so why do psilocybe cubensis bruise blue?

[luckyslevin]

I've always thought that it was the psilocybin oxidizing. I've thought this because my buds that stop growing prematurely always bruise VERY blue and also seem to be more potent. However I know there are other mushrooms which turn blue and do not contain psilocybin.

Any thoughts?

 

[StonedNative]

I always thought it was psilocybin too?

 

[Visitor Q]

I've seen wild edible mushrooms at my local market which are white with blue bruising. I know for a fact that these are not psychoactive because I've seen old rich people from Westmount buy them, and most these people would send you to the electric chair for smoking a joint. Plus it would be illegal.

I won't buy them because they cost almost as much as psilocybe mushrooms.

So I don't think the psilocybin is responsible for these blue bruises, but I know most mushrooms that contain psilocybin oxidize blue or purplish.

 

[Roger&Me]

IIRC its due to pigment compounds like variegatic acid being liberated by the rupture of cell walls.

 

[Visitor Q]

Thank you Roger, you knowledgeable wizard!

 

[D n A]

a friend of mine though that the more bruised the stems were, the stronger the mushrooms would be 8) I don't know if there's any truth to that but it sure sounds ridiculous to me.

 

[Solipsis]

Tryptamines are indoles, actually the word indole comes from indigo and oleum. Indigo is a well-known blue dye used for jeans among other things. Looking at the structure of indigo I suspect that if some indoles are oxidized in certain ways, they might dimerize into compounds that color blue.

Some mushrooms may contain indoles and tryptamines that are simply not psychoactive, but still indoles.

 

[Thou]

I just learned about Indoles the other day from wikipedia! I get excited when I retain information.

The more you know...