An Australian researcher has developed a new test for mushrooms that produces a glowing light if they contain the hallucinogenic ingredients that make them “magic”.
Nicole Anastos, at Deakin University, applied the method to three species of magic mushroom Psilocybe subaeruginosa, Hypholoma aurantiaca and Panaeolina foenisecii.
The technique uses chemiluminescence to detect psilocybin and its metabolite psilocin. These are the serotonin-like psychoactive ingredients in magic mushrooms. It can detect extremely low levels of psilocin, making it the most sensitive and fastest test.
Anastos soaked ground up samples of mushroom in methanol and separated the chemical components using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) before running the chemoluminescence test.
Her research could possibly also form the basis of a home magic-mushroom test kit or a urine test, she says.