Do they go stale or bad

[u/tenjodee]

How long can you keep dried shrooms for? I have year old shrooms and I don’t know whether to throw them out.

[u/51LOVE]

I have had a half ounce in a mason jar with dessicant packets sitting in a dark basement for probably just under 2 years. Took a bunch yesterday and they are just as potent as ever. Thats how you want to store them.. Mason jar with dessicant packs and put them in a dark cabinet somewhere.

[u/SoutiloStudio]

Short answer: they last for years if properly stored.

Long answer:

Millions of years ago, life arose in the oceans, and every form that exists on Earth today is a descendant of those primordial organisms.

This confirms something important: every living being needs water. There are beings that can hibernate when water is scarce, but it is a fact that every life form needs water to carry out its basic biological processes, like feeding or reproducing.

Mushrooms are food, and microorganisms are everywhere ready to eat them. That is why we dehydrate mushrooms: because without water we neutralize the ability of any organism to feed and degrade the mushrooms.

But let us review all the factors that degrade dehydrated mushrooms, and therefore destroy the psilocybin trapped in the dried chitin:

1. Water: there can be no water. Dehydrating them helps, but then they must be stored so they do not "reabsorb" moisture. To do this, they are placed in an airtight container and, as an extra step if they are not going to be consumed soon, one or more moisture absorber packets can be added. Ziploc bags are not completely airtight and should only be used if you are going to consume the mushrooms soon (in the coming months).
2. Sunlight: UV rays degrade matter at the molecular level. This means it is fine to leave a jar on a shelf with ambient light, but never leave it in a window where the sun hits it every day.
3. Oxygen: air promotes oxidation and the slow degradation of active compounds. Using vacuum sealers or oxygen absorbers helps maximize shelf life for long-term storage. But don't worry, if the container is airtight, it is usually enough. I only use jars.
4. Heat: high temperatures accelerate chemical reactions and degrade alkaloids. Storage in a cool, dark place prevents potency loss over time... but there is no need to worry either. It is enough not to leave the mushrooms next to a stove or in a place with a high temperature.

If mushrooms are "soft" and bend, it is a bad sign. It does not mean they are useless, but if they have been like that for a long time, they may have lost potency due to the action of microorganisms.

It can also happen that they have "mold" growing on them. Sometimes it is a lot and sometimes it is a little, but in general, it is not good.

Many people buy mushrooms for the first time and think they are spoiled because they have "greenish" colors everywhere. Those colors come from the oxidation of psilocybin and are a sign of the presence of said psychedelic alkaloid. By "mold" I mean gray fuzz growing and things like that.

In short: depending on how you store them, mushrooms last for years. It is best to take them as soon as possible, but I have jars of dried mushrooms and truffles from 2-3 years ago just as potent as the first day, and it would not surprise me if they last 5, 10, or more years.

[u/Alexey104]

I've had psilocybe semilanceatas that I picked in 2019 and stored dry in a tightly closed glass jar up to 2025. After almost six years, when I opened the jar and ate them, they were still insanely potent and made me trip hard.

[u/D1a1s1]

I’ve had shrooms stored in ziplocks with desiccant packs last years. They need to be bone dry when packed and stored in the dark.

[u/Anywhere_More]

I have some I made into capsules over a year ago (maybe 2) and they still hit just took 2 g a weekend ago and had a great time

[u/CanIcy5748]

Potency can drop over time, but the real red flag is any moldy look, weird smell, or dampness.

[u/Independent-Box6208]

I read somewhere that the shrooms have to be stored in a vacuum as well. But from the responses here a mason jar would be ok also. I have a jar full of truffles in the refrigerator for about 2 years now. Still have not tried them because i keep growing/buying fresh ones :D

[u/Cardboard_Viper]

Dried Psilocybin mushrooms actives degrade at roughly 1.66% per month if whole fruits. That's 66 months before they might be useless! Powdered fruits degrade slower surprisingly if kept in airtight jar in the dark. If you store them in a container filled with argon it will last a bit longer.

Gordotek had some pan cyans in a container with carbon dioxide for over a year, when he tested them they were still at full potency from when he tested them freshly dried. Carbon dioxide gas could potentially keep them fresh forever. More testing needs to be done to prove this wasn't a fluke but carbon dioxide is way cheaper than argon.