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Even though the study of mushrooms in labs can be considered similar to that of plants, mycologists study mushrooms somewhat differently because of their unique growth cycle and the properties they have – which are still largely unknown in the case of many species. A good example is the recent discovery that Professor Andrew Adamatzky from the University of the West of England has made regarding the possible ability of mushrooms to communicate with each other using distinct types of electrical signals. The professor even identified up to 50 “words” that some mushrooms utilize in order to communicate.

Laboratory grade mushrooms can, of course, speed up the process of studying specific substances contained in mushrooms. By using contaminate free psilocybe cubensis spores, scientists are able to study, for instance, the health impact of psychedelic substances like psilocybin. Found in psilocybe cubensis mushrooms (AKA, “magic” mushrooms), this active ingredient is banned from recreational use, as it is considered to be a drug of the same category as DMT or mescaline. However, recent studies have shown that in smaller amounts, psilocybin is able to treat mental conditions such as severe depression with significant success.

Researchers continue to use laboratory grade psilocybe cubensis mushrooms to produce larger quantities of psilocybin in order to work on large scale studies on a greater number of subjects. The more they are able to do so, the more relevant the data will be to show exactly what types of other benefits magic mushrooms might have to contribute to the medical field.