Testing psilocybin potency

so just about every time i post a video testing cannabinoids, i get about 5 people asking if i can test psilocybin with the GC. I would love to start testing for this but a lot of the research is pointing me to testing with a GC/MS

Anyone looking into this already… thought maybe the forum with a bunch of people who like to trip and a number of members with testing abilities can start a discussion on this.

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I actually know a dude I sort of fancy as a mushroom guru - let me see what his 2 cents are about this

Just shot him a message - I should be seeing him later today actually. No kid for the weekend sooooooooo…

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So it’s done with hplc.

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It can be done with hplc, but this is a test kit kind of like ehrkich or mandelin reagent

Color turns corresponding to the amount of alkaloids in the mushroom

Looks like it ignores psilocin content though

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He wants to know if you have access to a UPLC - Said as far as he knows that is the most accurate way. He also said if you do to talk to him if you’d like. He knows his shit.

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I can confirm UPLC’s viability for this application.

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You can use a multitude of instrumentation, but for what instrument can you get a DEA exempt standard to calibrate with? Thats gonna be your goal.

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Psilocybin is much too polar to be going through a GC. This sounds like a task for reverse-phase LC.

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If you want to test for psilocybin on a GC, you’re gonna need to do derivatization.

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Who makes a DEA exempt standard?

Your local mad scientist

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I’ve been trying to figure out how to drop fats and waxes. This part may help:

Sample Preparation:
Optional: Pulverize the mushroom.
Soak in Methanol.
Optional: Heat MeOH/Mushroom mixture (@40 degrees Celsius max) for two hours.
Pour off MeOH into a clean beaker and filter. Repeat MeOH soak, if desired.
Optional Step: Add 10ml Acetone, and place in freezer for 30 minutes to freeze out the fats. Filter.
Evaporate to dryness in a beaker without heat.

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I bet acetonitrile would work even better.

Or a centrifuge

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Most quality scientific papers dealing with quantitation and ratios of psilocybe alkaloids include which LC method they use; type of column, eluent/gradient, flow rate.

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No. Psilocybin exists as a zwitterion. It’s not going to be suitable for reversed-phase. Maybe if there is an ion-pairing reagent. Or run as anion exchange chromatography. But C18 reversed phase won’t cut it.

GC won’t cut it either - the heat from the injection port and oven are going to dephosphorylate the psilocybin. Gotta use HPLC

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10ml of acetone to what amount of meoh

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I typically extract with 40ml MeOH but you are correct: they don’t say.

While I don’t see why the zwitterionic nature of psilocybin would complicate quantitation by reversed phase LC, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are better stationary phases and LC modes to choose from.