Magic mushrooms: Clandestine cultivation constrained genetic diversity
This new paper, authored by an impressive team mycological researchers including Entheogenesis Australis contributors Alistair McTaggart, Jason Slot and Caine Barlow, highlights the unique diversity of populations of Australian Psilocybe cubensis AKA ‘cubes’ or ‘gold tops’; the world’s most commonly consumed species of magic mushroom.
The genetic variability of Australian gold top mushrooms is exciting for the field of psychedelic research because it could mean Australian P. cubensis cultivars have special differences in how they biosynthesise psilocybin and related psychedelic compounds.
If you’re after more ethnomycological expertise, make sure to check out the authors’ contributions to EGA: Jason Slot’s ‘What can we learn from the evolution of psychedelic organisms?’; Alistair McTaggart’s ‘Sex and psilocybin genes in magic mushrooms’, and; Caine Barlow’s ‘Australian Psilocybe and their Lookalikes.’
What are the ecological functions of psychedelic substances? By surveying the genomes of the organisms the produce these substances, we can identify evolutionary trends and events that raise hypotheses about benefits provided by these substances. By extension, this can suggest ecological niches in which to search for new compounds with similar roles.
Most magic mushrooms are species of Psilocybe, which nearly all share a cluster of genes that metabolise tryptophan into psilocybin. Two species are widespread in Australia, Psilocybe cubensis (cubes), and P. subaeruginosa (subs). Psilocybe cubensis is likely naturalised in Australia, and its centre of origin is unknown. It is the stalwart species cultivated by recreational growers, who have potentially impacted its genetics by propagating from limited founding genetic diversity and inbreeding over time. The Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board recommended that P. cubensis should be the sole taxon grown to produce psilocybin commercially. Psilocybe subaeruginosa is native to Australia but is not a commercial option, as, in a low percentage of mushrooms, a compound is produced that temporarily paralyses users. This talk will cover how Australian cubes differ from commercially cultivated strains and how knowledge of genetics may be used to select for P. subaeruginosa that do not cause paralysis.
While the Genus Psilocybe in Australia, is represented by few formally defined species, there are comparatively many more look-alike species. Many of them are poisonous, some can cause liver or kidney damage, some deadly. Being able to identify the lookalikes as well as the desired mushroom goes a long way to increasing your own safety and being able to help friends identify theirs. Foragers should know how to identify Galerina sp., Hypholoma sp., and those from the genus Cortinarius.
