mushroom extractions

[shiam]

hi my freind was wondering what the best way to extract psilocybin/psilocin out of mushrooms using vinegar(acetic acid) is, and also what is the best way to evaporate the acid without loosing to much psilo due to enzymatic reactions etc that occur when using acetic acid. i would use methanol but i dont have access to pure enough methanol so i'm using acetic acid instead

thanks...

 

[BilZ0r]

Why not citric or tartaric acid? And why do you want to extract powder anyway?

 

[shiam]

first of all it doesnt really matter what acid i use its how to evaporate it is the issue.
secondly mushrooms taste like crap the less you have to eat the better

 

[fizzacyst]

Acetic acid instead of methanol? Evaporate excess acid?

Maybe you should just make a tea and drink that, so you don't eat something you shouldn't or damage your drugs.

Grind them to powder, add a little acid to, say z of warm/hot water, then mix it up really well. Agitate it for a while, then strain the goop out with a coffee filter. Squeeze it really carefully to get the remaining liquid out without burting the filter.

Add some kool-aid powder at double or triple strength and some sugar. Its really quite tolerable.

 

[shiam]

yeah i've thought of just making tea but i want to make an extract for a few reasons

1. to reduce the actual SIZE of the dose itself
2. to possibly store the doses, most likely by mixing the extract with honey, this way i dont have to worry about actual mushies in honey going off and going mouldy.


question: would it be possible to do some kind of extraction with acid or water and mix the liquid with honey? or would the two not mix?

 

[fizzacyst]

Why would you mix such a liquid with honey?
Adding fungal or plant matter and water to a sugary solution is a good way to get bacteria or mold growth.

If you just want to store it as an extract (increasing the chances for your drugs to degrade), i'd freeze it in an an opaque container, and then seal it airtight.

Add a preservative to the liquid if you can find any.

 

[BilZ0r]

Or you could just freeze the shrooms. It's not hard to get pure ethanol or methanol from a chemicals distributor... and then evap with a hair dryer.

Personally I like tea.

 

[7zark7]

Or you could just freeze the shrooms.

I thought this broke the cell walls and turned the shrooms to mush when thawed?

 

[BilZ0r]

^ Not that much really, but whats the problem even if it did? More access to the cellular contents would be a good thing.

 

[shiam]

yeah i didnt think mixing liquid with honey would work...

has anyone tried extracting with acetic or any other kind of acid? its not the actual extraction thats the problem, its evaporating the acetic/whatever acid, because i read that extractions using acetic acid generally result in more psilocin because of enzymatic reactions. because of the fact that psilocin is less stable and more sensitive to air/moisture i was concerned about simply leaving the acid to evaporate because by the time it is finished there would probobly be nothing left.

one thing i did think of was using vitamin c in a solution with water or acetic acid to perform the extraction, i was thinking perhaps vitamin c's antioxidant properties might protect the psilo as it evaporated, perhaps leaving a mix of powdered vitamin c and psilo?

any thoughts?

 

[BilZ0r]

because i read that extractions using acetic acid generally result in more psilocin because of enzymatic reactions

Sounds like bullshit to me. Most enzymes are going to be seriously fucked-out once you go past pH 5. But getting HCl isn't hard man. I've yet to find a country where you can't get it over the counter one way or another.

 

[Chuff]

simply drop a layer of mushrooms onto the top of a honey jar and store in a cool dark place as the mushrooms descend through the honey add further layers, continue to required dose (1000 psycilicibe or welsh mushrooms makes a good kick) whenever you want a trip spread a little 'blue honey' on toast and you are sorted

 

[fizzacyst]

Sounds like a good way to rot your mushrooms if they are not absolutely 100% dry. Most of it is pastuerized, but honey can be some dirty stuff and its got so much sugar in it.

 

[shiam]

any word on evaporating acetic or other acids?
also what would be the best acid to use?

 

[BilZ0r]

Acetic acid is a liquid at Room temp; HCl evaporates cleanly.

 

[phase_dancer]

Storing mushrooms in honey is widely practicedin Australia.

From my observations, I'd say there is relatively little loss of potency. Some people claim mushrooms are good for 1-2 years if properly prepared.

 

[raybeez]

The high sugar content of honey would actually inhibit the growth of bacteria/mold.

Sounds like a good way to rot your mushrooms if they are not absolutely 100% dry. Most of it is pastuerized, but honey can be some dirty stuff and its got so much sugar in it.

 

[fizzacyst]

I'm aware of that... but i've seen people put relatively fresh mushrooms into honey.

I just wouldn't do it because I'd have far less of an idea how much I was taking, and I don't think I'd like the taste/gooeyness.

Maybe you should look into buying or making a soxhlet extractor, and refluxing your powdered shrooms in methonal or ethanol. Its fairly quick and will get you good results.

I can't remember which was the better solvent. I know shulgin commented on it in one of his "Ask Dr. Shulgin" columns. psilocybin was far less soluble in hot ethanol or methanol than room temp, i think. i cannot remember which.

 

[shiam]

so HCL is the best eh? how long do you think it would take to evaporate say 1 litre? because the thing i'm worried about is all the goodness oxidising away into nothing before the acid evaporates

 

[BilZ0r]

Depends on how you evaporate it. If you do an acid/base extraction then your base would be disolved in a lol-boiling point solvent, and not much of it, so you could evaporate it much easier.

Or you could try to basify the solution and filter the alkaloid out. Don't know well that would work.