How to Microdose Right—2023 Whitepaper

What is Microdosing?

Microdosing is taking tiny, sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics regularly for enhanced levels of mood, creativity, energy, focus, and feelings of connection. Sub-perceptual means the amount taken won’t produce noticeable psychedelic effects. Instead, you may notice that microdosing facilitates positive changes in the way you think and feel.

Why Microdose?

Research overwhelmingly shows that psilocybin is beneficial for mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Because microdosing involves taking such tiny amounts of psilocybin, it has the potential to reshape brain cells, neural pathways, and improve overall brain function without the effects of a full-blown trip––making it easy for you to go about your daily activities. This can lead to many benefits, such as improved productivity, mental health, and athletic performance. Additionally, it may help individuals work through mental blocks, break bad habits, and achieve overall balance.

Microdosing has also been proposed as a potential treatment for certain mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Studies suggest it can lead to changes in brain connectivity that improve symptoms of these conditions. For example, psilocybin fosters greater connections between different regions of the brain in depressed people, freeing them up from long-held patterns of rumination and excessive self-focus. Additionally, it may promote feelings of connection and well-being, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals who feel disconnected and depressed. More research is underway to better understand the effects of microdosing and its medical potential.

Important note: Microdosing is a personal experience and can have different effects on different individuals. Before deciding to microdose, it's recommended to consult with a healthcare professional and be aware of the potential risks and benefits.

What are Some Common Concerns About Microdosing?

Like any medication, microdosing comes with some fine print. While rare, some people may experience temporary discomfort, such as altered senses or mild anxiety. These effects are typically mild and short-lived, and the benefits of the intervention often outweigh any potential negative side effects.

How to Get Started Microdosing

Here are some steps to microdose mushrooms:

1. Obtain mushrooms: Purchase or grow your own. Determining the exact psilocybin content in mushrooms can be challenging due to variations in species, strain, freshness, and even location within the mushroom. It's easiest to buy capsules or chocolates designed for microdosing.
2. Set your intention: Be specific and realistic. It’s critical to focus the mind and guide the experience. What do you want to achieve through microdosing? Write it down and evaluate your progress after a few weeks, and remember that microdosing is not a substitute for other self-improvement methods. It's important to also note this is a personal practice and what works for one person may not work for another.
3. Decide on a schedule: It’s best to make a plan and experiment to find what works best for you. Popular protocols include:

• Fadiman Protocol—Microdose every third day for 1-2 months, then take a 2-4 week break.
• ‘Two Days a Week’ Protocol—Similar to the Fadiman, but choose two days per week to microdose.
• Stamets Protocol—4 days on, 3 days off. Stamets recommends taking Lion’s mane and niacin alongside the psilocybin. Note of caution—niacin can cause liver damage and is contraindicated for several diseases.
• Intuitive Protocol—This flexible microdosing protocol allows you to decide when to use it, with the only rule being to leave at least one day between doses to prevent tolerance. It is important to follow your intuition and listen to your body to find the best approach for you.

Notes:

1. With or without food: Most protocols recommend microdosing on an empty stomach in the morning. If you are more sensitive, try it with food first and see how you feel.
2. Start with a low dose: Begin with a low dose and gradually increase, if desired.
3. Give it time: It’s recommended to give microdosing at least a month to be effective.
4. Monitor effects: Track progress, including any changes in mood, productivity, and cognitive function. Integration is key. Reflect on your experience, journal along the way, and share with loved ones.

Brief History of Mushrooms

Psychedelic mushrooms have been used medicinally, ritually, and recreationally for at least 9,000 years, as evidenced through well-known prehistoric rock art and other prehistoric artifacts in areas like present-day Algeria and Spain.

Though highly speculative, the Stoned Ape Theory claims that consumption of psychedelic mushrooms by early humans led to improved brain function, resulting in language, abstract thinking, visual acuity, cognitive processing, and enhanced problem-solving abilities.

Fast-forward thousands of years, mushrooms sprouted anew in a 1957 feature in Life Magazine called “Seeking the Magic Mushroom.” In the article, an amateur mycologist recounted his experience during a ritual in the densely-forested mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mushrooms began to gain popularity among intellectuals, artists, and writers, who were attracted to its mind-expanding properties. The next decade would see psychedelics popularized in mainstream culture with many famous artists, musicians, and actors experimenting with it, and some even incorporating the experience of it in their art, music, and movies.

They tried to disperse us, they didn’t know that we're spores.
But in a misguided reaction to the free-spirit rebellion of the 1960s, Nixon made psychedelic mushrooms a Schedule 1 Drug—alongside heroin—despite years of scientific research showing promising results for medical use.

Psilocybin has seen a resurgence in the last decade, with cities decriminalizing its use and respected institutions like Johns Hopkins receiving big donations to continue research on how psychedelics can advance modern medicine.

Where Mushrooms Stand Today

Although possession, use, and distribution of psilocybin mushrooms are criminalized in most countries, public opinion is quickly turning and it’s been recently decriminalized in numerous U.S. cities. Oregon became the first state to legalize therapeutic use of mushrooms in 2020. It feels like the early days of cannabis legalization.

If you’re in a major city, chances are you can easily find mushrooms dried or in products like capsules, chocolates, or gummies. It's also getting easier to find them online and have them safely and securely shipped to your door.