The effects of taking shrooms can last 3 to 6 hours. They may stay in your system for 24 hours or longer, depending on how much you take, your body composition, and a few other factors.

Psilocybin — the psychedelic compound that puts the so-called “magic” in magic mushrooms, or shrooms — can stay in your system for up to 24 hours. But that’s not set in stone.

How long shrooms stay in your system depends on a lot of variables, from the species of mushroom you ingest to things like your age and body composition.

These things play into how long shrooms are detectable by a drug test, too.

Here’s a look at the full timeline of shrooms, including how long their effects last and their detection window.

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It’s hard to give a definitive answer because there are so many different types of drug tests available, and some are a lot more sensitive than others.

That said, most routine drug tests can’t detect shrooms. More specialized tests may be able to, though. The detection windows vary from test to test, too.

In general, though, shrooms don’t show up on most routine drug tests. The body also metabolizes shrooms too fast for them to show up in blood or saliva tests (unless the test is done within a few hours of consumption).

A 2021 review of research suggested that they’re barely detectable after 6 hours.

Urine tests

Most routine drug tests are urine tests. Most people’s bodies eliminate shrooms within 24 hours, making them undetectable by urine drug tests.

Hair follicle test

Hair follicle tests look for drug use within the past 90 days, but this type of testing isn’t common due to the cost.

Certain factors can affect how long shrooms hang around in your system. Many of these factors you can’t control.

The time between ingestion and testing

Hallucinogens like psilocybin can be eliminated from the body quickly. Still, the time between ingesting shrooms and testing could be a factor — if the right type of test is used, of course.

The sooner a drug test is performed after taking shrooms or any other substance, the higher the chances that it can be detected.

Mushroom species

There are somewhere between 75 to 200 different species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The amount of the hallucinogen varies from shroom to shroom.

The more psilocybin in the shroom, the longer it’ll hang around in the body.

Method of use

Whether you consume shrooms dried or fresh, scarf them down on their own, eat them in a burger, or drink them in tea, how you consume your dose affects potency and how quickly it passes through your body.

Dose

Again, how much you consume plays a big role. The more you ingest, the longer shrooms will be in your body and possibly detectable.

Age

Your metabolism and kidney and liver function slow with age, which can delay the excretion of psilocybin from your body.

The older you are, the longer shrooms tend to stay in your system. This goes for other substances, too.

Your body

Each body is different. No two bodies process substances on exactly the same schedule.

Things like your body mass index (BMI), metabolism, and water content all affect how quickly things are excreted from your body.

What’s in your stomach

How much food and liquid is in your stomach when you take a dose of shrooms affects how long they hang around. The more food that’s in there when you do shrooms, the slower they’ll move through your digestive system.

When it comes to water, hydration speeds up psilocybin excretion.

Other substances

Using shrooms with other substances can lead to both unpredictable effects and time in your system.

If you drink alcohol or take any other substance with shrooms, it could affect how it’s processed by your body. There’s also the chance that the other substance will be picked up on a drug test, even if the shrooms aren’t.

It’s also important to consider the possibility that the shrooms you get could be laced with another substance.

Not really.

Drinking water can help move it through your system a bit faster, but not enough to make a significant difference if you’re trying to avoid detection.

Your best bet is to stop doing shrooms as soon as possible if you’re worried about detection.

The effects of shrooms can usually be felt around 30 minutes after ingesting them, but it depends on how you consume them.

Fresh or dried mushrooms can be ingested on their own, mixed with food, or steeped in hot water or tea. In tea, shrooms can kick in as fast as 5 to 10 minutes after ingestion.

Shroom trips typically last between 3 and 6 hours, though some people may feel effects a lot longer. After your trip, you’re likely to have some lingering effects that can last into the next day.

The factors that can affect the severity and duration of shrooms’ effects include:

  • how much you take
  • the mushroom species
  • how you consume them
  • whether you eat dried or fresh shrooms (dried ones are more potent)
  • your age
  • your tolerance
  • your expectations and frame of mind
  • having a preexisting mental health condition
  • any other substances you might’ve taken

Within 24 hours, though, most people go back to feeling like themselves.

Magic mushrooms are psychedelics that can cause hallucinations and distortions in your perceptions. They can also affect thoughts and mood.

Taking shrooms can cause effects such as:

  • euphoria
  • altered perception, including visual and auditory hallucinations
  • altered thoughts or mood
  • increased or slowed heart rate
  • headache
  • raised body temperature
  • quick breathing
  • nausea and vomiting
  • sweating
  • chills
  • facial flushing
  • dilation of the pupils
  • tremors

These effects may last for 3 to 6 hours.

Some effects may last as long as 24 hours. These effects may include:

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • headache
  • exhaustion

Taking shrooms can also cause flashbacks of a previous trip that tend to last up to 2 minutes.

Bad shroom trip

Bad trips can be harder to shake off. Certain factors can make some effects linger longer and increase the likelihood of a comedown or hangover.

Negative effects can include:

  • anxiety
  • unpleasant hallucinations
  • panic
  • fear
  • paranoia

Shrooms are eliminated from the body quickly, but many variables make it impossible to say exactly how long they’ll hang around in your system.

If you’re concerned about your substance use, there’s help available. You can bring it up to a healthcare professional if you feel comfortable. Keep in mind that patient confidentiality laws will prevent them from reporting this information to law enforcement.

You can also reach out to one of the following free and confidential resources:

Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddleboard..