How long does it take for shrooms to kick in?

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Shrooms are renowned for their psychedelic properties. The presence of a chemical compound known as psilocybin is responsible for the psychedelic effects that you experience when consuming shrooms. There are over 200 different strains of magic mushrooms containing this compound. Each of them possesses a visually different set of characteristics and effects depending on the quantity of psilocybin, the break down process, and how your body reacts to the compound.

So, how long does it take for shrooms to kick in? In most cases, it takes about 30 minutes for your magic mushrooms to kick in. But then again, as with every class of drug, the time taken to kick in can change from person to person. 

We will discuss the various aspects that affect the time taken for shrooms to kick in, how they start affecting you once they kick in, and how long they stay in your body once you have ingested them. 

Shrooms: What happens once you ingest them?

To understand how long it takes for shrooms to kick in, a basic understanding of what happens when you consume shrooms is important.

Unlike other psychoactive drugs such as weed which get absorbed through your lungs, shrooms get absorbed through your gut and have to go through the complete digestion process for you to experience full effects. This is why it isn’t generally recommended to smoke mushrooms. Oral ingestion is the way to go when it comes to these psychedelic recreational drugs.

Once you eat the shrooms, you will typically start feeling the effects kick-in anywhere within 10 to 30 minutes depending on what you have eaten and how empty or full your stomach is. A part of the mushrooms is absorbed by the stomach lining while most of the metabolism takes place in your liver. 

The key part of this metabolism includes the breakdown of psilocybin, the key hallucinogenic component of magic mushrooms into psilocin. This process is known as the first pass effect and happens in the liver. 

Nearly 50% of the psilocybin is absorbed through your stomach and intestine. This is the time you experience the maximum effects of the psilocybin. In other words, this is the time you will experience the peak hallucinogenic effects. When psilocin reaches the liver, the fist pass effect results in the effects reducing by half.

smoking shrooms

How long does it take for shrooms to kick in?

Most users will find that the effects kick in within 15 to 30 minutes of first ingestion of shrooms. This is the time that the shrooms take to reach the gut and for the effects of the psilocybin to kick in.

However, many factors influence the time it takes for the first shroom effects to kick in. They include:

1. The dose and strain:

Higher doses and stronger strains allow you to experience quicker effects quickly. In other words, when you use stronger doses and more potent shrooms, you will feel the effects within the first few minutes of consumption.

2. Metabolism:

People with a higher metabolism will feel the kick in at a faster pace when compared to those who have slower metabolisms. By this principle, shorter petite people will experience a quicker set of effects compared to those with heavier and taller builds.

3. How recently you have eaten:

A full stomach metabolizes psilocybin slowly, while an empty stomach allows you to experience effects within the first few minutes of consumption. 

If you want to experience effects quickly, you can take shrooms on an empty stomach, while for gradual psychedelic effects, you can take shrooms about an hour after your meal. Staying hydrated also allows you to experience the effects 

4. Set and setting:

These are crucial factors that guide your overall psychedelic experience including whether you will experience a good trip or a bad trip. Ensure that you have a comfortable environment for your shroom trip. The company you keep also dictates the final outcome of your trip. A comfortable set and setting will allow you to have a comfortable kick-in experience.

  1. Past experiences with shrooms:

First time shrooms users will find the first time shroom effects kicking in quite quickly when compared to seasoned users. This is because, in first time users, your brain and body is introduced to a new substance for the first time and hence it reacts quickly allowing you to immediately experience the psychedelic effects.

The body of seasoned users is already accustomed to shrooms and hence they experience the effects in a more phased and controlled manner.

6. Use of alcohol:

Many users use alcohol along with shrooms. This combination allows the shroom effects to set in much faster. But remember, alcohol and magic mushrooms don’t go together and may cause severe undesirable effects.

So, as you can see, various factors play a crucial role in dictating how long it takes for shrooms to kick in.

How long do shrooms stay in your system:

Again this is a combination of factors such as your build, metabolism, dose and strain used, set and setting, and your food habits. 

Apart from the above, another major factor affecting the time that shrooms stay in your system is the half-life of psilocybin. A review article on The Pharmocology of Psilocybin published in Addiction Biology states that the psilocybin has a half life of about 2.5 to 3.5 hours when taken orally. With intravenous consumption, this half life is about 1.5 to 2 hours. 

These figures mean that you will experience the maximum effects through oral consumption during the first 2.5 to 3.5 hours, while it may take about 7 hours for psilocybin to leave your system completely. When you take psilocybin intravenously, you will have the compound in your system for about 4 hours. Check detailed article on how long do shrooms last

Takeaways:

Psilocybin, the key component in shrooms, takes about 10 minutes to half an hour to kick in depending on various factors such as strain, dosage, your food intake, previous experience with taking shrooms and your mode of consumption.

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