diff --git a/includes/menu.inc b/includes/menu.inc
index 8e26b6d..57a64b6 100644
--- a/includes/menu.inc
+++ b/includes/menu.inc
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ define('MENU_PREFERRED_LINK', '1cf698d64d1aa4b83907cf6ed55db3a7f8e92c91');
  * actually exists. This list of 'masks' is built in menu_rebuild().
  *
  * @param $parts
- *   An array of path parts; for the above example, 
+ *   An array of path parts; for the above example,
  *   array('node', '12345', 'edit').
  *
  * @return
@@ -462,9 +462,19 @@ function menu_get_item($path = NULL, $router_item = NULL) {
     }
     $original_map = arg(NULL, $path);
 
-    $parts = array_slice($original_map, 0, MENU_MAX_PARTS);
-    $ancestors = menu_get_ancestors($parts);
-    $router_item = db_query_range('SELECT * FROM {menu_router} WHERE path IN (:ancestors) ORDER BY fit DESC', 0, 1, array(':ancestors' => $ancestors))->fetchAssoc();
+    // Since there is no limit to the length of $path, use a hash to keep it
+    // short yet unique.
+    $cid = "menu_item:" . hash('sha256', $path);
+    $cached = cache_get($cid, 'cache_menu');
+    if (isset($cached->data)) {
+      $router_item = $cached->data;
+    }
+    else {
+      $parts = array_slice($original_map, 0, MENU_MAX_PARTS);
+      $ancestors = menu_get_ancestors($parts);
+      $router_item = db_query_range('SELECT * FROM {menu_router} WHERE path (:ancestors) ORDER BY fit DESC', 0, 1, array(':ancestors' => $ancestors))->fetchAssoc();
+      cache_set($cid, $router_item, 'cache_menu');
+    }
 
     if ($router_item) {
       // Allow modules to alter the router item before it is translated and