The naturally occurring alkaloid psilocybin, known from the fruiting bodies of

the mushroom genus Psilocybe, can be extracted and purified with some effort.

For this purpose, different chemical purification methods and column chromatography

have to be combined to finally obtain ~ 99 % pure psilocybin. The last step is

recrystallization, where the solvent is evaporated in a supersaturated psilocybin solution.

The previously dissolved psilocybin molecules now arrange themselves into a regular and

very characteristic crystal lattice. Typical for psilocybin are the small pointed

needles which grow circularly from a common crystallization nucleus.

The photo was taken in the laboratory under the microscope by scientist

Dr. Felix Blei at from Miraculix Lab 400 x magnification.