P. Ochras

Psilocybin Mushroom Strain Guide

Origin

The classification of Psilocybe Ochraceocentrata is one of the most fascinating and exciting things to hit the modern mycology sphere in recent memory. A groundbreaking study submitted to bioRxvi in 2024 led to the reclassification of the strain know as P. Natalensis after it underwent DNA analysis and was discovered to not be Psilocybe Cubensis at all! If nothing else, the discovery underscores just how much remains to be learned about the world’s fungi and how they affect the humans that cultivate them.

Samples were collected in Zimbabwe and South Africa for study and has led to exciting insights on the origins on Psilocyben mushrooms and their proliferation around the world. Study co-author Bryn Dentinger, the mycology curator at the Natural History Museum of Utah, said the new species, provisionally named Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, is the closest wild relative to P. cubensis discovered so far.

“We estimate they diverged [from a common ancestor] around 1.5 million years ago,” he said.

“So, by comparison, they are roughly the same relatedness as chimps and bonobos are to each other. Knowing the closest wild relative of P. cubensis provides information on its origin and evolution.”

Australian mycologist Alistair McTaggart, from the private company Psymbiotika Lab and who was not involved with new research, said the study supports the hypothesis that P. cubensis could have an African origin.

Dr McTaggart and Dr Dentinger agree that if the new species could be bred with P. cubensis, the hybrid offspring may lead to the development of new psilocybin therapies.

Appearance

The name ochraceocentrata comes from Latin, referring to the ochre (yellowish-brown) coloration found at the center of the mushroom’s cap, a key feature that helps distinguish it from closely related species. True to its name, this visual trait serves as a clear identifying marker. These mushrooms typically grow long and slender, with the characteristic white stems you would expect.

Expected Experience

P. Ochraceocentrata is widely regarded as notably more potent than the average Psilocybe Cubensis, offering a more intense overall experience. Many users describe its effects as cleaner and more euphoric, with a lighter body feel and a distinctly lucid, reflective, and philosophical headspace.

Visually, it is often associated with inducing bright, vivid, and sometimes geometric enhancements that are frequently reported as more pronounced than those produced by a comparable cubensis dose. The experience may also last slightly longer, typically easing into a smooth and gentle comedown.

Dr. Delic’s Field Notes

The forests of New England have always held a dear place in my heart. I recently discovered an experience I had in my younger years inside an old journal while on what was then referred to as P. Natalensis. I was out in the western side of Massachusetts which I have always found to be both enchanting and a bit spooky. A friend’s parents owned a farmhouse with a substantial acreage, and we opted to take the mushrooms there on summer’s evening. After an initial come up by the fire we felt the need to go for a walk.

“We went to the stream nearby to relax and try to think. I lay on the ground, I could hear frogs croaking, but they sounded almost mechanical, I closed my eyes and focused on their croaks. They seemed to get louder until it was unbearable, I screamed and they stopped. In my head I imagined that my scream had ended everything.

I wanted to see what I had done, as it was so quiet, I could not even hear the sound of the forest, only my heartbeat. Instead, I decided I would re-create the world in my mind. At this point I became immersed in my own mind; I was creating the earth like a god it was swirling masses of rocks and I compacted them. I formed mountains, I flew through canyons I was carving with my mind. I felt I was the Universe, I was God, I was The God’s, I could understand everything that had happened, everything that was to happen and why. I knew I had a place in the world, and that I was just as important as a god because I came from something resembling a god.

I gripped the grass around me tightly and ripped up handfuls of earth. The ground was cold and damp, as I made the connection to what I had done, the frogs croaking became clear again, and I opened my eyes. The first signs of dawn were clearly visible as orangey pinky glows in the distance. I washed my hands in the stream and ventured off to find my friend. When I found him, he told me I had been gone for about 3 hours. I was surprised as I thought I had been gone roughly an hour. We relaxed back at the farmhouse and talked untiled we tired.”

It was a profound experience and one I hope everyone gets to enjoy.

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