The Tragic Story Of Magic Truffles: The Elusive Wild Psilocybe

Published on the DoubleBlind website: https://doubleblindmag.com/magic-truffles-psilocybe-tampanensis/

“In 1977, Steven H. Pollock discovered something quite unusual. The then thirty-year-old physician and mycologist frequently collected mushroom samples to study in his mobile laboratory, which he drove from Texas to Tampa, Florida late that summer. Yet, Pollock could never have anticipated the surprise that one of his newfound specimens had in store. 

For weeks, the scientist cultivated the unknown Psilocybe in his lab—routine practice for mycologists. Then it happened: Several small lumps formed on the mycelium. Mycelium normally look like whisper-thin cobwebs spread throughout the soil; these lumps looked more like kefir grain. In time, the lumps grew larger. Pollock’s curiosity piqued. He described, dissected, and sampled the lumps in a bioassay. The results of his experiments revealed the true treasure that Pollock had in his possession: a new species. And a psychoactive one to boot.”