INSTRUCTIONS How to test psilocybin (magic mushrooms)?
How to test magic mushrooms?
Analysing mushrooms is confusing. Fungi contain hundreds of chemicals, some of which cause false positive results for psilocybin, the main active psychedelic ingredient. For reliable results we recommend to use a lab analysis servie , but if that’s not available try two simple drug checking methods:
- Bruising
- Observation
The best test for psilocybin (magic mushrooms)
The only truly reliable (and simple) way to check if mushrooms contain psilocybin is to pinch them when they are not fully dried and see if any blue bruising appears.
Apart from bruising, other two distinct characteristics of psilocybe mushroom species are:
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They have a veil around their gills when growing
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Purple-brown spores that leave distinct prints
Psilocibe mushrooms bruising
Psilocybin (magic mushrooms) test kit
Unfortunately contrary to popular belief (and some false advertising) Ehrlich reagent, the most popular test for “shrooms” is NOT specific to psilocybin (or psilocin).
White button reacting with Ehrlich
Ehrlich reacts with a pink color change to all indoles, such as psilocybin, but also other alkaloids, like tryptophan. This means that non psychoactive mushrooms can produce false positive results with Ehrlich reagent.
False positives are usually not a dead end but there are no good follow-up reagent tests for plants or fungi.
Reagents presumptively indicate PRESENCE, but not PURITY or QUANTITY. To detect all ingredients and estimate potency it’s required to use an additional purity test kit. A positive or negative test result does not indicate if the substance is safe. No substance is 100% safe.