PES Amazonian is a potent strain of cubensis, with a recent specimen in the 2021 Psilocybin Cup boasting psilocybin content of 1.48% and psilocin at .37%, placing them in the A-level category and being more potent than most other strains. It’s good to keep in mind, though, the myriad of variables that are behind the potency of any given strain. While genetics certainly play a role, the environment is equally important – or is it? It’s the class Nature vs. Nurture debate.

Another fun fact about this South American borne cubensis variety is that Sporeworks (one of the most notable and reputable mushroom spore syringe vendors currently in business) made the mistake of mislabelling PES Amazonian as B+ a while back, resulting in mass confused perspectives on what B+ and PESA actually are. Often, people in the mycology community continue to use the names Amazon and B+ interchangeably, despite how remarkably different the two strains are. Amazon mushrooms have been called Psolicybe bifensis by some experts, but this is not widely accepted or agreed upon.

Although this strain has been subjected to generations of genetic isolation and purification, it’s thought to maintain many of the traits of wild Amazonian cubensis mushrooms, such as the gargantuan proportions reported by those like Terence McKenna during trips to these lush locales.

Specifications

Thought to have genetics originating in the Amazon (just like PE or Melmac), this strain has caps that reach 25-50mm wide, sporting a prominent umbo (nipple). The fruiting bodies tend towards red-cinnamon brown when young (golden brown to yellow with white at the edge when mature) and reach average heights of 150mm.

All About Mushrooms in the Amazonian Forest

The PES Amazonian strain, originally discovered in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, is characterized by its striking appearance, featuring dark caramel-colored caps with a pronounced central elevation and thick, robust stems. This variety is known for its vigorous growth and abundant fruiting, producing large, fleshy mushrooms that captivate the senses. The PES Amazonian strain is celebrated for its potency, delivering a powerful and immersive journey that invites psychonauts to explore the inner reaches of their consciousness and the interconnectedness of the natural world.

For many of the native people in the Colombian or Peruvian Amazon, fungi are not independent of plants, but rather are the ‘last life of the sticks.’ Since, from their perspective, mushrooms do not have a seed anywhere in sight, they believe the substance or soul of trees comes out after death in the form of fungi. 

They also believe that the trees transmit their qualities (for example, strong, poisonous, etc.) to the mushrooms growing from its dead trunk. Tribes often search for these special
Amazonian mushrooms to make chacra/chagra.

Other than this indigenous use, top chefs in Brazil seek out Yanomami Mushrooms – the very first edible fungi available commercially that are native to the Amazon jungles. This program launched in 2016 and is made possible by the deep ecological wisdom of the Yanomami (also Yąnomamö or Yanomama, a group of about 35,000 residing in between 200-250 villages) people. 

While taking PES Amazonia mushrooms may be one way to take a great trip, we encourage you to take an actual trip to South America. The fungal biodiversity around the Amazon, in particular, is of the likes you will seldom find elsewhere. If you do fly to the Amazonian region, keep your eyes peeled for great spore print opportunities for these distinct and beautiful mushrooms:

• Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus)
• Marasmius tageticolor
• Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo)
• Anemone Stinkhorn Fungus (Aseroe rubra)
• Cordyceps militaris
• Collared Earthstar (Geastrum triplex)
• Scarlet Elf Cap (Scutellinia scutellata)
• Bridal Veil Stinkhorn (Phallus indusiatus)
• Red Stinkhorn (Laternea pusilla)

Disclaimer

We sell premium spore syringes made in sterile laboratory environments containing trillions of spores per syringe, suspended inside a 10cc syringe in pharmaceutical-grade distilled water (for research purposes only). All our syringes are made in a negative-pressure HEPA-filtered clean room. Cultivation of cubensis mushrooms is illegal in the United States of America. Psilocybin mushroom spores are legal in 47 of the 50 states, excluding California, Georgia, and Idaho.