Magic mushrooms, sometimes called “shrooms,” are a type of natural fungus that contains special compounds known to affect the brain. These compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. When people eat these, psilocybin turns into psilocin in the body, which can create changes in mood, senses, and thinking.
But how are magic mushrooms made? How do these go from nature to be used in scientific or traditional settings?
In the wild, magic mushrooms grow in warm, damp places like forests and grassy fields. But for quality and safety, many species grow naturally in warm, damp places. Due to safety and consistency concerns, scientific research requires the compounds to be sourced from controlled laboratory environments.
The magic comes from psilocybin, which is found in over 200 types of mushrooms. The most common one studied is Psilocybe cubensis. After the compound is ingested, the body changes psilocybin into psilocin. That’s the compound that affects how people feel, think, and perceive the world around them.
Yes. In fact, some psilocybin is made without growing mushrooms at all. Scientists have found ways to create it in labs through a process called chemical synthesis. There’s also research into making it with yeast or bacteria (kind of like how some vitamins are made). These methods are mostly used in medical research and clinical trials, where purity and dosage must be extremely exact.
After cultivation, magic mushrooms are typically dried to preserve their potency and shelf life. In clinical research, psilocybin compounds are carefully extracted or synthesized for precise dosage, often in capsule form, to ensure purity for medical studies.
In research settings, rigorous lab testing is employed to check for strength, purity, and contaminants. This meticulous process is key to ensuring the compound is suitable for scientific analysis.
In both the United States and Canada, psilocybin is still illegal under federal law, except in certain medical or scientific research settings. Some states, like Colorado and Oregon, have created specific laws for personal use or supervised therapy. But these laws do not allow commercial sale outside licensed systems.
If you’re curious about legality where you live, always check your local laws or speak with a professional.
Magic mushrooms are made through a careful growing process that mimics how they grow in nature, but under clean, controlled conditions. This method helps ensure the mushrooms are free from harmful bacteria or mold for scientific analysis.
Aside from cleanliness, the growing environment plays a major role in the quality of the final product. Factors like temperature, humidity, airflow, and light exposure all influence how the mushrooms develop and how much psilocybin they contain. By carefully managing these conditions, growers in research environments can produce mushrooms with uniform chemical composition for clinical analysis.
