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Psilocybin Mushrooms in History, Science, and Culture

What are psilocybe cubensis mushrooms?

flush of psilocybe cubensis mushroomsWhen most people think of psilocybin mushrooms, Psilocybe Cubensis is typically what comes to mind. Its Latin species name, which comes from its initial discovery in Cuba,  is often abbreviated to “Cubensis” or even “Cubes,” Since its discovery, farmers and mycologists have found volunteer Cubensis mushrooms springing up from bovine dung. There are hundreds of psilocyin-producing mushroom species, but Psilocybe Cubensis rose to popularity, at least in part, because it is the most prolific and common. Although Cubensis is relatively common, it’s anything but boring. What makes Cubensis so common also makes it a highly forgiving species that’s popular for a reason. While many species require the precise conditions of a specific region or microclimate, Psilocybe Cubensis can be found growing naturally all over the world, making it adaptable and hardy compared to some of the more finicky species. Its ability to thrive on cow dung and in a range of tropical and subtropical climates makes its growing environment easily reproducible. For this reason, it has become a favorite among growers in areas where cultivation is legal.

What are psilocybin spores?

Psilocybin mushroom spores are the reproductive units produced by the fungi. Psychedelic spores are responsible for the propagation of magic mushrooms in their earliest stages of life. They also serve as a priceless tool for the fun and engaging process of microscopy, with spore syringes helping bring these microscopic structures into focus for study. Additionally, mushroom spore prints—collected from mature fungi—are another popular way to observe the spores’ intricate details under a microscope. For close examination, researchers also rely on mushroom spore swabs to gather samples directly from the fungi. These tools aid in scientific observation and highlight the intricate life cycle of psilocybin mushrooms.

Psilocybe cubensis psychedelic mushroom

Imagine a mushroom in a field. A cool breeze carries one of its spores, millions in fact, off to a new home. Assuming it lands somewhere hospitable this spore germinates and a hyphae emerges. For now these fungal cells have only one nucleus, making them monokaryotic. They also possess many of the same organelles as plant and animal cells, e.g., mitochondria,  ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, etc. At the furthest tip, however, is found something unique to fungi, the Spitzenkörper. This structure is like a command center for secreting digestive enzymes and delivering building materials to the cell membrane, which ultimately dictates in what direction the organism will grow. Fortune permitting, it encounters another hyphae of a compatible mating type. Not shying away from a good time, the two haploid nuclei fuse cytoplasm, plasmogamy, and begin exploring their environment together, now in a dikaryotic state. This hyphal network, or mycelium, owes its structural integrity to chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide on Earth. Of note, Albert Hoffman’s doctoral thesis determined its chemical structure 9 years prior to his synthesis of LSD-25. We digress.

Perhaps the most spellbinding of all biological processes is reproduction. While many approaches to it have evolved over time, the seed reigns supreme in symbolizing surviva and regenesis. The reality, however, is that magic mushroom spores existed first; evidence suggests at least 150 million years prior. They’re now a part of the life cycle for many plants, protozoa, algae and, our favorite, fungi. Consider the endless variety of ornament that has developed after all these millenia. Beyond their good looks, the genetic material discreetly held by fungal spores alone could represent sustainable food sources, textiles, building materials, medicines for both body and mind, etc. the potential of nature seems only to be limited by its abundance, our creativity and, occasionally, the law.

several red and white mushrooms on taxonomy paper

When conditions indicate it’s time to reproduce, the mycelium rises off the surface of its substrate by weaving itself into a stem, or stipe, a cap, or pileus and a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. Both the internal flesh and exterior surfaces of each of these macroscopic features are composed of distinctly modified hyphae. They may be branched, pigmented, inflated, spherical, divided into shorter units by walls (septa), connected by clamps, encrusted with spines, dimples, pimples, spiraling rings, and some may even be arranged in an orderly way. They also terminate in mysterious structures such as cystidia, which are useful in taxonomy but whose ecological functions are not yet well understood. Or as basidia, where the two nuclei within the cell fuse at last, karyogamy. It is here that the now diploid nucleus replicates/divides into more haploid nuclei, meiosis. From there they are sent up skinny stems, sterigma, and off into their respective spores. Oh, there’s that imaginary breeze again. Mushroom spores themselves vary greatly between species and can prove essential to identification, which may very well mark the difference between life and death. Their morphological diversity is beyond the scope of this page which means we ought to begin researching now.

Spending the time to look at our universe and behavior therein more closely has resulted in some of the greatest leaps in understanding since the dawn of consciousness. Biomimetics (imitating nature) continues to guide the way in many disciplines of engineering. We are, indeed, at a privileged point in history where instruments capable of illuminating the microscopic world are within the budget of most. Whether your observations revolutionize science or self, we would like to thank you for inviting us on the journey.

It is an honor.

The Fascinating History of Psilocybin Mushroom Spores

This history of psilocybin mushroom spores is deeply interwoven with the history of psilocybin itself. The story involves almost every field from biology and epistemology, to history anthropology, and criminology, as psychedelics are a ubiquitous cultural force.

Over 200 species of psilocybin-producing mushrooms have been identified, and they naturally occur in many parts of the world. Since time immemorial, humans learned to harvest these mushrooms and put them to use as entheogens, or psychoactives that create a spiritual experience. The use of mushrooms is widely regarded as formative for many early religions, and even potentially contributed to early mystical traditions in major world religions today like Christianity.

Psilocybin has acted as an ancestral source of knowledge even during prehistoric times. Evidence for these rituals includes paintings dating back to 9,00-7,00 BCE in southern Algeria’s Tassili n’Ajjer caves. Mostly excavated between 1910 and 1960, the site contains some of the earliest known depictions of psilocybe species mushrooms. Archaeologists suggested that the dynamic and flowing nature of the images suggested dancing and altered states of consciousness induced by mushrooms.

The Tassili n’Ajjer caves are just one example of the entheogenic practices that happened all over the world. Many mysteries of the ancient world are thought to have some connection to psilocybin as well. Scholars have made connections with Eleusian Mysteries, Soma in the Caucasian mountains, etc. Some of the most prominent and well documented mushroom rituals take place in South and Central America, where numerous species of psilocybin mushrooms grow plentifully. “Mushroom stones’ found in Guatemala dating back to 300-500 BC. Although there’s no scholarly consensus on what these stones were used for, we know that mushroom ceremonies happened there and this helps us date them back to at least 300-500 BC. Mushrooms were also used ceremonially for thousands of years in present day Mexico. Frescoes from 300 AD depict a mushroom cult, and mushrooms were also used in 1502 during the coronation of Monteczuma II, emperor of the Aztec empire.

The Use of Psilocybin Mushrooms in European History

As Europeans conquered and tried to make sense of these areas, scholars started to document the effects of these mushrooms– These documents were the first Western scholarly recognition of these practices. One sixteenth century text called The Florentine Codex details one such ceremony where participants ate mushrooms with honey, which facilitated a “visionary experience”, a pillar of social and spiritual life for participants.

With the rise of Catholicism and the Spanish empire in these regions, these practices were suppressed and driven underground. The intense altered states induced by mushrooms were considered demonic/blasphemous.At this point, the use of fungi was contingent on gathering wild mushrooms. By the 17th century French farmers were cultivating culinary mushrooms, showing that there was already informal knowledge about how mushrooms generally grow. In fact, the use of culinary mushrooms was happening all around the world.

In 1729, Pier Antonio Micheli, often referred to as the Father of Mycology, pioneered early spore microscopy and published Noua Plantarum Genera, which was the first piece of literature to conceive of spores as the reproductive mechanism of fungi. Micheli conducted many of his early experiments on slices of melon, making note of the structure and development of mushrooms and showing that mushrooms grew from spores. However, there wasn’t a consensus on this in the field at the time, and mushrooms weren’t of much interest to the scientific community in general.  For a long time, Micheli was the only person studying fungi at all. In 1753 Linnaeus and the binomial naming system which provided the general framework for how we classify organisms to this day. At this point fungi were so low on the priority list that they were still understood as part of the plant kingdom.

Psilocybin Mushroom Spores: From Scientific Curiosity to Cultural Revolution (1920s – 1970s)

The early 1900’s saw a renewed interest in hallucinatory substances, and academics started retracing the lineage of substances like psilocybin. Botanists and anthropologists started to travel to Mexico to figure out what was going on here chemically, culturally and spiritually. Gordon Wasson, an avid mycologist and investment banker by trade, visited a village called Huatla de Jimenez in Oaxaca to pursue these questions. In 1955, Wasson and his colleague Alan Richardsoon attended a mushroom ritual led by Maria Sabina. The publications and media coverage following this experience sparked a lot of interest in popular culture, paving the way for advancement in fields like psychology and biology.

After collecting specimens of these mushrooms in Mexico, Wasson brought the spores to Europe where chemist Albert Hoffman identified the active compounds, psilocybin and psilocin. Understanding the effects of mushrooms from a chemical perspective paved the way for a greater understanding of how they work in the brain.

At the same time, interest around the benefits of psychedelics worked its way into mainstream culture. Several high profile experiments explored the benefits of psilocybin for mental health. Clinical psychologist Timothy Leary, along with Richard Alpert (later known as Ram Dass), founded the Harvard Psilocybin Project, which tested its therapeutic potential. Leary’s experiments raised several (ethical and methodological) concerns about the rigor of his experiments, which used an unorthodox ‘egalitarian’ approach. After the controversy around his experiments came to a head, he was dismissed from Harvard and shifted from the role of an academic, to that of a ‘public persona’ of 1960’s counterculture, advocating the widespread use of psychedelics.

While many embraced the mind-expanding potential of these substances, major global events and government crackdowns eventually stymied the movement. One of Leary’s major impacts on the field was encouraging people to experiment with psychedelics outside of the clinical context. These substances, once perfectly legal in a clinical/experimental setting, had gotten too out of hand in the eyes of the US government which led to them being banned altogether by 1966. Moral panics from sensationalized media tried to sway the public perception of psychedelics, but this did not stop people from being interested.

In the wake of all the scientific advancements that had been made in the previous decade, citizen scientists were able to take matters into their own hands. By the 1960’s the biological understanding of mushrooms was evolving. Before 1969, fungi weren’t even considered their own kingdom, so the scientific understanding of mushrooms as a whole was increasing. Now that people had more information about the biology of mushrooms, they were able to take a vigilante approach to these substances. Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide was published in 1976 which taught readers a new method of growing mushrooms with things they already had around the kitchen

Early commercial ventures into the world of mushroom spores emerged around the same time. Between the 1970’s and late 1990’s, spore shops put advertisements in the back of print magazines like High Times. One early retailer, the Homestead Book Company, sold many of the original genetics for classic strains we know and love today, such as Penis Envy.

Psilocybin Mushrooms Today: Evolving Roles in Mental Health, Microdosing, and Policy Reform

After decades of stigma from the initial criminalization, we are experiencing  a new dawn for psilocybin mushroom spores as society starts to remember the potential benefits of psychedelics. Due to regulatory loopholes, the rise of Smartshops in areas like the Netherlands increased access to mushrooms (specifically sclerotia/truffles) throughout Europe. Looking back to earlier psychedelic history when Gordon Wasson travelled to Mexico,  Mazatec communities were greatly impacted by the popularization of magic mushrooms. Activists in the space now want to preserve the right of Indigenous people to practice their unique customs without commodifying them. It’s crucial to recognize the disproportionate stigma and criminalization that marginalized groups face, and center diverse voices in policy decisions.

Increasing interest in the benefits of magic mushrooms has slowly opened up the potential for decriminalization.  Some countries were early innovators in the movement, like Switzerland, which created provisions for psychedelic therapies a decade ago. With many major advances in just the last couple of years, it seems that the biggest changes are yet to come. In 2020, Canada began its special access program which allowed for these therapies, and within the last year, Australia has decriminalized psychedelics, opening up a “new era of psychedelic medicine.” Meanwhile, in the US,  Colorado’s legalization of psychedelics is part of the revived movement for psilocybin decriminalization. Similarly, following a resolution by the city’s governing body, mushrooms are legal in Seattle.

female hand harvest psychedelic psilocybin fungus homemade or in lab

As awareness of psychedelics increases, people are starting to realize the potential benefits of magic mushrooms through individual use, such as microdosing, as well as clinical trials like we haven’t seen since the 1960’s. Many individuals have discovered microdosing as a way to handle mental illness in their day to day lives. Veterans with PTSD have pioneered activism around psilocybin’s potential as an immensely healing tool. Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research focuses on several psychedelics including psilocybin, and has found long term benefits for a broad range of conditions from high doses of psilocybin.

Late psychopharmacologist  Roland Griffiths suggests that the mystical experiences produced by these substances produces positive long term changes for people struggling with mood or behavioral issues. Researchers have studied the impacts on patients coping with life-threatening cancer diagnoses and patients struggling to quit smoking. Early findings imply that psilocybin helps with numerous mental health issues, providing a sense of peace and gratitude. As institutions like Johns Hopkins University continue to uncover this therapeutic potential, the spore holds promise for even more innovation.

What was once a niche market confined to magazine classifieds has flourished into a thriving online marketplace. The online marketplace, with more vendors and competition, has led to higher industry standards, as well as more genetic variation and innovation in the industry.

 

Popular Strains of Psilocybin Spores

 

Golden Teacher Spores

The genetics from a mushroom originally found on a dung pile in Georgia were eventually isolated into Golden Teacher, one of the most recognizable strains today. The spores in our Golden Teacher Spore Syringe are brown under the microscope, and perfect for beginner researchers.

Albino Penis Envy

APE, often abbreviated to APE, is an albino mutation of the classic Penis Envy strain. It produces relatively low amounts of spores, and albinism makes the spores clear in color. Try this beginner-friendly strain with our Albino Penis Envy Isolated Spore Syringe.

Amazon Cubensis Spores

First discovered in the Amazon rainforest, the Amazon strain has been a beloved favorite for beginners and experts alike since its rise in popularity. Each Amazon Cubensis Spore Syringe is filled with dark brown spores–truly gorgeous under the microscope.

Blue Meanie Spores

Our Blue Meanie Cubensis Spore Syringe is a fan favorite strain of Psilocybe Cubensis known for its distinctive blue coloring that occurs on its cap. (not to be confused with the slang for Pan Cyanescens) Blue Meanie cubensis spores are dark purple or brown, and are excellent for beginner researchers.

Hillbilly Spores

Our Hillbilly Cubensis Isolated Spore Syringe is another popular option, highly favored among beginner researchers for its dark brown or purple spores. This strain comes from Mycotopia user, Hillbilly, originating from Arkansas Cubensis.

Stargazer Spores

The original Stargazer strain was foraged near Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan citadel, and it still has a deep spiritual significance today. Our Stargazer Cubensis Spore Syringe makes these same genetics accessible for your research. Stargazer spores are deep brown and they’re a great choice for beginner researchers.

B+ Spores

Although its origins are hard to pin down, B+ is one of the most beginner-friendly and recognizable strains. Our B+ Cubensis Spore Syringe is filled with dark brown spores from this classic strain.

Large flush of colombian rust cubensis mushrooms in a tub wild psilocybe cubensis in hand with green grass wild psilocybe cubensis in hand with green grass Large flush of leucistic tosohatchee spore syringe cubensis mushrooms in a tub Large flush of pe7 cubensis mushrooms in a tub

 

InoculateTheWorld Selection of Psilocybin Spores

InoculateTheWorld is a leading company in the development of and distribution of mushroom genetics. From exotic psilocybe species to medicinal mushrooms like Lions Mane and Cordyceps, InoculateTheWorld is a one stop shop for any avid researcher.

The products offered by Inoculate The World are to be used for research purposes only and routinely undergo analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography to ensure their obedience of the law. Any misuse of these products is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, there are always local laws to familiarize yourself with. Caution is paramount to freedom. Please act responsibly and always consider the well being of yourself and others. “If the mushroom spores (or any other material) do not contain psilocybin or psilocin (or any other controlled substance or listed chemical), the material is considered not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act.” -Dr. Terrence L. Boos, Chief, Drug & Chemical Evaluation Section DEA, U.S. Department of Justice.