Ask Dr. Shulgin Online ARCHIVE: March 5, 2003 Psilocybe Mushroom Extractions Dear Dr. Shu lgi n: A friend of mine performed a Soxhlet extraction of 12 grams of powdered Psilocybe cubensis, using 95% ethanol. When the 60 mL of extract cooled to room temperature, many small transparent, colorless crystals had formed on the bottom of the container and did not redissolve on agitation. Do you know what these crystals are? -- Journeyman Dear Jou rneyman: There is a fascinating report in the literature that gives a quantitative measurement of the efficiency of extraction of both psilocybin and psilocin from the mushroom Psilocybe bohemica. The citation to the article is Kysilka, R. and Wurst, M., Planta Med. Vol. 56 pp. 327-328 (1990). These Czechoslovakian scientists studied the efficiency of both methanol and ethanol as solvents, each containing varying amounts of water. The results were, to me, both unexpected and most provocative. The isolation of psilocybin seemed to be quite reasonable. This alkaloid is reasonably soluble in boiling water from which it can be nicely crystallized. It is less soluble in boiling methanol, and almost insoluble in boiling ethanol. And the extraction efficiency is optimum with methanol and almost as good with ethanol. With both, the less water present, the better. The compound is, after all , a perfect example of a zwitterion, the internal salt of a phosphoric acid and an amine base. But the numbers with psilocin are strange. With aqueous ethanol, the optimum extraction was with a 70% ethanol concentration, and the extraction efficiency dropped almost to zero when there was no water present. But methanol was extremely inefficient regardless of the amount of water present in it. These researchers were apparently surprised by these findings, as they explored further and uncovered other clues. Time is a factor. Psilocin is extracted at a much slower rate than is psilocybin because it is contained intracellularly in the plant, and thus slower to be gotten out. They conclude that many of the low psilocin assays of mushrooms are due to this difficulty of getting the alkaloid out of the plant and into the extracting solvent. Using this information they determined that the levels of psilocybin and psilocin are substantially the same in Psilocybe bohemica, in conflict

Psilocybin Shulgin, Alexander - Psilocybe Mushroom Extractions

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Ask Dr. Shulgin OnlineARCHIVE: March 5, 2003

Psilocybe Mushroom Extractions

Dear Dr. Shulgin:friend of mine performed a Soxhlet extraction of 12 grams of powdered Psiloc

ubensis, using 95% ethanol. When the 60 mL of extract cooled to roommperature, many small transparent, colorless crystals had formed on the bott

f the container and did not redissolve on agitation. Do you know what theserystals are? -- Journeyman

Dear Journeyman:here is a fascinating report in the literature that gives a quantitativeeasurement of the efficiency of extraction of both psilocybin and psilocin fromushroom Psilocybe bohemica. The citation to the article is Kysilka, R. and Wur., Planta Med. Vol. 56 pp. 327-328 (1990). These Czechoslovakian scientistsudied the efficiency of both methanol and ethanol as solvents, each containingarying amounts of water. The results were, to me, both unexpected and mostrovocative.

he isolation of psilocybin seemed to be quite reasonable. This alkaloid iseasonably soluble in boiling water from which it can be nicely crystallized. It is oluble in boiling methanol, and almost insoluble in boiling ethanol. And thextraction efficiency is optimum with methanol and almost as good with ethanoith both, the less water present, the better. The compound is, after all, a perf

xample of a zwitterion, the internal salt of a phosphoric acid and an amine bas

ut the numbers with psilocin are strange. With aqueous ethanol, the optimumxtraction was with a 70% ethanol concentration, and the extraction efficiency

ropped almost to zero when there was no water present. But methanol wasxtremely inefficient regardless of the amount of water present in it. Theseesearchers were apparently surprised by these findings, as they explored furthnd uncovered other clues. Time is a factor. Psilocin is extracted at a much slowte than is psilocybin because it is contained intracellularly in the plant, and thower to be gotten out. They conclude that many of the low psilocin assays of ushrooms are due to this difficulty of getting the alkaloid out of the plant and e extracting solvent. Using this information they determined that the levels of

silocybin and psilocin are substantially the same in Psilocybe bohemica, in conf

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8/8/2019 Psilocybin Shulgin, Alexander - Psilocybe Mushroom Extractions

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ith the published literature values where very small amounts of psilocin werebserved.

fficient extraction apparently requires patience.

s to the identity of the crystals that were drifting around in the cooled Soxhleteceiver, from their being insoluble in ethanol, and white, and transparent, I wouess that you are seeing pure psilocybin.

Dr. Shulgin