How Long Do Shrooms Stay in Your System?
How Long Do Shrooms Stay in Your System?
ICYMI: Magic mushrooms are now decriminalized in Denver and Oakland. Inspired by the success of legislation in 33 states that allows at least some form of medical marijuana, advocates of drug policy reform have set their sights on hallucinogens. And with good reason.
The FDA has designated MDMA as a revolutionary therapy for PTSD, and researchers from San Francisco to Melbourne, Australia are studying the potential of the active ingredient in psilocybin mushrooms to treat depression and other mental health problems in patients, including the terminally ill and long-term. AIDS survivors.
The resurgence of psychedelic research has also sparked renewed interest in recreational drug use. LSD microdosing is now chemical in some creative circles, and natural hallucinogens like ayahuasca, peyote, and mescaline are becoming increasingly popular.
Psilocybin mushrooms are the most widely available natural psychedelics and are often the starting point for experimenting with hallucinogens. But with drug testing still common in many occupations, and for people experiencing legal problems, many mushroom users, whether novice or veteran, wonder at some point, “How long do mushrooms remain in your system?”
The good news is that it is not very long. When ingested orally, within 20 to 40 minutes, psilocybin in magic mushrooms is converted by the body into a related chemical called psilocin, which causes the psychoactive effects of the mushrooms. As psilocin levels rise in the blood, users begin to stumble. Effects can include visual hallucinations including bright lights and colors and a feeling of detachment from oneself (meaning an out-of-body experience). The maximum effects of magic mushrooms last between 30 minutes and more than two hours, although users can continue to experience some psychoactive effects for up to six hours. Consuming large doses of mushrooms can intensify and prolong a trip.
The length of time fungi remain in your system depends on the elimination half-life (the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to leave the blood) of the psychoactive compounds. The elimination half-life for psilocybin is only 160 minutes, and for psilocin it is even shorter, registering 50 minutes.
Consequently, both psilocybin and psilocin are rapidly excreted in the urine, with more than 95 percent of psilocybin leaving the body in approximately 13 hours, and 95 percent or more of psilocin being eliminated after approximately five hours. .
If you are still concerned about how long fungi remain in your system because the threat of employment related drug testing affects your life, we have even more good news for you. Most commercially available urine tests are not designed to detect the use of magic mushrooms.
The commonly used five-panel tests only look for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP). More expensive 10-panel urine screening tests for additional medications, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines. But neither of these panels is looking for psilocybin or psilocin, so the use of magic mushrooms will not be detected by them, no matter how much they have been stumbling.
Urine tests that can detect fungi or metabolites of psilocin and psilocybin do not stand a great chance. A small study in 2002 found only traces of psilocin in the urine just 24 hours after the test subjects consumed mushrooms.
However, it should be noted that the duration for which fungi can be detected by a blood test is unclear. This is due to the short half-life of psilocybin and psilocin, so it is probably less than a day. In any case, blood tests are rarely administered to detect the use of hallucinogens.
Some laboratory tests can detect traces of magic fungus in hair samples up to 90 days after firing. But again, this type of expensive analysis is rarely used to determine if a person has been using psychedelics.
So for most people wondering how long fungi remain in their system the answer is about 24 hours and you should be clear. However, if you regularly stumble over psilocybin, there may be traces of fungus in your system for up to three days.
These time estimates are all averages and can be influenced by many factors, including the amount of mushrooms consumed, the frequency of use, body weight, hydration / dehydration, and liver and kidney health. Even age, height, race, and alcohol and nicotine use can affect psilocybin and psilocin detection times.
Of course, the short time fungi remain in your system isn’t the only reason more and more people are turning to this natural hallucinogen. Although there are some risks, psilocybin mushrooms are one of the safest drugs used recreationally. And with the legal barriers to its use beginning to diminish, the safety and potential therapeutic value of mushrooms are likely to be even better known.
