Psilocybe Cyanescens to Psilocybe Azurescens

A closer look at some of the most potent magic mushrooms.

Magic Mushrooms are an incredible fungi, offering a beautiful, healing and often life changing experience for many people who consume them. But not all shrooms are equal, and each species offers it's own versions of the magic mushroom experience.

There are about 190 different species of magic mushrooms growing around the world which contain varying amounts of psilocybin, the 'magic' compound responsible for the effects of magic mushrooms, and dozens of sub strains exist for many species, each with their own variations.

In this article we are going to have a closer look at some of the most potent Psilocybe varieties and discuss what makes each one special. Let’s start with a comparison of the potency of the various species covered in this guide:

Comparison of Magic Mushrooms potency:

Mushroom Name Potency (Level of psilocybin in the mushroom)

psilocybe cubensis 0.6%

psilocybe cyanescens 1.68

psilocybe semilanceata 0.98%

psilocybe azurescens 1.78%

panaeolus cyanescens 0.85%

Psilocybe azurescens - Flying Saucer Mushrooms

The Psilocybe azurescens species of magic mushrooms is also known by a variety of other names including Flying Saucers, Blue Angels, Blue Runners, or Azzies. It is the strongest psilocybin containing mushroom growing wild. The Azurescens gained notoriety after a wild patch was sampled by a Boy Scout troupe on an Oregon camping trip in 1979. Even places like 'The Atlantic' know about the potency of this magic shroom strain.

Azurescens are a rare breed of magic mushroom and are generally only found on the West coast of the U.S. from Southern California to Northern Washington, with most clustering on or near the Columbia River delta in Oregon. The reason for their sparsity is that they prefer to grow in soils that are sandy in composition and will clump together in or around dunes or sea grasses and are often to be found on rotting or decaying wood.

PSILOCYBE AZURESCENS IS NICKNAMED THE FLYING SAUCER MUSHROOM FOR GOOD REASONS.

The large cap is unique in its UFO shape and can grow up to 100mm in diameter. They are light to dark brown in color and may begin to show dark blue or black pitted marks as they age.

Fairly easily cultivated, the mycelium of Psilocybe Azurescens can be grown from spore sample by using a wood and lignin based substrate for indoor growth before being spawned outdoors.

These are powerful mushrooms! Azurescens have some of the highest levels of psilocybin in the Magic Mushroom family. This makes them three times more powerful than Cubensis like b+ or Golden Teachers. A single gram is often enough to experience an intense trip due to the high level of psychoactive compounds. Best to take this species of Psilocybe in moderation.

Psilocybe cyanescens - Wavy Caps

PSILOCYBE CYANESCENS ARE OFTEN CALLED THE WAVY CAP DUE TO THE RIPPLED, WAVY SHAPE OF ITS CAP.

They were first found and identified for their psychoactive properties in England in 1946.

They are probably the most widespread psilocybin-containing mushrooms growing wild in the world and are native to most of the Pacific Northwest and Central Europe. Their common nature is down to the decaying wood environment they prefer to habitat. Anywhere that wood is rotting or mulching they will grow, that includes gardens, trails, parks, and places containing woodchip.

Despite the ease at which they populate outdoors, they are tough to fruit indoors as the conditions needed are difficult to simulate. However, the mycelium of Psilocybe Cyanescens can easily be grown indoors from a spore sample or spore syringe on a wood based starter substrate in sterilized growing bags, before being spawned outdoors.

If you do manage to get your hands on some Wavy Caps, then you are looking at an intense experience with samples of Psilocybe cyanescens measuring 1.68 percent psilocybin. They are known as one of the few Magic Mushroom varieties that are stronger when eaten fresh than dried.

Panaeolus cyanescens - Blue Meanies

Panaeolus Cyanescens, sometimes referred to as Blue Meanies, are the first species of mushroom in this list that isn’t part of the Psilocybe genus, and instead belongs to the Panaeolus species. That doesn’t make them any less potent and they are in fact one of the strongest psilocybin containing shrooms in the world.

Cyanescens grow mainly in dung and manure on pastures and fields. They prefer warmer, subtropical climates and as such are most common in places like Hawaii, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the US, and the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Mexico, South America, Australia, Africa, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, and some parts of Southern Europe (France and Spain primarily).

Young Blue Meanies start out light brown before fading to an off-white or grey color by maturity. They may also have yellowish or brownish tones and develop cracks during dry weather. When damaged they will turn a blue color, hence the Blue Meanie nickname.

Taste wise they are again considered starchy or flour like and the psilocybin level is enough to give a moderate high when 2.5grams of dried mushrooms is consumed.

PSILOCYBE SEMILANCEATA - LIBERTY CAPS

Psilocybe semilanceata, also commonly known as Liberty Caps, is one of the most widespread naturally growing magic mushroom varieties in the world. They are also considered the third most potent with 0.98% psilocybin contained within their stalks and caps.

This variety of magic mushroom was first identified in 1838 and became one of the first psilocybin containing mushroom to be formally recognized for its psychoactive properties.

Semilanceata is still a wildly popular magic mushroom today due to its abundance and is especially common in England where the first stories of families ‘tripping out’ where reported in print in 1799.

Liberty caps are often called Witch’s Hats due to their unusual pointy shaped, conical crown, and they grow wild across most of the Northern Hemisphere, including Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Iceland, Finland, Russia, and Turkey. They can also be found in North America on the West Coast from California all the way up to British Columbia during the Autumn or early winter months, and in lesser proportions on the East Coast from Newfoundland to the cold wilds of Nova Scotia in Canada. Some varieties are also known to grown in small quantities in South America and New Zealand in more temperate climes.

The preferred growing spot of Liberty Caps is in rich, acidic soil that has been heavily fertilized by cow manure or sheep dung. As such, Semilanceata is often found growing in meadows, grasslands, pastures, and sometimes even on or around lawns.

Liberty caps are one of the smallest varieties of magic mushroom and are easily overlooked as they can blend into the foliage and grass cover. They are 40mm to 100mm in stem size (1.5 inches to 4 inches long) and have a bell-shaped or conical cap, hence the Witches Hat resemblance. Taste wise most consumers report that they resemble flour and are starchy.

Unfortunately, Semilanceata is difficult to cultivate indoors so is usually only consumed when found outside. Caution is advised when picking this variety of shroom though, as they bear a striking resemblance to quite a few poisonous mushroom species that grow in similar conditions.

When consumed Liberty Caps will give a slightly stronger high than Cubensis with doses up to 2.5 grams recommended for a standard.

Psilocybe cubensis

Strains of Psilocybe cubensis are the most commonly consumed Magic Mushroom in the world. The popularity is driven by the ease at which they can be cultivated and the fact that they can be grown indoors very easily using a mushroom grow kit, like ours!

Cubensis shrooms can be found growing in the wild all across the world in the Southern US, Central America, and Mexico. The cultivated indoor samples typically have a higher psilocybin content than those found in natural settings.

When found in the wild, Cubensis mushrooms often grow at field edges and prefer to live in well-manured soil. Fruiting is at its highest during the spring and summer, with some still popping up in the later Autumn months too.

Cubensis mushrooms are the most majestic of Psilocybes and are easy to recognize due to their golden cap color and large size. Once handled they may display a blueish tint as the psilocin oxidizes. Cubensis caps are generally bigger than other Psilocybe species and will widen as the mushroom matures with age.

When dried the Cubensis will give a moderate high in doses up to 3 grams, with higher amounts leading to more intense experiences.

Magic mushrooms have been a healing medicine for thousands of years. Recently 'modern' science started to take notice of the benefits from microdosing psilocybin. These most potent, most magical mushrooms are a viable method of improving our mental health and resilience.

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