Psilocybe tampanensis

Safety first

This page is information only. It does not help anyone identify, obtain, grow or use any fungus. A mushroom or truffle cannot be judged safe from a name or a photo, and psilocybin products can be mislabeled. 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 used here: insufficient evidence (too little or no usable research), preclinical (cells/animals only), mixed, and marketing claim. "Proper evidence not found" means we looked and found nothing usable, and we say where we looked.

What it is

Psilocybe tampanensis is a fungus in the genus Psilocybe that contains psilocybin. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) backbone lists it as an accepted species in the family Hymenogastraceae, with the authority Guzmán & S.H.Pollock and a 1978 description in the journal Mycotaxon. [1] Psilocybin is the natural compound; the fungus is its source. See the separate guides to psilocybin and psilocin.

The "magic truffle" connection

A 2021 review lists "Magic Truffles" and "Philosopher's Stone" as other names for P. tampanensis. [2] Those names usually mean sclerotia, hardened masses of fungal tissue rather than the familiar above-ground mushroom. A 2013 toxicology paper describes sclerotia, "commonly called magic truffles," as a form in which Psilocybe alkaloids are supplied. [3] Other Psilocybe species also form them, and the trade names do not reliably tell you the species. See psilocybin truffles (sclerotia) and mushroom versus truffle differences.

Naming problems

• In a 2025 study of 42 cultivated strains, sequencing of one DNA region (ITS) identified strains sold as P. mexicana, P. galindoi and P. tampanensis all as P. tampanensis. Strains sold as P. natalensis were identified as P. cubensis. [4]
• A 2022 study that re-checked 94 museum Psilocybe specimens found that, apart from a few well-known species, the accuracy of species names was "largely unreliable." [5]
• Practical meaning: a label or a strain name is a marketing claim until a laboratory confirms it. See commercial mushroom names.

What laboratory studies measured

There is no "typical" psilocybin content for this species, and we do not give one.

• In the 2025 strain study, dried fruiting bodies of one P. tampanensis strain (labeled TampG) contained about equal amounts of psilocybin and psilocin when measured by liquid chromatography. The authors stress differences between species and strains. [4]
• A 2013 laboratory method paper measured psilocybin (but not psilocin) in the Psilocybe sclerotia it examined, from 59.3 to 167.8 micrograms per 100 milligrams of fresh sclerotia. These were the samples in that study, not a species norm. [3]
• A 2000 German study of seized material found P. tampanensis among the four most common types, with psilocybin below 0.003% to 1.15% and psilocin 0.01% to 0.90% across the whole sample set. [6]
• Specimen age, storage and sample preparation change measurements, so numbers from different studies cannot be compared directly. [5]

What research shows about health effects

Insufficient evidence. Proper evidence not found for clinical trials of P. tampanensis itself. We searched PubMed for "tampanensis" and found laboratory, forensic and fungal-biology papers, not human treatment studies. Psilocybin research in people uses defined products, not this fungus; see clinical trials and research limits.

Risks (psilocybin in general)

Not specific to this fungus. NIDA reports that US poison-center callers who used LSD and psilocybin most often had agitation, rapid heartbeat, pupil dilation, confusion and vomiting, and that about 6% of psilocybin-mushroom callers were admitted to critical care. It also describes rare, longer-lasting perception changes (hallucinogen persisting perception disorder). [7] Details: adverse effects and contraindications. Pregnancy: pregnancy and breastfeeding. For heart conditions, mental health conditions and medicines: Proper evidence not found for this species specifically; ask a clinician.

Legal context

Laws change and this is not legal advice. In the United States federal Schedule I list (21 CFR 1308.11, read 2026-10-22), psilocybin and psilocyn are listed, and the rule covers any material or preparation containing any quantity of a listed hallucinogen unless excepted. [8] We did not verify how other countries or US states treat this species or sclerotia. See psychedelic legal status by country.