Posted by pinksharkmark on November 02, 2001 at 11:26:37:
In Reply to: Shroom tea, pink? Flash? posted by annemarie on November 02, 2001 at 08:51:36:
I have no doubt that tea can be refrigerated or even frozen for a while, without losing its effectiveness.
Problem is, how long is "a while"? Psilocybin is not a particularly stable molecule, ESPECIALLY in solution. Psilocin is even less stable. The act of heating the water to extract the "goodies" from the mushroom flesh necessarily makes these two molecules even less stable than they are at lower temperatures. Cooling the liquid after the extraction should, in theory, restore some of the stability, BUT... and this is a BIG but... as the liquid cools, more oxygen is absorbed into the liquid, and oxygen is a deadly enemy of unstable organic molecules. This is why so many nutritionists advocate the consumption of antioxidant vitamins and minerals to slow the aging process. Boiling water contains virtually no dissolved oxygen. Water near the freezing point contains quite a bit.
Not only that, but compounds dissolved in water react with each other much more rapidly than dry compounds mixed together in a heap of powder. This, of course, is why one of the very first instructions in an experiment from a child's chemistry set will read "Dissolve X grams of Y powder in Z ml. of water in a test tube. Add XX grams of YY powder to the test tube, shake vigorously..."
The longer that the molecules stay in solution, the more prone they are to break down. Oxygen, water, heat, and light are the Four Deadly Horsemen of the Apocalypse as far as organic molecules are concerned.
Bottom line? Best thing to do is to keep your ingredients as dry as possible until it is time to brew up the tea. Once the tea has been produced, drink it as soon as you can. I doubt that an overnight stay in the refrigerator or freezer will decrease potency by more than a few per cent, but there WILL be at least SOME decrease.
pinky