Panaeolus cyanescens

Safety first

This page is information only. It does not help anyone identify, find, grow or take any mushroom, and a name or photo never shows that a mushroom is safe. If someone has swallowed an unknown mushroom or is in distress, call 911 (US) or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, and see poisoning: what to do first. In the US, 988 reaches the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Evidence labels: preclinical (cells/animals only), insufficient evidence, marketing claim. "Proper evidence not found" means we looked and found nothing usable.

Names and classification

Panaeolus cyanescens is the accepted name in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) backbone, credited to Saccardo (1887). GBIF lists these as synonyms: Copelandia cyanescens (Sacc.) Singer, Copelandia cyanascens (Berk. & Broome) Singer, Agaricus cyanescens Berk. & Broome and Panaeolus bubalorum Pat. [1] So searches for "Copelandia cyanescens" lead to the same fungus.

Classification keeps changing:

• A 2023 global review says the genus Copelandia is not currently treated as valid, although the name is used inconsistently in the literature. [2]


• GBIF files the species under the family Bolbitiaceae. [1] A 2026 study using genome and gene comparisons concluded that Panaeolus belongs to a separate family, Galeropsidaceae, and described a subgenus of Panaeolus (Bresadolomyces) as roughly equivalent to the traditional Copelandia group. [3]

Panaeolus is a different genus from Psilocybe; psilocybin is the compound, and these fungi are one source of it. See psilocybin and the overview of other psilocybin-containing fungi.

The nickname "blue meanies"

"Blue meanies" is sometimes linked to this species, but the nickname is a trade or slang term, not a scientific name. In a 2025 study of 42 cultivated strains, a strain supplied as "Blue Meanies" was identified by DNA as Psilocybe cubensis, while strains supplied as Panaeolus cambodginiensis matched P. cyanescens. [4] Treat nicknames as marketing claims. See commercial mushroom names.

Where it appears in the research record

A 1993 study of fungi in the Hawaiian Islands lists Copelandia cyanescens among species that contain psychoactive alkaloids and are consumed there for non-traditional, recreational purposes. [5] Beyond that, our sources describe it mainly in forensic and laboratory work. We did not find sources on traditional ceremonial use of this species and make no claim about it.

What laboratory studies measured

There is no standard strength for this species, and we give none.

• A 2000 German study of confiscated mushrooms found P. cyanescens had the highest psilocybin and psilocin levels of the types sampled. The whole sample set ranged from below 0.003% to 1.15% psilocybin. [6]
• A 2010 German forensic method study of internet-distributed products also found the highest psilocin in its dried P. cyanescens samples, and showed that sample handling changed the results. [7]
• A 2025 study of one P. cyanescens strain (labeled Vietnam) found higher psilocin than the P. cubensis and P. tampanensis strains compared. [4]
• A museum specimen of the species collected 29 years before testing had no detectable psilocybin in a 2026 study, possibly because of age. [3]

These are single studies of specific samples. They cannot be turned into a general ranking or compared across methods, and the safety point is that composition is unpredictable.

What research shows about health effects

Preclinical (cells/animals only). Water extracts of P. cyanescens and P. cubensis did not worsen, and partly protected against, injury in cultured heart muscle cells (the H9C2 line). The authors cautioned that higher concentrations could be harmful, and that safety in people with heart disease is not fully known. [8] A 2026 review of extract studies calls the cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory findings "promising" but preclinical. [9] Extracts from the four-mushroom human-cell study also lowered inflammatory markers in a dish. [10]

Insufficient evidence in people. Proper evidence not found for clinical trials or treatment use of P. cyanescens. We searched PubMed for the species and its synonym and found chemistry, forensic and cell-culture papers only. For human research on psilocybin itself, see clinical trials and research limits.

Risks (psilocybin in general)

NIDA reports that poison-center callers after psilocybin or LSD most often had agitation, rapid heartbeat, pupil dilation, confusion and vomiting, and describes rare long-lasting perception changes. [11] Heart conditions, mental health conditions, pregnancy and medicines: Proper evidence not found specific to this species; see adverse effects and contraindications.

Legal context

Laws change and this is not legal advice. The US federal Schedule I list (21 CFR 1308.11, read 2026-10-22) names psilocybin and psilocyn and covers material containing any quantity of them unless excepted. [12] We did not verify other countries; see psychedelic legal status by country.