Do mushrooms have terpenes and an entourage effect?

Mycologist Paul Stamets shared incredible wisdom about a certain type of psychedelic mushroom during a MAPS presentation. This advice may only be required by the most potent of the species known to man, but it turns out there’s more to a fungus than psychoactive tryptamine. Laboratory tests have shown that fresh mushrooms contain the more tender and flavorful terpenes, and now there is even more mystery surrounding a possible entourage effect.

A theory of turpent for medicinal plants – and mushrooms?

Delic Labs recently found these important molecules in fresh psychedelic mushrooms. In an interview with two chemists from their laboratory about basic chemistry and storage stability of magic mushrooms, President and CSO Dr. Markus Roggen announced a new discovery.

we I had a fresh sample of psilocybin just yesterday mushrooms in our laboratory and there were many Terpenes in that we could see. So fresh mushrooms have a taste and a smell.

Dr. Rye, President and CSO of Delic Labs.

Terpenes are a large class of molecules found in nature. Fatty acids or a modified glucose metabolism, for example, are two ways in which it is obtained. Hence, herbal essential oils are usually high in terpenes, which contribute to smell and taste.

It is often believed that terpenes go beyond the palate or nose to alter the therapeutic benefits of medicinal plants like cannabis. This theory is known as the entourage (or ensemble) effect. After more than a decade, scientists are still unsure about this mystical property of full-spectrum cannabis products. Even more mysterious, however, is how terpenes interact with the entourage effect of psychedelic mushrooms.

What’s in a terpene?

This class of smelly and tasty compounds falls into four different categories based on the number of atoms. Terpenes, which are composed of 10 and 15 carbon atoms, have the prefixes mono and sesqui, respectively, while di- and triterpenes have 20 and 30 carbon atoms, respectively.

Cannabis users are familiar with mono- and sesquiterpenes, which are lighter and therefore more volatile. On the other hand, cannabis roots and some fungi have been documented with triterpenes in the past. These larger molecules are more stable, less volatile, and have therapeutic properties.

Which terpenes are in a mushroom?

Delic Labs’ discovery is especially fascinating as they found the lighter, more volatile sesquis and monoterpenes in fresh psychedelic mushrooms. The lead chemist Dr. However, Eric Janusson is still interpreting the exact profile.

During yesterday’s quick analysis we saw some alpha-pinene and beta-caryophyllene – some mono- and sesquiterpenes in relatively small amounts. The most abundant sesquiterpene we observed was alpha copaen. But we have to rummage through the rest to find out what is in this sample and what we can extract. So we are still developing methods to accurately map the composition of these [mushrooms]. How fresh is fresh?

We need very robust standardized methods to ensure that we can also accurately specify the concentration of all these compounds.

DR. Janusson.

Stamets – known for making a psilocybin brew with fresh mushrooms – carelessly warned about the Psilocybe azurescens variety. Large doses of this rare strain can cause temporary paralysis. Of course, psychoactive alkaloids are likely to cause this terrifying reaction. However, any terpenes present can theoretically alter the most bizarre effects. But other phyto-compounds such as terpenoids and beta-carbolines can also increase their therapeutic potential. Regardless of the real cause, Stamets recently co-authored a study that better proves that psilocybin mushroom microdosers experience improvements in their mental health. (1)

In either case, the presence of volatile terpenes suggests that the quality of psychedelic mushrooms might depend on how well they’re stored. And storage helps to preserve the variety of psychedelic tryptamines before they are made into a tea or lemon tek, for example.

Let us know in the comments if it was you surpriseded to learn that fresh mushrooms have terpenes and a possible entourage effect. And stay tuned to learn about the psychedelic mushroom chemistry, the nuances of tea and lemons, and how to keep the magic from turning blue.

Show your work

• Select species of functional fungi produce active terpenoids known as norisoprenoids by breaking down B-carotene, a tetraterpene made up of 40 carbon atoms into eight isoprene units. (2)
• Yeasts are a variety of fungi that contain tetraterpenoids, which add to the aroma of wine and beer. In addition, enzymes can convert terpenes into yeast during the long brewing process. In theory, if there is enough linalool in the kettle, brewer’s yeast converts the terpene geraniol to β-citronellol, and this has been seen as a benefit for the citrus flavors in myrcene-dominant citron hops.

sources

1. Rootman, JM, Kryskow, P., Harvey, K. et al. Adults who microdose psychedelics report health-related motivations and lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to non-microdosers. Science Representative11 22479 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01811-4
2. Sylvester Holt, Marta H. Miks, Bruna Trindade de Carvalho, Maria R. Foulquié-Moreno, Johan M. Thevelein, The molecular biology of fruity and floral flavors in beer and other alcoholic beverages, FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Volume 43, Issue 3, May 2019, pages 193-222,