Morphological and chemical analysis of magic mushrooms in Japan.
Kenji Tsujikawa, Tatsuyuki Kanamori, Yuko T Iwata, Yoshihito Ohmae, Ritsuko Sugita, Hiroyuki Inoue, Tohru Kishi
Forensic Science International December 17, 2003 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2003.08.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Hallucinogenic mushrooms circulated in Japan |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Citations | 79 |
| Key findings | Psilocybe cubensis is psilocybin-rich, whereas Copelandia is psilocin-rich. |
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.