CORVALLIS, Ore. — A study led by an Oregon State University (OSU) College of Pharmacy scientist has revealed that “magic mushroom” edibles, sold at smoke shops and convenience stores, likely contain zero psilocybin. Instead, they may contain a range of undisclosed active ingredients.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, involved a collaboration with a state-certified testing laboratory and a scientific instrument manufacturer.
In Portland, researchers purchased 12 gummies and chocolates labeled as magic mushrooms and analyzed their contents. The hallucinogenic compound psilocybin, produced by Psilocybe species of mushrooms, was not detected in any of the samples. Muscimol, a psychoactive compound found in Amanita mushrooms, was also absent.
Among the undisclosed ingredients found were caffeine and extracts of the botanicals hemp and kava, said Richard van Breemen, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at OSU and a researcher at the university’s Linus Pauling Institute. The study also identified a class of chemicals termed “syndelics,” or synthetic psychedelics.
Syndelics represent a rapidly growing area of drug design, where medicinal chemists create novel compounds inspired by known psychedelic agents like psilocybin and LSD,” van Breemen said. “Although this approach offers therapeutic potential for the discovery of drugs that might be useful for treating a range of mental health conditions, any new drug entity requires years of development to evaluate human safety and efficacy, and premature exposure to these compounds poses significant public health risks due to unknown pharmacology and toxicity…