Unregulated US magic mushroom edibles often contain no magic mushrooms

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-12 01:00

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Magic (psilocybin) mushrooms are legal under regulated conditions in Oregon and Colorado in the USA, but several unregulated products are marketed as magic mushroom edibles like gummies or chocolates, so US scientists decided to take a look to see what's in these products. They say previous research has suggested many of these edibles contain no psilocybin, instead containing muscimol from the mushroom species Amatina muscaria (the classic white spotted red mushrooms from Alice in Wonderland), synthetic tryptamines (another type of hallucinogen), or other adulterants. So, the team analysed 12 products, 11 gummies and one chocolate, from shops in Portland, Oregon. They found none of the tested edibles contained psilocybin, and seven of the 11 included ingredients not listed on the labels, including caffeine, kava, cannabis, and synthetic tryptamines. Four of the gummies contained no active ingredients at all. In 2024, there were 180 emergency cases, 73 hospitalisations, and three deaths linked to these products across the USA, suggesting there's an urgent need for better testing standards, stricter regulation, improved quality control, and state and federal enforcement, the experts conclude.