Amanita Muscaria Mushroom Caps (A-Grade)

Amanita Muscaria Mushroom Caps (A-Grade) are whole dried caps of Amanita muscaria, the red and white fly agaric, sorted to our top visual grade and dried to hold the distinctive natural characteristics of the species. A-grade means whole caps with intact colour and form, hand-sorted rather than tumbled, which is what you want for display, photography, botanical study and aromatherapy work.

At a glance

• Whole dried caps of Amanita muscaria, A-grade visual sort
• High in muscimol
• Dried to retain the natural colour and form of the species
• For botanical and academic study, ornamental use and aromatherapy
• Not approved for human consumption
• NOT available in Louisiana. Must be 21 years or older to purchase

The species. Amanita muscaria is the most recognizable mushroom on earth, the red cap with white warts that turns up in folklore, fairy tale illustration and holiday imagery across Europe and North America. It grows in mycorrhizal partnership with birch, pine and spruce across the northern hemisphere. Its documented record across Siberian cultures has made it one of the most studied subjects in ethnomycology, and that literature, rather than any modern claim, is what the species is known for.

Compounds. The fly agaric is defined by a small set of isoxazole compounds rather than the tryptamines found in other well known mushrooms:

• Muscimol: the principal compound, and what A-grade material is selected for
• Ibotenic acid: the precursor, which converts toward muscimol as the material dries and ages
• Muscarine: present only in trace amounts in this species, despite the name

What A-grade means here. Grading is about the physical material, not a potency claim:

• A-grade: whole caps, intact form, strong even colour, minimal breakage. The display and study grade.
• B-grade: the same species and the same drying, sorted after the whole caps are pulled. More broken pieces and uneven colour at a lower price. See Amanita Muscaria Mushrooms (B-Grade).
• Closed caps: harvested before the cap opens flat, a different look again. See Amanita Muscaria Closed Caps.

Quality and handling. These caps are produced to strict quality and consistency standards: sourced from authentic Amanita muscaria, processed to retain the inherent natural properties of the material, and sorted by hand. Dried caps are brittle. Keep them in a rigid container rather than a bag, sealed, dark and dry, with a desiccant packet if your room runs humid. Light fades the red over months and moisture is what turns a whole cap into fragments.

The rest of the amanita line. For concentrated material there is the Amanita Extract 15:1 High Muscimol and the muscimol isolate. For related species there is Amanita Pantherina Caps and Amanita Regalis (A-Grade). The full range is in the Amanita Muscaria Product Collection.

Common questions

• What is the difference between A-grade and B-grade? Appearance and breakage. A-grade is whole caps with intact colour; B-grade is the sort that comes after, with more fragments. Same species, same drying.
• Why are these described as not approved for human consumption? Amanita muscaria has no approved food or supplement status in the United States, so we sell it for botanical study, ornamental use and aromatherapy only.
• Why can you not ship to Louisiana? Louisiana state law restricts this species specifically. We do not ship it there.
• Do the caps arrive whole? A-grade is sorted for whole caps, but dried mushroom is brittle and some edge breakage in transit is normal.
• How should I store them? Rigid sealed container, dark, dry, with a desiccant packet. That keeps the colour and the shape.

Disclaimer. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not approved for human consumption and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Sold for botanical study, ornamental use and aromatherapy. Not available in Louisiana. For adults 21 and over. Keep out of reach of children and pets.