing Biomass of Psilocybe Cubensis Fungi Journal of AOAC International August 13, 2025
- Psilocybin-containing mushroom-assisted psychotherapy is associated with sustained psychological and somatic improvements: two case studies from Jamaica Frontiers in Psychiatry July 29, 2026
Cites 10
- Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors Journal of Psychopharmacology October 11, 2017
- Psilocybin – Summary of knowledge and new perspectives European Neuropsychopharmacology December 17, 2013
- Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin Angewandte Chemie International Edition August 1, 2017
- Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study Translational Psychiatry August 2, 2022
- Diversity, biology, and history of psilocybin-containing fungi: Suggestions for research and technological development. Fungal biology April 1, 2022
and 5 more in the library