Blue Angels

Psilocybe Azurescens, a.k.a. Blue Angels, Azzies, or Indigo Psilocybe

The most well-known of the Genus Psilocybe is Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer, a tropical/sub-tropical species which often grows in cow dung.  They have a thick stem, a broad brown/yellow cap, and a skirt-like annulus.  P. cubsensis are very easy to cultivate, and publicized most notably by Terrence McKenna and his “5 grams in silent darkness”, something you probably wouldn’t want to do with Psilocybe azurescens!

Psilocybe azurescens are often referred to by a variety of common names: Blue Angels, or Indigo Psilocybe. With their caramel-colored caps, bright white and blue stems, and broad umbo (the “nipple-like” structure in the center of the cap), Azurescens are quite distinctive in appearance, once you “get your eye in.”  To the untrained eye, many Psilocybes can look like any other LBM’s (little brown mushrooms) hiding amongst the undergrowth. The general advice is to know the features of the species you are looking for, but also the ones you are not. Members of the genus Galerina, for example, can be deadly, and many other lookalikes can be poisonous.

Discovery of Psilocybe Azurescens: Strains in Oregon

As the story goes, they were first found In 1979 by a group of Boy Scouts, camping close to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. Some commentators assume they were probably known before this time, with local foragers referring to them as Psilocybe astoriensis or Psilocybe cyanescens var. [variety] “astoria ossip.” In 1995, mycologist Paul Stamets and his colleague Jochen Gartz formally described and named “Psilocybe azurescens”—after Stamets’ son Azureus, who had in turn been named after “Azure,” the color that psilocybin mushrooms bruise when damaged.

Health benefits of Blue Angel mushrooms

While this may not be specific to flying saucer mushrooms, increasing evidence and research is being conducted around the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic mushrooms. An example is the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research (8). Here are some of their findings:

• Psychedelic mushrooms may help longtime smokers quit
• Psilocybin eases anxiety in people with life-threatening cancer
• Potential treatment for alcoholism or substance use disorders
• Psilocybin can relieve major depression and may be effective for up to a year

Research is ongoing. With continued funding for psilocybin mushroom research, there are even more opportunities to discover how we can benefit from one of nature’s most sacred gifts.