Variation of psilocybin and psilocin levels with repeated flushes (harvests) of mature sporocarps of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer.
Analysis of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer grown in controlled culture showed that the level of psilocin was generally zero in the first (or sometimes even the second) fruiting of the mushroom from a given culture and that the level reached a maximum by the fourth flush. The level of psilocybin, which was nearly always at least twice the level of psilocin, showed no upward or downward trend as fruiting progressed, but was variable over a factor of four. Samples obtained from outside sources had psilocybin levels varying by over a factor of ten from one collection to the next.
Short Communication ETHNOBOTANY OF PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS, ESPECIALLY
Mushrooms containing psilocybin have been used for millennia in primative societies for religious/medical purposes. However, today these fungi are used in Western countries primarily as a form of recreation. Although this use does not seem to be causing significant health problems, more study is needed to evaluate the significance of this phenomenon. Essentially all the ethnobotanical use of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle.) Sing. rests on the fact that it contains the compounds psilocybin and psilocin, both of which are hallucinogenic. The most complete interdisciplinary study of this and other “psilocybin” mushrooms is that of Heim and Wasson (1958). Singer (1958), Singer and Smith (1958), Pollock (1975, 1976), Ott (1976), Lincoff and Mitchel(1977), Ott and Bigwood (1978), Rumack and Salzman (1978), Schultes and Hofmann (1980) and Stamets (1978) have also published works on various aspects of hallucinogenic fungi. Because Psilocybe cubensis grows commonly in the southeastern United States and is easily cultivated (Stamets, 1978), it is probably the most commonly eaten hallucinogenic mushroom in this area today. The unauthorized possession, sale, or use of psilocybin or psilocin is a crime in the United States (Public Law 91-513) although few, if any, people have been convicted of possession of mushrooms. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature of man’s past and present use of psilocybin mushrooms, especially P. c~bens~s. According to Schultes and Hofmann (1980), the earliest known published reports referring to aboriginal use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Mexico are those of Spaniards after the conquest. Despite the fact that the Spanish were highly intolerant of “pagan” religions, several references to the ceremonial use of mushrooms have survived. One of the earliest is that of SahagGn (1829-1830, publ~h~ 3 centuries after it was written) who wrote of “. . . small mushrooms called ‘Teonanacatl” which grow in pastures and cause a kind of intoxication the same way as wine”. “Nanicatl” refers
Instrumentation and Automated Photometric Titration Procedure for Total Acidity Determination in Red Wine Employing a Multicommuted Flow System
An automated procedure for photometric titration of red wine and associated instrumentation is described. The procedure was based on the flow-batch approach implemented employing multicommutation. The photometric detection was carried out using a homemade LED-based photometer. The mixing device, LED, and photodetector were attached to the titration chamber in order to form a compact and small-sized unit. The flow system comprised an automatic injector and three-way solenoid valves, which were controlled by a microcomputer through an electronic interface card. The software, written in Quick BASIC 4.5, was designed with abilities to accomplish all steps of the titration procedure including data acquisition and real-time processing to decide about the course of titration in the following step and so forth, until the titration endpoint was reached. The usefulness of the proposed titration system was demonstrated by analyzing red wine samples. When results were compared with those obtained using the AOAC reference method, no significant difference was observed at the 95% confidence level. A relative standard deviation of ca  2% (n=9 ) was obtained when processing a typical red wine sample containing 7.3 gl -1 total acidity expressed as tartaric acid.