Psilocybin enzyme mystery solved!

The euphoria and hallucinations induced from eating “magic mushrooms” have earned the fungi a cult following. Scientists have been longing to develop a large-scale synthesis of the compound for medical uses. Yet no one has been able to unravel the enzymatic pathway the mushrooms use to make psilocybin, until now.

Commercial production?

Janis Fricke, Felix Blei, and Dirk Hoffmeister of Friedrich Schiller University Jena have identified and characterized to the greatest extent so far the four enzymes that the mushrooms use to make psilocybin. The team then developed the first enzymatic synthesis of the compound, setting the stage for its possible commercial production.

Psilocybin Magic Mushrooms

This is a development that can change the way product, which contain psilocybin, will be viewed, used and distributed. A very cool update in the world of psychedelic science :).