The following are proven agar recipes specifically formulated for the in vitro culturing and long-term maintenance of Psilocybe cubensis strains. All media have a near-neutral pH and should be sterilized for fifteen to twenty minutes at 15 psi pressure:

Amaranth* Soy Agar

20 grams amaranth flour
20 grams soy flour
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

*Amaranth, from South America, is the only grain that contains all essential amino acids; it is extremely high in L-lysine, containing up to five percent.

EntheoGenesis N^o. 442

10 grams amaranth flour
10 grams brown rice flour
10 grams potato flour
10 grams soy flour
2 grams malted barley
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

Oatmeal Neopeptone Agar

40 grams oatmeal or oat flour
2 grams neopeptone (optional)
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

Modified Sabouraud's Medium

25 grams barley flour
5 grams dextrose
2 grams neopeptone (optional)
1 gram yeast extract
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

Cornmeal Dextrose Agar

25 grams yellow cornmeal
2.5 grams dextrose
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

Barley Malt Extract Agar

40 grams barley flour
2 grams malt extract
1 - 2 grams yeast extract (optional)
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

Dr. Pollock's Modified Agar*

10 grams dried dog food
10 grams amaranth flour
2 grams dextrose or malt extract
9.5 grams agar
500 mL distilled water

*The above formula is a modification of one first used by the late Dr. Stephen H. Pollock, discoverer of the extremely rare Psilocybe tampanensis, Psilocybe wassoniorum, and ethnomycologist par excellance.

Tips

*The flask or bottle in which the medium is sterilized should never be more than two-thirds full in order to avoid boilover; plug the flask or bottle with non-absorbent cotton and cover with aluminum foil to help prevent entry of external contaminants.

*Remove the medium as soon as the pressure reaches "0." Oversterilization or prolonged heating will change the composition of the medium. Sugars such as dextrose or malt can "caramelize," resulting in a medium that can inhibit mycelial growth and encourage sectors (mutations). Excessive heating of medium can also cause a drop in pH, resulting in a more acid medium. It is possible to destroy completely the gelling properties of agar by prolonged heating, and this destruction is hastened as the acidity increases.

*For long-term health and maintenance of sacred strains, alternate any two of the above media. This will help prevent senescence, which can occur when cultures are grown on one medium only. Store strains at 35° - 40°F; transfer every six months. In this manner, sacred strains can be maintained for years.

*Never compromise the integrity of your strain library. Strains showing even a hint of senescence should be (ideally) removed from the collection.

Difco Manual Tenth Edition. (First Edition published in 1927.) Difco Laboratories, Detroit, MI (1984).