Storage, Potency, and Shelf Life: What Actually Degrades Over Time

Potency does not disappear overnight. It degrades slowly, and predictably, under certain conditions.

What Are the Primary Degradation Factors?

The primary factors are light, heat, oxygen, and moisture.

Psilocybin is relatively stable when dry and protected from light. Heat accelerates degradation. Moisture is more problematic. Water enables hydrolysis reactions that can reduce potency over time. Oxygen exposure contributes to gradual breakdown as well.

How Should Products Be Stored?

Dried mushrooms stored in a cool, dark, airtight container generally retain potency longer than material left exposed to air and humidity. Refrigeration is not required if the environment is dry, but heat above normal room temperature accelerates chemical change.

Do Edibles Degrade Differently?

Edibles introduce additional variables. Chocolate contains fats that can oxidize. Gummies contain moisture. If not properly sealed, they may degrade faster than fully dried material.

Desiccant packs are often used in dried product packaging to reduce residual humidity. Airtight containers reduce oxygen exchange. Opaque packaging limits light exposure.

How Gradual Is Degradation?

Degradation is not binary. It is gradual. A product that has lost some potency may not feel dramatically different until a threshold is crossed.

Storage errors usually show up as inconsistency. A batch that felt stable months ago suddenly feels weaker. The compound did not vanish. It slowly shifted under environmental stress.

Understanding how potency is measured helps contextualize what storage actually protects.

The Simple Solution

The solution is not complicated. Keep products dry. Keep them sealed. Keep them away from heat and direct light.

Most stability problems are environmental, not mysterious.