Psilocybe cubensis

Psilocybe cubensis is a species of psychedelic mushroom whose principal active compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. Commonly called shrooms, magic mushrooms, golden tops, cubes, or gold caps, it belongs to the Hymenogastraceae family of fungi and was previously known as Stropharia cubensis. It is the most well known psilocybin mushroom due to its wide distribution and ease of cultivation.

Why Psilocybe cubensis

Psilocybe cubensis grows naturally in some areas of the U.S., throughout Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Australia. They are so popular for home growing because they are relatively forgiving– even within the cubensis species, some specific strains have earned reputations as being particularly easy to grow.

While some mushroom strains can’t thrive in home grown settings without painstaking measure to accurately recreate their natural conditions, cubensis can grow well even in suboptimal conditions that are so common with amateur growing setups. They are also robust against changing conditions, while more sensitive strains might be damaged by a slight fluctuation in the environment.

The B+ and Amazonian cubensis strains are favorite picks for beginners. Probably the easiest and most popular psilocybin cubensis strain, though, is the Golden Teacher strain.

How to Grow Psilocybe Cubensis B+

Whether the Golden Teacher, Amazonian, B+, or another strain, the cubensis mushroom is one of the easiest species to cultivate. With proper preparation and research, you should be able to grow your own within two months.

To grow psilocybin cubensis, you can either gather your materials from scratch or use a mushroom growing kit. In the purest sense, to grow mushrooms, you need a mycelium substrate and a hospitable environment for the mycelium to thrive. The cubensis mycelium is simply the underlying fungus that grows into your edible cubensis mushrooms.

Because growing kits include the mycelium and a grow box, it makes the growing process very easy and straightforward—they already include almost everything you need, and you can grow without spores. However, when using growing kits there is a potential risk of contamination, lack of consistency, and even fake products .

An alternative is to grow your mushrooms from scratch using what is known as the PF Tek method. It requires some more preparation to assemble the materials but is still a simple, reliable way to grow cubensis mushrooms from home.

Using the PF Tek method, you would cultivate your mycelium by injecting cubensis spores into jars containing a substrate. The substrate serves as fertile ground for the spores to develop and consists of brown rice flour and vermiculite.

After about a month, the spores will grow into mycelium and colonize the substrate. These substrate “cakes” can then be moved into grow chambers, where they will further develop and eventually fruit. After sprouting, the mushrooms are usually ready to harvest in about a week or two.

It is best to use a dehydrator to dry cubensis mushrooms, but a less expensive alternative is to use a dessicant,

GROWING AND HARVESTING YOUR OWN MAGIC MUSHROOMS

It is possible to forage psilocybin mushrooms in the wild, but you need to be well clued-up about the correct seasons, environments, and laws. Plus, mycology is a very in-depth subject, and mushroom identification can take many years to learn. It’s easy to mistake one type of mushroom for another, which is problematic when some are toxic to humans. An easier alternative is to cultivate your own supply of mushrooms at home. Creating your own substrate and liquid culture is rewarding, but requires a completely sterile environment. The most simple option is to purchase a grow kit that is ready-to-go. Grow kits arrive as a fully inoculated substrate in a box that is ready to fruit. Simply add water, place the kit into a bag, and try to maintain temperatures of 23°C.

Once you’ve harvested your mushrooms, it’s time to work out the kind of dose you want to take. Whether you are looking for a microdose, low dose, normal dose, or high dose, you can use Zamnesia’s dose calculator to determine how much you need to take according to your bodyweight.

PSILOCYBIN & PSILOCIN

These two substances can be mentioned within the same breath. Because psilocybin in the human body is metabolized to psilocin by removal of a phosphate group, which is a potent entheogen and induces an effect similar to the semi-synthetic LSD and comparatively low doses of natural N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Psilocybin and psilocin are indole alkaloids and belong to the class of tryptamines.