How Long Do Magic Mushrooms Stay in Your System?

A person’s kidneys process the compounds in magic mushrooms, which include psilocybin, the primary ingredient responsible for shrooms’ hallucinogenic effects.

The process happens relatively quickly, and in many cases, the kidneys excrete most of them from a person’s system in a few hours.

Researchers note that about 66% of the compounds from shrooms get excreted in the first 3 hours after ingestion. After 24 hours, psilocybin becomes undetectable in a person’s urine.

However, there is no exact time on how long other compounds will stay in the system, or how long the shrooms’ effects will last.

Several factors may play a role in how the body handles these compounds, such as a person’s weight and metabolism, as well as the dose and type of mushroom ingested.

Drug testing

When shrooms are in a person’s system, how long they can remain detectable in drug tests can also vary widely.

There are various drug tests available, with their own factors in screening methods, detection, and accuracy.

The Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association list common drug tests and the compounds they detect. The most common screening is the five-panel test, which tests for the following substances:

• amphetamines
• cannabis
• cocaine
• opiates, such as heroin
• phencyclidine, or PCP

In addition, there are eight- and 10-panel tests.

None of these screenings, including the five-panel test, check for the compounds contained in shrooms.

However, other tests can detect hallucinogenic compounds, although the screenings may need administering promptly. This is because the body metabolizes the shrooms and their compounds relatively quickly. After 24 hours, a urine, blood, or saliva test may not detect mushrooms in a person’s system.

Despite this, other screenings, such as a hair follicle test, may detect drugs over a longer period after ingestion, although they might not identify these substances in the first few days after exposure.

Shrooms can stay active in a person’s body for hours. Research suggests that the hallucinogenic effects may last 3–6 hours after ingestion.

While the exact timings vary from person to person, other factors may also play a role. These include:

• weight and body composition
• metabolism
• age
• dose
• potency
• type of shroom and amount a person consumes
• preparation of the mushrooms, for example, dried or in tea
• tolerance levels
• the state of mind of the person taking them
• preexisting mental health conditions
• other drugs or substances a person takes at the time

In addition, some people may be more sensitive to these compounds and experience a longer “high” or lingering effects after the initial high passes.

Following ingestion, magic mushrooms take some time to start affecting the body. Research notes that hallucinogenic effects may commence within 20–40 minutes.

While there are some natural variations to this, many people feel the effects of taking shrooms within 1 hour.

These effects may come on gradually. A person may feel minor changes in their senses or feelings initially, which then progress to stronger visual, auditory, or other sensory hallucinations.

Effects

The immediate effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms come from the body breaking down psilocybin into psilocin. Psilocin acts in the brain similarly to other hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD.

After ingesting shrooms, a person may feel relaxed or drowsy, while others may experience a sense of unity or peace with their surroundings. These sensations may progress and get more intense.

The immediate effects generally only last a few hours. Some may experience a lingering sense of ease from a positive experience or a lingering sense of unease from a negative one.

In addition, a higher dose can trigger feelings of euphoria and hallucinations. These can be visual and auditory, while a person can also have extrasensory experiences within the body and mind.

These hallucinatory effects can be positive or negative, perhaps due to a person’s frame of mind and surroundings. A negative experience may cause people to feel paranoid, anxious, or panicked. In contrast, a positive experience may cause a person to feel intense euphoria or awe.