Magic mushrooms will eventually go bad, but if stored correctly, they should last up to a year if dried before they start to deteriorate. If you’re storing them fresh, they will last between 5 to 10 days.
In this in-depth guide, I’ll go into more detail on expected shelf-life, bad shroom warning signs, storage methods, and some more helpful information to help you safely consume magic mushrooms.
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How Long Do Magic Mushrooms Last?
Fresh magic mushrooms will last around one to two weeks, as long as they are stored properly. But you can extend that life up to three months by storing them in a cool environment.
If you aren’t using any special storing techniques, magic mushrooms will start lose its potency, break down, rot, get moldy, or worse, develop harmful bacteria.
Now if you decided to dry your shrooms first, you can store they safely for up to a year.
Depending on storage method, here’s how long magic mushrooms should last:
- Fresh Magic Mushrooms = 3 to 5 days
- Dried Magic Mushrooms = 6 to 12 months
- Magic Mushroom Chocolate = 1 to 1.5 years
- Magic Mushrooms in Honey = 2 to 3 years
- Capsules = 1 to 1.5 years
As you can see, storing them in honey has the longest shelf-life.
Just be sure to keep an eye on the warning signs that indicate if a magic mushroom has gone bad.
In terms of potency, dried mushrooms will stay more potent longer if stored safely.
How do you know if your shrooms gone bad?
Regardless of your mushroom storage method, understanding who to look for to identity if your shrooms have gone or are dangerous to eat is very important.
Here are a few ways to tell if your mushrooms are very close to their expected shelf life and will soon go bad:
1. Signs of Mold
The biggest tell-tale is if you can see that have started to develop some mold. If you start to notice a fuzzy growth that is gray, white, colored, or black, then the magic mushrooms must be discarded. The last thing is consuming moldy mushrooms because it’s terrible for your health.
2. Discoloration
If you noticed that your magic mushrooms have changed colors or certain areas on the surface have become discolored (turning black, brown, or white) then throw the mushrooms away immediately. There’s a high chance that the mushroom has contains mold, yeast, or bacteria.
The only color exception is blue because that usually means that the mushrooms contains psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical.
3. Soft and Mushy
If you notice that your mushrooms are have developed soft spots, chances are that mold or bacteria has started to grow in it.
4. Weird Odor
Even though mushrooms already have an earthy smell, anything that seems off or funky might be an indication that it’s been infected by bacteria or yeast. Be sure to throw it away immediately because consuming bacteria-infected shrooms can life-threatening.
Why Do Magic Mushrooms Go Bad?
Magic Mushrooms, like all other plant-like fungi, are prone to mold to rot and do have an expiration date.
Factors that make mushrooms spoil are sunlight, warmer temperatures, and increased moisture exposure.
Even if you take all the proper precautions to store dried or fresh shrooms, they all inevitably will expire.
Fresh or Dried Mushrooms?
Fresh mushrooms are always preferred when it comes to taste because unlike the bitter nature of dried magic mushrooms, fresh shrooms taste more like normal mushrooms.
Plus, fresh shrooms are more potent than dried shrooms because when drying a mushroom, the active ingredients will become less potent.
This is something you should consider before you choose your storage method.
How to Safely Store Magic Mushrooms
If you want to safely store magic mushrooms, as well as extend their lifespan, here are some great methods to do so for both fresh and dried shrooms.
No matter if they are fresh or dried, be sure to always store your magic mushrooms in a cool and dark space. This will help preserve the psilocybin.
1. Plastic Ziploc Bags or Similar
Plastic bags are by the most cost effective way to store magic mushrooms.
As long you you squeeze out all of the extra air inside the bag, these can last a decent amount of time.
Some people will also place their dried magic mushrooms in a Ziploc bag then place that bag in a mason jar.
2. Refrigerator (Fresh Ones Only)
If you are looking to store fresh magic mushrooms, then placing them in a brown paper bag is perfectly suitable. Just be sure to use them within a week before they start to dry out or develop mold.
3. Chocolate
Magic mushroom chocolate is a great way to extend your shelf-life up to 1.5 years. By first grinding up your dried shrooms and combining them with cooled melted chocolate, you’ll have a shroom-infused chocolate that’s pretty tasty.
The cool thing is that the chocolate acts like an oxygen and UV light barrier, preventing your shrooms from getting bad while still preserving its potency.
4. Mason Jars
Using a mason jar is perfect for storing dried shrooms. These jars provide an oxygen-free, airtight environment for up to a year, as long as they are key in dry, cool, and dark place. Just note that even if stored properly, they will start to lose some of their potency in about 6 months.
5. Honey
By combining your dried mushrooms with honey, it can last up to 2 or 3 years. In order to make this shroom-infused honey, just place your dried magic mushrooms in a jar and cover them completely with honey.
In time, the shrooms active ingredients and chemicals will start to diffuse into the honey which will allow you to directly eat the honey to experience all the effects.
6. Capsules
Shroom capsules are literally just pills filled with dried shrooms but sealed tightly to prevent any oxygen from entering. Storing magic mushrooms in capsules will give it a very long shelf life of up to a year. Plus, it’s pretty easy to consume as a pill.
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So to answer the main question…
Yes, shrooms do expire. The shelf-life ultimately depends on how you store your mushrooms to help extend their life, while still keeping it’s potency high.
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