Psilocybin Potency Data: Magic Mushroom Lab Tests (2026)

The short answer

Magic mushroom potency varies about tenfold, even when nothing else changes. Fourteen Psilocybe cubensis strains grown, dried and tested the same way measured 0.20% to 1.96% psilocybin by dry weight, a 9.66-fold spread.¹ Fourteen wild collections of Psilocybe cyanescens ranged from 0.15% to 1.68% (11-fold),² and 52 samples of wild liberty caps from 0.29% to 2.02% (7-fold).⁴ Handling matters too: in one experiment, freezing fresh mushrooms for 24 hours before freeze-drying left 77% to 94% less psilocybin.⁵

Why potency is the number every calculator assumes

A mushroom dosage calculator turns a weight into an estimate by multiplying it by a potency it has to assume. Of 36 web calculators we checked, 11 state the potency they assume and 19 warn that potency varies (details in our calculator audit). If a batch holds half or twice the assumed psilocybin, the estimate is off by the same factor.

The assumption usually stands in for an average. Lab means for dried P. cubensis sit near 1% psilocybin by dry weight: 0.99% across 18 fruiting-body samples in one study,⁹ "approximately 1%" in another.¹ Market samples read lower and wider: 19 samples sold as Psilocybe in Colombia measured 0.01% to 0.73% total tryptamines, as psilocin equivalents.¹⁰ An average describes many mushrooms fairly and any single bag poorly.

Psilocybin measurements, study by study

Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest psilocybin value a study reported for one set of samples, as a percentage of dry weight; the dot marks the mean, or the median where no mean was given. A row with only a dot was published as a single average. These 40 rows are a selection; the download holds all 478 rows from 42 sources, including psilocin and four related compounds, with sample sizes, methods and notes.

Psilocybe cubensis, 14 strains grown the same way (Sharchaton 2026)

Mak INDpooled powder, lab mean

1.96%

Penis Envypooled powder, lab mean

1.55%

Satpooled powder, lab mean

1.35%

Jedi Mind Fckpooled powder, lab mean

1.16%

Albino Penis Envypooled powder, lab mean

1.14%

Jack Frost x Golden Teacherpooled powder, lab mean

1.10%

Enigmapooled powder, lab mean

0.79%

Jack Frost x Shaktipooled powder, lab mean

0.68%

Xicopooled powder, lab mean

0.62%

Malpooled powder, lab mean

0.56%

Jack Frostpooled powder, lab mean

0.49%

Z+pooled powder, lab mean

0.32%

SE Houstonpooled powder, lab mean

0.23%

Oak Ridge Lightpooled powder, lab mean

0.20%

Five single mushrooms per strain, same chamber and stage (Sharchaton 2026)

Jack Frost x Golden Teachern = 5 mushrooms, CV 22.7%

0.68 to 1.24%

Jack Frost x Shaktin = 5 mushrooms, CV 23.39% (highest)

0.52 to 0.83%

Maln = 5 mushrooms, CV 12.81% (lowest)

0.34 to 0.48%

Psilocybe cubensis, flush by flush (Bigwood and Beug 1982; Gartz 1989)

Amazon strain, culture 1n = 5 flushes

0.48 to 1.33%

Amazon strain, culture 2n = 5 flushes

0.31 to 0.73%

Amazon strain, culture 3n = 5 flushes

0.32 to 0.76%

Untreated control (Gartz 1989)n = 5 flushes

0.46 to 0.61%

Wild Psilocybe cyanescens collections

Pacific Northwest, 1978 to 1979n = 14 collections (Beug and Bigwood 1982)

0.15 to 1.68%

Pacific Northwest, 1984 to 1993n = 15 samples (Gartz 1996)

0.41 to 0.98%

Germany and Austria, 1992 to 1995n = 15 samples, P. cyanescens complex (Gartz 1996)

0.33 to 0.71%

Mostly wild, donated collectionsn = 13 mushrooms from 4 collections (Gotvaldova 2022)

0.23 to 1.38%

Wild Psilocybe semilanceata (liberty cap) collections

Pacific Northwest, 1978 to 1979n = 10 collections (Beug and Bigwood 1982)

0.66 to 1.28%

Finlandrange and mean only (Jokiranta 1984)

0.62 to 2.37%

Mostly Switzerland, 1983 to 1987n = 52 samples, most pooled from 10 mushrooms (Brenneisen and Borner 1988)

0.29 to 2.02%

One Swiss site, one dayn = 10 single mushrooms of similar size (Brenneisen and Borner 1988)

0.53 to 1.19%

Mostly wild, donated collectionsn = 18 mushrooms from 5 collections (Gotvaldova 2022)

0.13 to 1.14%

Psilocybe azurescens and P. zapotecorum grown indoors (Windsor 2026)

Psilocybe azurescensn = 12 samples

0.81 to 1.77%

Psilocybe zapotecorumn = 25 samples

1.09 to 1.89%

Same harvest, freeze-dried at once or frozen for 24 hours first (Windsor 2026)

P. zapotecorum, freeze-dried at onceright after harvest

1.29%

P. zapotecorum, frozen first24 hours at -20 C, then freeze-dried

0.08%

P. cyanescens, freeze-dried at onceright after harvest

1.16%

P. cyanescens, frozen first24 hours at -20 C, then freeze-dried

0.27%

Freshly freeze-dried vs old herbarium Psilocybe cubensis (Bradshaw 2022)

Fresh, freeze-dried: capsn = 3 mushrooms from 2 bins

1.05 to 1.99%

Fresh, freeze-dried: stemsn = 3 mushrooms

1.54 to 1.83%

Herbarium specimens, 17 to 50 years oldn = 8; range where any was detected

0.06 to 0.19%

Sclerotia sold as truffles (Prochazkova 2018)

Dried truffles, species not statedmean of 3 samples

0.16%

Bars show the lowest to highest psilocybin content each study measured, as a percentage of dry weight. A yellow dot marks the study's mean, or its median where no mean was reported. Scale: 0 to 2.5%.

Download this data. Published psilocybin and related tryptamine measurements in mushrooms, 478 rows, updated October 26, 2026. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.

Compare rows inside a group before comparing across groups: the studies span four decades, several lab methods and very different sample histories.

What drives the variation

These findings explain why potency moves. They don't predict the potency of any particular batch.

Sources of variation in psilocybin content, as reported by lab studies
Factor	What studies found
Strain	14 P. cubensis strains under identical conditions: 0.20% to 1.96% psilocybin (9.66-fold).¹ Five strains from one supplier: 0.88% to 1.36% psilocybin plus psilocin (1.55-fold).⁷
Single mushrooms	Five mushrooms per strain, same chamber and stage: coefficient of variation 12.8% to 23.4%.¹ Ten wild liberty caps of similar size from one site on one day: 0.53% to 1.19%.⁴
Flush (harvest order)	Psilocin was mostly absent in the first flushes and highest by the fourth; psilocybin showed no trend but ranged 0.31% to 1.33% (4.3-fold).³
Part of the mushroom	No consistent direction. Caps measured above stems in P. zapotecorum (2.55% vs 1.56%),⁸ stems above caps in liberty caps from three Swiss sites,⁴ and no significant difference in freshly freeze-dried P. cubensis.⁶
Wild vs grown indoors	Wild P. cyanescens: 0.15% to 1.68% between collections.² Grown indoors and freeze-dried at once: 0.82% to 1.32%.⁵
Freezing, drying, age	Holding fresh mushrooms 24 hours at -20 C before freeze-drying cut psilocybin by about 94% in P. zapotecorum and 77% in P. cyanescens, while psilocin rose.⁵ Freshly freeze-dried P. cubensis: 1.05% to 1.99%; herbarium specimens 17 to 50 years old: 0.19% or less.⁶
Blue bruising	A 1982 survey of 20 species found "no correlation between degree of bluing and either psilocybin or psilocin levels".²

The strain ranking is one lab's result; see mushroom potency by strain for what it can and can't tell you.

What a potency number on a lab report measures

Two labs can test the same mushroom and print different "potency" figures, because the figure can be defined at least five ways:

Psilocybin only. Oregon's "psilocybin analyte" means psilocybin alone.¹³
Psilocybin plus psilocin, added by mass, as in the five-strain comparison above.⁷
Psilocin equivalents: psilocin + 0.719 × psilocybin. Oregon calls this "total potential psilocin", "the maximum theoretical concentration of psilocin in the sample";¹³ Colorado's "Total Psilocin" uses the same formula.¹⁶
Psilocybin equivalents: psilocybin + 1.4 × psilocin in an Oregon proposal for "total psilocybin equivalent".¹⁴ The exact inverse of 0.719 is 1.392, the same conversion run the other way. New Mexico's proposed rule requires a total psilocybin equivalent on labels without stating a formula.¹⁷
Total tryptamines: psilocybin, psilocin and related compounds such as baeocystin added together.¹

The 0.719 factor is psilocin's molar mass divided by psilocybin's, 204.27 ÷ 284.25.¹² After it's swallowed, psilocybin loses its phosphate group and becomes psilocin,¹⁹ which weighs about 72% as much. See psilocybin vs psilocin for the chemistry.

One hypothetical sample with 1.0% psilocybin and 0.1% psilocin, reported four ways (arithmetic only)
Reported as	Formula	Reads as
Psilocybin only	psilocybin	1.0%
Psilocybin plus psilocin	psilocybin + psilocin	1.1%
Total potential psilocin (Oregon), Total Psilocin (Colorado)	psilocin + 0.719 × psilocybin	0.82%
Total psilocybin equivalent (Oregon proposal)	psilocybin + 1.4 × psilocin	1.14%

What the three state programs require

Oregon. Lab reports list psilocybin and psilocin separately plus total potential psilocin, and results "should not be adjusted for percent moisture". Since January 1, 2026, labels show psilocybin, psilocin and other values the lab identifies, including total potential psilocin.¹³ A notice filed September 30, 2026 proposes replacing it with "total psilocybin equivalent" (psilocybin plus 1.4 times psilocin); comments closed October 21.¹⁴ The state's own guidance says results "only reflect the specific sample tested at that point in time".¹⁵

Colorado. Total Psilocin (psilocybin × 0.719 plus psilocin) goes on labels before products reach a healing center or facilitator; content is retested every nine months and relabeled if Total Psilocin differs by more than 15%.¹⁶

New Mexico. A proposed rule would put both total psilocybin equivalent and total potential psilocin on labels and test five tryptamines. A hearing officer recommended adoption on May 26, 2026. The Department has since proposed amendments to 7.35.2 (hearing October 2, 2026), so the rule appears to have been adopted, but we couldn't find the final text to confirm the labeling and testing sections.¹⁷

These programs are state-legal and supervised; psilocybin remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. For packaging, see what the number on a capsule label means.

Errors we found in other sources

Checking secondary sources against the original papers turned up these mismatches. The dataset uses the original tables.

A 2025 review swaps the psilocybin and psilocin ranges Gotvaldova 2022 reported for P. cubensis, labels a P. serbica var. bohemica psilocybin value as psilocin, and describes Bradshaw 2022's freshly freeze-dried mushrooms as 1970s voucher specimens.¹⁸
Bigwood and Beug's 1982 abstract says street samples varied "over a factor of ten"; their table runs from 0.07% to 0.62% psilocybin, 8.9-fold.³
Beug and Bigwood's 1982 text gives P. cyanescens psilocybin as 0.49% to 1.68%; their table includes a collection at 0.15%.²
Bradshaw 2022 gives mycelium psilocybin as 0.644% in the text and 0.63% in Table 2.⁶
Brenneisen and Borner's 1988 abstract gives liberty cap psilocybin as 0.21% to 2.02%; the lowest of the 52 values in their tables is 0.29%, and the 2.02% is a stems-only sample.⁴
A 2025 study that also tested consumer products reports 9.9% to 19.3% psilocybin in five Psilocybe samples, about ten times typical published values and more than three times the highest other value in our dataset. It may be a unit error; we couldn't check the full paper, so that row stays unconverted.¹¹
New Mexico's proposed rule gives norbaeocystin's CAS number as 2140-59-7; PubChem lists 21420-59-7.¹⁷¹²

How to use and cite the dataset

The full dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page: 478 rows from 42 sources (41 studies and one grower competition) published from 1978 to 2026. Each row records species, strain as the authors named it, part, drying state, sample size, method, minimum, maximum, mean, median, source and notes, in milligrams per gram of dry weight with percent columns alongside. Three rows are flagged as fresh weight or extract.

Ranges are as published. Means and medians were computed only where a paper listed every value. Five rows carry an UNCONFIRMED note because we couldn't check them against the primary document. Strain names are copied as published, misspellings included.

Suggested citation: Magic Mushroom Dosage Calculator editors. "Published psilocybin and related tryptamine measurements in mushrooms." magicmushroomdosagecalculator.com/psilocybin-potency-data, updated October 26, 2026. CC BY 4.0. Found a value that doesn't match its source? Tell us through the contact page.

Questions people ask

What is the average psilocybin content of dried magic mushrooms?

Lab means for dried, promptly processed Psilocybe cubensis sit near 1% of dry weight, but single samples in these studies ranged from about 0.2% to 2%, and market samples often measured lower.

Are wild magic mushrooms stronger than ones grown indoors?

Not consistently. Wild collections had the widest ranges, with some of the highest and lowest values in the dataset.

Does a bluer bruise mean a stronger mushroom?

No. A 1982 survey of 20 species found no correlation between bluing and psilocybin or psilocin.

Can these numbers tell me what's in my mushrooms?

No. Every value describes the samples one study tested. Only a recent test of the specific batch can say what that batch contains.

Sources

Sharchaton A, et al. (2026). Surprising variability in tryptamine profiles of Psilocybe cubensis fruiting bodies: inter- and intra-strain differences across 14 strains cultivated under controlled conditions. J Fungi 12(7):486. PMID 42506248.
Beug MW, Bigwood J (1982). Psilocybin and psilocin levels in twenty species from seven genera of wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. J Ethnopharmacol 5(3):271-285. PMID 7201053.
Bigwood J, Beug MW (1982). Variation of psilocybin and psilocin levels with repeated flushes (harvests) of mature sporocarps of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer. J Ethnopharmacol 5(3):287-291. PMID 7201054.
Brenneisen R, Borner S (1988). The occurrence of tryptamine derivatives in Psilocybe semilanceata. Z Naturforsch C 43(7-8):511-514.
Windsor C, et al. (2026). Development of Psilocybe mushroom species reference material: cultivation parameters and chemical profiles. J AOAC Int 109(1):37-50. PMID 39960890.
Bradshaw AJ, et al. (2022). DNA authentication and chemical analysis of Psilocybe mushrooms reveal widespread misdeterminations in fungaria and inconsistencies in metabolites. Appl Environ Microbiol 88(24):e0149822. PMID 36445079.
Goff R, et al. (2024). Determination of psilocybin and psilocin content in multiple Psilocybe cubensis mushroom strains using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 1288:342161. PMID 38220293.
Miller DR, et al. (2024). Cultivation, chemistry, and genome of Psilocybe zapotecorum. J Psychedelic Stud 8(1):63-81. PMID 41836496.
Waldbillig A, et al. (2023). Exploring Psilocybe spp. mycelium and fruiting body chemistry for potential therapeutic compounds. Front Fungal Biol 4:1295223. PMID 38094868.
Yasmo Perez JP, et al. (2025). Development and validation of a HPLC-DAD method for determining the content of tryptamines in methanolic extracts of fruiting bodies of mushrooms belonging to species of the Psilocybe genus. Talanta 290:127777. PMID 40020610.
Katragunta K, et al. (2025). Quantitative LC-QToF-MS analysis of mycochemicals in Amanita muscaria, Psilocybe spp. (Agaricomycetes), and consumer products. Int J Med Mushrooms 27(1):29-39. PMID 39717916.
PubChem: psilocybin, psilocin and norbaeocystin. National Library of Medicine, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Oregon Administrative Rules, chapter 333, division 64 (OAR 333-064-0025, 0140, 0150) and division 333 (OAR 333-333-2400). Oregon Secretary of State, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Notice of proposed rulemaking: marijuana, hemp, and psilocybin testing (OAR 333-007 and 333-064). Oregon Health Authority, filed September 30, 2026.
Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) psilocybin product potency information. Oregon Health Authority, November 2024.
1 CCR 213-1, Colorado regulated natural medicine rules (Rules 1025, 3305, 4010). Natural Medicine Division, Colorado Department of Revenue, version effective August 12, 2026, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Hearing officer report on proposed 7.35.2 NMAC, May 26, 2026, proposed rule exhibits, and notice of an October 2, 2026 hearing on amendments to 7.35.2 NMAC. New Mexico Department of Health.
Kurzbaum E, et al. (2025). Exploring Psilocybe cubensis strains: cultivation techniques, psychoactive compounds, genetics and research gaps. J Fungi 11(2):99. PMID 39997393.
Otto ME, et al. (2025). Clinical pharmacokinetics of psilocin after psilocybin administration: a systematic review and post-hoc analysis. Clin Pharmacokinet 64(1):53-66. PMID 39812743.

Psilocybin potency: every magic mushroom lab measurement we could find