During the psychedelic era in the sixties and early seventies, people took psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms as a way to expand their mind. While people have been tripping to the tunes of Jerry Garcia, Pink Floyd and Iron Butterfly to get new insights about themselves, the universe and everything in between, the era also spawned the idea that psychedelics could possibly be beneficial for more serious uses.

Among the early public figures who suggested using psychedelics for the betterment of mankind was Timothy Leary. With his famous catchphrase “Turn on, tune in, drop out”, the Harvard psychologist and psychedelics' advocate encouraged people to enrich their lives with psychedelics. He was one of the first prominent figures who believed that psychedelics also had potential for therapeutic use.

Today, using psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes is once again a widely talked-about topic. Microdosing LSD, magic mushrooms, truffles and even cannabis is now considered a promising way to use these substances for the treatment of various disorders, and for life improvement.

WHAT IS MICRODOSING

The idea behind microdosing is to take psychedelics in tiny dosages so that you don't trip, and the effect of the psychedelic is just ever so slightly noticeable. So instead of taking a few grams of shrooms you would just take a tenth each time, such as 0.2 grams—so little that you don’t really feel that you have taken anything.

When microdosing you can still go on with your daily life like normal, but you can enjoy the beneficial effects of the psychedelics, like an improved mood, increased creativity and clarity. Recent scientific studies suggest that microdosing may also help with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

WHAT SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT MICRODOSING

It’s interesting to note that the positive effects of microdosing are not just subjective, in the sense that microdosing would merely make one feel good. Recent studies show that microdosing does indeed lead to beneficial changes in our brain and body.

Research performed on mice in 2013 has shown that microdosing psilocybin promotes an effect known as neurogenesis, the growth of new neurons in the brain. Neurogenesis has been linked to improved energy levels, heightened mood and improved cognitive functions. Another study published in The Journal of the Royal Society suggests that microdosing psilocybin may increase creativity.

A study on microdosing psychedelics, which looked into the effects that it has on personality, mental health, and creativity differences found that a group of microdosing subjects did better in these aspects compared to a test group who didn’t take psychedelics. The researchers conclude that their findings “provide promising initial evidence that warrants controlled experimental research” for microdosing and its potential benefits.

HOW TO MICRODOSE MAGIC MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES?

Magic mushrooms and magic truffles are popular for microdosing and there are several reasons for that: compared to LSD and some other psychedelics, the effects from a microdose of magic shrooms are normally milder and don’t last as long. This makes it easier to dose them, so that the effects won’t interfere, for example, with your sleep schedule. In addition to that, shrooms have also the advantage that you can easily grow them at home.

An easy way to consume small doses of magic mushrooms or truffles could be to simply eat tiny amounts, but this method of dosing isn’t very accurate. In addition to that, different mushroom parts, such as the caps or the stems contain different amounts of the psychoactive psilocybin, which also makes exact dosing difficult.

CAPSULES FOR MICRODOSING

If you want to do microdosing right, it will be much better if you fill capsules with your dry shrooms or truffles. This has many benefits: you can dose more precisely and will be able to get about the same amount of psilocybin each time when you dose. Capsules can also help with the taste of shrooms if you have a sensitive stomach. They are also more convenient to carry and you can store them easily.

Making capsules for microdosing your shrooms or truffles isn’t difficult: all you need is a coffee grinder, empty capsules and a capsule filler machine. Grind your dried mushrooms/truffles into a fine powder, and fill your capsules according to the instructions for the capsule machine. A precision scale will come in handy, so you can measure out the exact amounts for your shroom capsules.

WHAT IS A GOOD AMOUNT FOR MICRODOSING MAGIC MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES?

For a single microdose of magic mushrooms use about 10 times less than you would take for a normal dosage of 2–3grams. So your micro dosage should come to about 0.2–0.3 grams.

If the dried shrooms make your stomach upset, you can also dose by mixing them into tea or make shroom chocolates. This can help with the taste, in case you find it unpleasant.

If you want to microdose with magic truffles, it’s essentially the same as with magic mushrooms. Just make sure that you know the potency of your truffles, so you know what amount you need to use for your microdose. Normally, a small dose of magic truffles of about 0.7-1 gram should do.

HOW OFTEN TO MICRODOSE?

Although there is no general rule as to how often you should be taking your microdose of magic mushrooms or truffles, many microdosers take one dose every three days. This will give you one day where you can enjoy the maximum effect, followed by a “comedown day” and then one day of rest.

But don’t take this as gospel. We recommend that you see for yourself what dosing schedule would work best for you. You may decide that it’s better if you dose only every fourth day, or you may find you have the best results if you allow only one day in between microdosing. But what you shouldn’t do is to microdose every single day. The reason for this is that when you dose every day without a break, your body can build up a tolerance to the effects of the shrooms, and microdosing won’t be as effective any more. So make sure that you allow at least one or several resting days with your microdosing schedule.

IS MICRODOSING SAFE?

Although taking psychedelics is not considered dangerous, it is arguably not something for everyone. The psychedelic effect from a normal dose of mushrooms or truffles can be terrifying for some people and may cause anxiety and panic. Even seasoned psychonauts can sometimes experience a bad trip when they take psychedelics in a poor “set and setting”.

When you microdose psychedelics, the effect will be barely, if at all, noticeable, which means there is little risk for such negative experiences. This makes microdosing safer, also for those people who may otherwise have negative reactions from taking psychedelics.

MICRODOSING MUSHROOMS AND MAGIC TRUFFLES—THE BOTTOMLINE

There is evidence that psychedelics can provide people with benefits and not only with mind-altering psychedelic journeys. Microdosing may be a promising alternative way for treating mental health issues and may help people to improve their quality of life in many ways.