How to Microdose Magic Mushrooms
Microdosing, Macrodosing, dosing using your neighbor’s dehydrator… What is microdosing and how do you do it? Also, will it really help you?
I’ve added here my findings, and have done a lot of experimentation myself.
One particular example is this:
I’ve always been the nervous type and the thought of getting on Zoom to present a 86-page creative deck to a big brand made me hyperventilate.
… I accidentally took a micro the morning of the conglomerate’s presentation.
With the shroom in my system, I breezed through the presentation.
First time in 20 years that this kind of cooperate shit didn’t make me nervous af.
…didn’t even cry or say “um” once.
What is Microdosing?
Microdosing is where a person consumes small amounts of psychedelic substances. These substances vary greatly from what they are and how strong they are.
Psilocybin mushrooms can vary in strength from one species to the next. Magic mushrooms can even change strength within the same species.
As far as microdosing substances go, some people prefer psilocybin, which can be found in Magic Mushrooms. Other microdosers go for LSD, and some go for small doses of mescaline. Even marijuana can be microdosed.
Studies conducted over the last 10 years have seen some promising results for the positive effects of psilocybin on mental health. In a study performed by Johns Hopkins, psilocybin resulted in highly significant improvements in depression and anxiety.
Researchers followed up after four weeks and found that 71% of the participants had a “clinically significant response” to the treatment. 54% no longer showed signs of active depression.
Not only that, but 80% of the patients found that their results lasted for over 6 months.
For the purposes of this post, we’re going to roll with how to microdose psilocybin.
How much to dose?
People, I’m assuming like yourself, start reading about microdosing because they have focus issues, depression, anxiety, have come to a creative standstill, and they don’t want to take yet another prescription drug.
If you’re having difficultly finding the right dose, check out the microdosing table below.
There are no hard and fast rules, this post will just give you a general outline so that you can find your groove.
How to Microdose Magic Mushrooms: How Much to Take
So, how to microdose magic mushrooms?
Depending on the mushroom and your tolerance, a microdose is anywhere from 0.05 grams to 0.25 grams.
One easy way to remember is that a microdose can be one-tenth of a macro dose-that, however, is not always the case.
Dosing is a very personal thing, and psilocybin effects everyone a little differently.
Macro and microdoses of psilocybin are as follows:
How to Microdose Magic Mushrooms
So, you’ve got your dose down, you’ve decided if you’re going to buy or grow your magic mushrooms at home, now what? How to microdose magic mushrooms?
Well, you’ve got options.
If you have dried mushrooms, you can make your own microdose capsules by using a grinder and an at-home scale to weigh out the dose.
The magic mushroom won’t fill an entire capsule, so you can finish it off with another supplement.
Lots of people fill the rest of their microdose capsules with other brain (nootropics) and/or body enhancing mushrooms like Lion’s Mane or Cordyceps.
You can also buy pre-made microdosing capsules from a reputable source (I’m not condoning this but, you know, whatever floats your boat).
Some people have had great success finding capsules on sites such as Reddit and Etsy.
You can also buy dried shrooms or spores. It’s entirely up to you.
For the dried or powdered, measuring is always a good idea.
Lots of people try to eye it, and that’s the kind of thing that could really mess with your day (read: sitting in a Zoom meeting tripping balls).
How Many Times a Week Should You Microdose?
There are a few schools of thought on this one.
One of the most popular is “The Stamets Stack,” named by its founder; the iconic mycologist, Paul Stamets.
He is a hero.
His documentary, Fantastic Fungi, and his Ted Talk, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World, are both well worth a watch.
How to Microdose Psilocybin: The Stamets Stack Method
I’ll chat about two major microdosing methods here that you can use as a guide to find your own method.
This one is The Stamets Stack, and it’s my fave because it’s simple and also mixes in Lion’s Mane, a wonderful mushroom for your brain.
He also adds Hericenones and Erinacines mushroom extracts for increased cognition, creativity and neurogenisis, as well as Niacin for neurogensis.
The image below shows the amounts of psilocybin mushrooms that Paul Stamets uses for his microdosing schedule.
Stamets Stack Microdosing Schedule
Here’s the full breakdown:
DAY 1–4: Microdosing days
- 0.1–0.2 grams of dried magic mushrooms
- 500mg of Lion’s Mane powder
- 50 -200 mg of niacin (not the non-flushing. The flush you get with regular niacin is an important part of this method).
DAY 5–7: Non-microdosing days
CYCLE: microdose for 4 weeks
RESET: take a break from microdosing for 2–4 weeks
Note: you take a break to make sure you’re not building up too much of a tolerance to the psilocybin, and bc you’ll probs want a break.
An Extra Focus Hack — Guayusa Tea
In August 2023, I spent a month living in the Rainforest with a wonderful family. They are outstanding humans who are part of the Kichwa indigenous folk (idk how to say that without sounding like a white af person who took a minute to live with people who do what I’m about to explain, all day every day).
I went there for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve always been extremely interested in plants and plant medicine. Secondly, I was burnt tf out as an advertising copywriter.
Living with people who can go out into nature and use any plant to eat, build or heal, is a trip in and of itself.
Every morning, they would make Guayusa tea. I have ADHD, so I’m down to try stimulants (not the hard stuff–just not my bag).
I’ll tell you, I have never in my life been as focused as I was when drinking Guayusa every day. I later found out that Kichwa people use it for lucid dreaming, which makes sense bc I thought I had been lucid dreaming while there, but had no idea why until I got back to the US and did some deep research.
The family I lived with had taken in a stray dog sometime before. He was a sweet American Bulldog who had spent most nights sleeping on the floor next to my bed. He only has one eye, so they call him “Pirata.”
In the last days of being in Ecuador, I took Pirata to the vet because he had ‘Botflies’ – pray you never meet these hell demons. They are super not chill.
Anyway, while there, I met a person who had kindly volunteered to help at the vet. He and I held poor Pirata down while 16 of the straight-from-hell beasts were pulled from his legs.
While Pirata was recovering, Julian and I got to talking about plant medicine and Guayusa. Turns out, he had spent the last 2 years building a Guayusa company in Ecuador. He’s originally from Venezuela anda total badass.
I told him that I had been a copywriter in the States (I’m British… but Ma is American) for 15 years. I told him honestly that I had gone on the trip for the two reasons I already mentioned–plant medicine and being burnt out af on copywriting.
But I also let him know that I had been thinking a lot about selling Guayusa, that’s when I found out he had been selling it and wanted to make it available in the US.
Long story short, if you want to boost your mushroom dose, I personally like to have a couple of cups of Guayusa a few hours before (or sometimes in tandem).
Julian and I made a company, and now we sell Organic Guayusa tea in the US.
And the farmers who grow our Guayusa are Kichwa people who spend much of their lives trying to maintain and support the biodiversity of the rainforest.
If you so fancy it, you can pick up some Guayusa tea here.
We grow it with the Rainforest instead of against it, by using natural clearings and allowing synergistic plants to protect them.
Now, onto the Fadiman Protocol. My fave is Paul’s, but this is the OG method:
How to Microdose Psilocybin Using The Fadiman Protocol
The Fadiman Protocol, named after Dr. James Fadiman, is a 3-day cycle, which you follow for 4–8 weeks and then take a break for 2–4 weeks.
In 1966, Dr. Fadiman published a study called ‘Psychedelics in the problem-solving experiment’.
The experiment honed in on the positive effects and uses of LSD on mental state including creativity, performance, depression, and more.
The Fadiman experiment is one of the most well-known studies into the effects of hallucinogenic drugs.
Even with these intriguing results, the FDA banned all research into psychedelics just after the study was published.
This was also around the time Nixon started his War on Drugs — because he was such a nice and well-informed guy.
In the meantime, Dr. Fadiman collected thousands of reports from microdosers around the globe.
The evidence, while at the time anecdotal, came back with overwhelmingly awesome responses.
The Fadiman Protocol
Fadiman’s Protocol uses 10% of recreational macrodose ( see chart above). How do you use the Fadiman Protocol for microdosing psilocybin? Here’s how:
DAY 1: Microdosing day #1
2 & 3: Non-microdosing days
DAY 4: Microdosing day #2
5 & 6: Non-microdosing days
CYCLE: 4–8 weeks on
RESET: 2–4 weeks off
Microdosing is unique to each human. How to microdose psilocybin is up to your own personal preferences as well as your tolerance, etc.
One thing to remember with microdosing is that you’re not actually supposed to feel like you’re tripping.
Some people feel a little lightheaded and others feel nothing. For some, microdosing has been said to cause increased anxiety and others have reported (anecdotally) that it relieves anxiety.
If you’re feeling anxious while microdosing magic mushrooms, that might mean it’s time to dial down the dose.
Ultimately, it usually takes a little experimentation to get the right dose.
Other Psilocybin Studies
Thanks to Prez Nixon back in the day, there are fewer studies about the positive influence of natural drugs.
In modern and past studies, users often reported feeling more connected to themselves, to nature, and that the experience gave them clarity about their life purpose.
As well as studies, the internet is full of people who say they reap the benefits of microdosing psilocybin.
Not only that, but magic mushrooms are considered non-addictive.
Other studies have seen similar effects including a study conducted on smoking cessation.
Users often reported feeling more connected to themselves, to nature, and that the experience gave them clarity about their life purpose.
Not only that, but magic mushrooms are considered non-addictive.
If you’d like to participate in some of these studies, you can search for them on clinicaltrials.gov. Love the gov or not, it’s where all of the trials gather together as a meeting place.
Ted Talks About Magic Mushrooms
If you like watching TedTalks and want to find out more about the effects of Psilocybin, here are a couple of great ones:
- The science of psilocybin and its use to relieve suffering by top psychopharmacologist Roland Griffiths.
- The neuroscience of psychedelic drugs, music and nostalgia by Psychedelic Neuroscientist Frederick Streeter Barrett.
- Psychedelics: effects on the human brain and physiology by Simeon Keremedchiev.
Originally published at https://wildestry.com on January 11, 2022.
