One of the advantages you might have when you’re starting out with your research on magic mushrooms is that many other scientists are actively trying to uncover the secrets of the mushrooms’ healing abilities right now. As a result, you can get started without much difficulty by learning about the main chemical compounds found in these fascinating mushrooms.
The main chemical component associated with psilocybe cubensis mushroom – which gives the mushrooms both their healing qualities and their consciousness-altering properties – is a substance called psilocybin. Psilocybin has been heavily studied by scientists both in the United States and in other parts of the world. Its potential as a medical drug can no longer be denied, and its positive and negative effects have been documented to a thorough extent. Cultivating magic mushroom spores for research is being done to study the effects of psilocybe cubensis in micro-dosing for therapeutic benefits.
Psilocybin is a psychoactive drug that has a molar mas of 284.25 g/mol and the chemical formula C12H17N2O4P. When extracted, it appears in the form of white crystals, and its melting point is 224 degrees Celsius. Because psilocybin is a indolealkylamine, it has a similar structure to the neurotransmitter known as serotonin, which is greatly affected by the compound once ingested – causing both calming and mind-altering effects. When that happens, psilocybin is actually converted into its pharmacologically active version known as psilocin.
Psilocybin and psilocin are both present as the main active ingredients as part of the chemical makeup of magic mushrooms. Aside from these compounds, magic mushrooms also contain baeocystin and norbaeocystin – two additional tryptamines which are thought to be far less active.