How to read a psilocybin lab report

A certificate of analysis, or COA, is a laboratory's report of what it found in one specific sample. For psilocybin mushrooms, it's how you'd know how much psilocybin a batch contains and whether anything else is in it. In Oregon's and Colorado's regulated programs, testing is required by law.^1,2 Everywhere else it's voluntary, and the quality of what gets shared varies a great deal.

What a certificate should show

The lab

A name, address and contact details, plus accreditation. ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing labs.³ Oregon's licensed psilocybin labs must be accredited by the Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP).²

The sample

A batch or sample ID that matches the product, and a description of what was tested, such as whole dried mushrooms, ground material or capsules.

The dates

When the sample was collected and when it was tested. Psilocybin and psilocin break down over time, so an old result may no longer describe the product.^7,8 Colorado requires regulated products to be retested every nine months.¹

The method

Usually a form of liquid chromatography, such as HPLC or LC-MS/MS. Validated LC-MS/MS methods can measure psilocybin and psilocin accurately.⁴

The compounds

Psilocybin and psilocin at minimum. Colorado's regulated products are also tested for baeocystin, norbaeocystin and aeruginascin.¹

The units

Usually milligrams per gram (mg/g) or percent of dry weight. One percent equals 10 mg per gram.

Detection limits

"ND" means not detected, and "<LOQ" means below the limit of quantitation, the smallest amount the method can measure reliably. Neither means zero; both mean too little to measure with that method.

Contaminants

Where tested, results for microbes such as Salmonella and E. coli, and for solvents in extracts.^1,2

What regulated states require

Colorado

Colorado's rules, in effect since October 1, 2024, require each production lot of regulated psilocybin product to be tested for psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, aeruginascin and norbaeocystin. Each lot must also pass a homogeneity test showing the compounds are evenly spread through it, and each sample is screened for 4-AcO-DMT, a synthetic tryptamine; any detectable amount is a failure. Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli must be absent, with microbial testing at least every 30 days. Products must be retested every nine months and relabeled if total psilocin changes by more than 15%.¹

Oregon

In Oregon's program, products must be tested by an ORELAP-accredited lab licensed by the Oregon Health Authority, both to confirm the species is Psilocybe cubensis and for potency, plus solvents where they apply. Results go into the state's product tracking system.²

Why one result can't describe every mushroom

Psilocybin content varies far more than most people expect, so a certificate only describes the sample the lab actually tested.

• Between strains: when researchers grew 14 strains of P. cubensis under identical conditions, total tryptamines differed more than 7.8-fold between strains.⁶
• Within a strain: in the same study, psilocybin varied from one mushroom to the next within each strain.⁶ Another study found differences between mushrooms of the same strain and that combining several mushrooms into one ground sample made results more consistent.⁴
• Between species and collections: a study of 226 mushrooms from 82 collections described tryptamine levels as extremely variable.⁵
• Over time: storage conditions affect how fast psilocybin and related compounds break down, and caps and stems can differ.⁷ Old specimens can lose their psilocybin entirely.⁸

That's why a result for a well-mixed ground batch is more representative than one for a few whole mushrooms, and why Colorado requires the homogeneity test.¹

What home test kits can and can't do

Reagent kits change color in the presence of certain substances. DanceSafe, which sells them, says they can't detect every drug and can't tell you how pure or potent something is, and that the expected color doesn't rule out other substances.⁹ It also sells a single-use psilocybin kit that estimates concentration in dried material by comparing colors; it doesn't work with fresh mushrooms, and the product page doesn't state its precision.¹⁰ We couldn't find independent data on its accuracy. A kit can be a useful screen, but it isn't a lab result.

Why this matters for shop-bought products

Unregulated "mushroom" edibles are often not what they claim. In 2024, an FDA and CDC investigation of illnesses tied mainly to Diamond Shruumz-brand products counted 180 illnesses in 34 states, and FDA testing found compounds such as muscimol and pregabalin in various products.¹¹ A 2025 study of 12 edibles (11 gummies and a chocolate bar) bought in Portland, Oregon, found psilocybin in none of them.¹² More on this in our safety guide.

Red flags

• No lab name, or a lab you can't find or contact.
• No accreditation listed.
• No batch or sample ID, or one that doesn't match the product in front of you.
• No test date, or a date long before the product was made.
• A single "potency" figure with no compounds named and no units.
• Identical numbers on different products or batches.
• A screenshot or cropped image instead of a full document the lab can confirm.
• Results for a different form of the product, such as whole mushrooms when you have capsules.

You can ask the lab named on a certificate to confirm it's genuine. Some retailers, including My Mushroom Dispensary, say certificates of analysis are available on request. Whoever provides one, check it against the list above before relying on it.