Cannabis Science

How Long Do Shrooms Take to Kick In?

shrooms

Shrooms also called magic mushrooms are psychoactive fungi that people take usually for a trip. On the other hand, some people use shrooms for microdosing. Microdosing means using a little bit of shrooms but the desired result isn’t usually a full-blown out-of-body experience. Whether you want to macro dose or microdose, chances are you’re wondering how long do shrooms take to kick in. Here’s what we know. 

Photo: Unsplash

How Long Do Shrooms Take to Kick In?

According to Healthline, shrooms take 30 minutes to kick in. However, as Healthline states, not everybody will experience their high in 30 minutes. 

Alternative Addiction says that shrooms kick in between 20-40 minutes. However, they said people may start to feel the effects in about an hour. 

There are other factors that affect the time shrooms take to kick in. For example, how you use shrooms, how much you take and whether or not you’ve eaten can affect the time taken to feel the effects.  

How You Use Shrooms

Shrooms can be eaten raw, dried or cooked, but are normally steeped in tea or added to cooked foods to avoid the unpleasant earthy taste.

How you consume shrooms impacts how long they take to kick in. The high can kick in in as little as 5-10 minutes if steeped in shroom tea. Alternatively, if you choose to consume shrooms by smoking, they may never kick in. Smoking is a pretty ineffective way to consume magic mushrooms because you probably won’t get high.

Of course, there is a possibility for a bad trip whenever you take shrooms but chances are you’ll just end up feeling sick if you smoke them. 

How Much Shrooms You Take 

Alternative Addiction defines a light dose 0.5 to 1 gram of mushrooms. Taking a light dose like that could take between 15-30 minutes to kick in. 

However, if you’re a beginner, even the light dose can affect you much quicker. On the other hand, someone used to taking mushrooms may have a more delayed reaction. 

A moderate dose, which is 1.1 to 3 grams, takes about 20 to 40 minutes to kick in. 

A high dose, which is over 3 grams takes around 30  minutes to an hour to kick in but you’ll experience more intense effects. 

Taking Shrooms on an Empty Stomach

The time it takes to kick in also depends on whether or not you’ve eaten. Shooms will kick in quicker if you take them on an empty stomach. Alternative Addiction says it’s between 10-60 minutes based on how much you take. So if you’ve eaten right before you take shrooms, it could take much longer. 

How Long Do the Effects of Shrooms Last?

On average, Healthline says the effects usually last between 4 and 6 hours. However, some people can still be feeling effects into the next day. After a day though, you should return to your normal state. 

How long you feel the effects of shrooms and the severity, according to Healthline depends on:

  • Personal factors 
  • Dose – The more you take the longer and more severe the trip will be. 
  • How you take the mushroom Smoking likely provides a weak or non existent high. 
  • Whether or not the mushroom is fresh or dry – Dry mushrooms are more potent
  • Other substances taken with the shrooms

Personal Factors 

Personal factors encompass many things and since it’s broad, we decided to give it a section of its own.

Both Healthline and Alternative Addiction agree that there are personal factors that affect how long you feel the effects of shrooms. We consider personal factors to be:

  • Age – The older you are, the longer the shrooms will stay in your body due to delayed kidney functions. 
  • Tolerance – If you’ve built up a tolerance you could have a shorter trip with a certain amount. However, someone with low tolerance could have a longer and more intense trip with the same amount you took.
  • Metabolism – If you have a slower metabolism, it will take longer for the mushroom to be processed and removed. 

Mental disorders and your frame of mind could have an effect on the type of trip you have. For example, if you’re not in the right frame of mind, you could have a really bad trip. It’s advised not to be stressed before taking shrooms because it can make things unpleasant for you. 

Conclusion

How long do shrooms take to kick in? It depends on so many factors. However, in general, it takes about 30 minutes if you ingest them. If you drink your shrooms in a tea, you could start feeling the effects in as little as 5 minutes. Shrooms will kick in quicker if you use them on an empty stomach and if you have a lower tolerance. 

The length of time you feel the effects also depends. You’ll typically feel the effects for a couple of hours. While 6-8 hours is pretty standard, the effects could run into the next day. However, the more shrooms you take the longer and more severe the trip. Certain personal factors such as your tolerance could impact the length and severity of the trip.

author-avatar

About Trevann

Trevann is Stoner Rotation’s Jamaica-based lead writer for the Science section of our cannabis blog. She graduated with honors receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of West Indies, Mona. For the last three years, she has covered some of the biggest questions around cannabis and health underpinned with research from supporting studies, medical journals and scholarly articles. Got something on your mind? You can reach her at [email protected].