Psilocybin Purity Test Kit Instructions

Last updated: May 4th, 2025

Please read the full instructions before performing the test. Familiarizing yourself with the process first will make things a lot easier. For example, do you have kitchen tongs? If not, can you find an acceptable alternative? Use a good milligram scale with at least three digits to the right of the decimal point. For a complete understanding of the kit and how it works, also read our FAQs.

1. The glass vial contains a modified version of Hofmann reagent, which contains sulfuric acid and can severely burn the skin and eyes. So put on the nitrile gloves and remove any contact lenses. We recommend wearing safety goggles. Accidents can happen, so safety first!

2. Should any liquids make contact with your skin, rinse the affected area with water for several minutes. If liquid gets in your eyes, immediately rinse with water for several minutes keeping your upper and lower eyelids open.

3. Store the kit away from children, and lock up your pets (especially cats) before performing the test.

4. Do not open the glass vial. When the test is over, follow our instructions below for disposing of the liquids.

1. There are many species of psychedelic mushrooms. Make sure you have accurately identified them before using this kit. This kit cannot be used to distinguish poisonous from non-poisonous mushrooms.

2. The kit actually detects both psilocybin and psilocin. Both are active ingredients in psychedelic mushrooms. The final color reflects a combination. In the name we use psilocybin only, because this is the most well known alkaloid, but rest assured it detects both.

3. You should homogenize your batch of dried mushrooms before you perform the test. That means either grind them up in a coffee grinder or chop and mix them finely with a knife. You will then test just a very small amount of the homogenized material, and the result will apply to the entire batch. If you don’t homogenize your mushrooms first, then the result may not be totally accurate for the remaining non-homogenized material. This is because psilocybin is not uniformly distributed within any given batch.

4. Use the kit at room temperature. If stored in a refrigerator, let it warm up for one hour.

3. Perform the test during the day or else use a very bright, full spectrum overhead light.

4. Some people see colors differently than the average person. So it’s always best to have a few other people evaluate the result with you. You will need to hold a white piece of paper about six inches behind the vial.

5. Read all the instructions at least once through before beginning the test.

1. Homogenize the batch of dried mushrooms you want to test. It’s best to use a coffee grinder. If you don’t have one you can chop them up with a knife instead. But chop them up finely. Poorly chopped mushrooms can sometimes show a slightly lower result (about 1%) due to less alkaloid extraction. (For a detailed discussion on mushroom alkaloid extraction, see our advanced FAQ.)

2. Put the weigh boat on a milligram scale and weigh out 150 mg (0.150 grams) of your ground mushrooms. For concentrated extracts, use a proportionally lower amount (so that the results fit into the range of the color chart). For example, weigh out 75 mg for a 2X extract, 15 mg for a 10X extract, etc. (You will then need to multiply by the same factor at the end. This will be explained later.)

Squeeze the weigh boat diagonally and pour the mushroom material into the plastic vial. Screw the lid back on and shake the vial for approximately ten seconds. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, shaking it a few more times during the resting period.

1. Use the syringe and a cotton pellet to draw out the liquid. First, screw the blunt needle tip into the top of the syringe, then put a cotton pellet into the extraction vial.

2. Insert the syringe into the vial and press the slanted edge of the blunt tip needle into the cotton pellet along the bottom edge of the vial.

3. Now draw up and fill the syringe completely with liquid (as much as will fit). If no liquid comes up, you’re pressing too hard into the cotton pellet. You basically want medium pressure. The water should flow through slowly and easily with no visible mushroom particles. You may see some small bubbles, however. This is just the air that was inside the needle tip.

4. When the syringe is as full as it’s going to get, remove it and screw the cap back on the extraction vial.

This is an important step. You need to get the air out of the syringe and then push some of the liquid out so you have exactly 1.0 ml left. Here’s how to do it:

1. Point the syringe upward and hold it near the top (around where the blunt needle is attached), then tap or flick it near the bottom to get the air to float upward. (Yes, just like you see in the movies.)

2. Keep tapping until all the air is gone from the bottom of the syringe.

3. The air is now at the top of the syringe, so gently push the plunger up to eject it out. Some liquid may drip out and down the side of the syringe. No worries. It’s just water with citric acid and ascorbic acid (and mushroom alkaloids).

4. Slowly and gently push up until you have exactly 1.0 ml left in the syringe. (That means an almost full syringe. Don’t confuse it with 0.1 ml.) Look at the bottom part of the syringe as you do it. You won’t need to push very far. Pay attention so that the 1.0 ml line on the barrel of the syringe is lined up with the top of the base of the plunger.

1. Poke the needle through the septum on top of the reaction vial and push all the liquid in. The liquid inside the vial may turn a bit greenish-blue.

1. On your stove top, bring to boil about four cups of water in a pot. (Do not use a kettle.) Once it’s boiling remove it from the burner. It is now the right temperature to begin the incubation.

2. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, immediately place the glass vial into the hot water. Make sure the water level is below the cap on top of the vial, but at least half-way up the glass. If there’s too much water in the pot, pour some out. If there’s not enough, add more and bring it to a full boil once again, then repeat this step.

3. Put a lid on the pot, then set a timer for fifteen minutes and wait.

1. After 15 minutes remove the vial from the water bath and evaluate the color of the liquid with the enclosed color chart. You have some time to make the evaluation, but don’t wait too long. The color will tend to darken over a number of hours.

2. In daylight or under a very bright, full spectrum light, hold the reaction vial next to the color chart. You should also hold a white piece of paper about six to eight inches behind the vial. (Yes, we realize this requires three hands, so have someone help you.)

3. Compare the color of the liquid in the vial to the color chart. The color bars on the chart correspond to the combined amount of psilocybin and psilocin per gram in your homogenized material.

4. For extracts, you need to multiply by the same factor that you reduced your starting material at the beginning of the process. For example, if you tested a 2X extract and reduced your starting material by a factor of two (75 mg instead of 150 mg), then you need to multiply by two to obtain the correct result. Similarly, if you tested a 10X extract (using 15 mg), you will need to multiply by ten.

Pay careful attention to this section. We’re going to explain to you how to safely and legally dispose of the chemicals yourself. It’s not difficult, so please follow the instructions.

1. Concerning the plastic extraction vial, you can simply pour the contents down the drain.

2. Concerning the glass reaction vial, DO NOT pour it directly down the drain. You need to dilute the Hofmann reagent in water first as described below. Alternatively, you can store the vial in an empty, dry, plastic container (like a water bottle, yogurt container or milk jug) and take it to your local hazardous waste disposal site. Just make sure the plastic container you store it in is dry, because once you’ve punctured the septum cap the reagent might leak out over time and react with liquids.

3. Fill the bucket with at least a gallon of water.

4. Once outside, put on your safety goggles. Also, wear a long sleeve shirt and nitrile gloves.

5. Carefully remove the cap from the vial and slowly pour the liquid into the water, holding the vial a few inches from the surface of the water. If you pour it from too high above, the acid can splash up and hit you.

6. Once you have poured out all the liquid, put the cap back on the vial and throw it in the trash.

7. Now you can now pour the water down the drain safely. Do not pour it on the ground.

The Psilocybin purity test kit should be stored in a refrigerator and should last well over a year. Right now (as of May 2025) we know for sure it will last at least three months. (We are still monitoring and testing.) Always store it out of reach of children.

1. The kit cannot distinguish poisonous from non-poisonous mushrooms. Do not try to use it as a mushroom identification kit.
2. The result does not mean your sample is safe to consume. No drug use is 100% safe.
3. PurityTestKits.com and HRDS LLC assume no responsibility for the use or misuse of the test kit or the results.