Yes, that’s the idea
From Tihkal
"Eloquent examples of this(Manipulation of Biosynthesis in organisms) are the delightfull reports of indole syntheses that were explored in Germany over the last few years. Visualise a vigorous growing mycelium culture that is synthesising psilocin by bringing together the natural DMT in it's diet with a vital but non-too discriminating enzyme that has the capacity for putting a hydroxyl group onto a Tryptamine. The mycelium has the knowledge of how to 4-hydroxy-late something, but doesn't really care what that something is. The available target for this skill, in the natural mushroom, just happens to be DMT.
The product is 4-hydroxy-DMT, or psilocin and this is what the organism makes, because this is all that can be made. There is 1 starting material, there is 1 synthetic capability, and there is 1 product.
Now let's manipulate things a bit. Let's keep this little fungal factory going, but wash out the DMT and replace it with something like DET. The hydroxylating compulsion appears to be still there and is quite intact. What happens?
The mycelium produces a bunch of 4-hydroxy-DET, an interresting compound and an active psychedelic, which was first reported by Sandoz laboratories, but a compound that is unknown in nature. I will wager that if the mycelia were to be sprinkled with MIPT, the enzyme system would produce 4-HO-MIPT which is fully as potent as psilocin and unrecognised
in any legal system in any country that I am aware of. You are exploiting a natural process by providing it with an unnatural starting material, and allowing it to generate a product that is intrinsically unnatural."
