Mushroom Microdosing Guide

The practice of microdosing psilocybin mushrooms has gained significant popularity over the past several years. Probably everyone has already heard about the purported benefits of shrooms, including mental health, focus, and creativity improvement. Many are curious if the practice works, what it does, and how they can use microdoses of psychedelic drugs themselves.

Unfortunately, the internet can be a scary and dark place filled with misinformation. Therefore, Buy Weed 247 offers this beginner’s guide to microdosing mushrooms to help people who want to learn more about this practice safely and accurately.

What’s Microdosing?

Microdosing refers to consuming smaller amounts of psychedelics (e.g., LSD, psilocybin, DMT) to treat pre-existing conditions. It’s essential to note that people can use many substances this way.

A microdose is usually 1/10 to 1/20 of a regular dose. The aim is to achieve the positive results of the drug without (or at least minimizing) the adverse effects such as hallucinations, sensory shifts, and other extreme experiential side effects.

The concept of microdosing was pioneered by drug companies in the ’70s as part of their drug development outside of clinical trials. More recently, this method has become the favored technique of those looking to tap into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics to treat anxiety and depression.

Science Of Microdosing

Two things happen in our brain when we take psychedelics:

• The stimulation of a serotonin receptor called 5-HT2A 
• The decrease in the activity of the Brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN)

5-HT2A

The 5-HT2A receptor is a vital serotonin receptor concentrated in the brain’s prefrontal cortex and located in the digestive system. When psychedelics stimulate this receptor, two crucial things happen. 

First, the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factors increases, stimulating neuronal growth, connections, and activity. Second, glutamate transmission, responsible for learning, cognition, and memory, also improves across the brain.

Effects of Microdosing on Users

Microdosing began becoming widespread between 2010-and 2013 in Silicon Valley to increase energy and productivity, help brainstorm, and tackle roadblocks in strategies and coding. While some folks still look to microdosing to help improve their professional efficiency, there are several other benefits we now know of. Here are some of them:

• Enhanced focus
• Relief from depression
• More energy
• Less anxiety in social situations
• Emotional openness
• More leisurely coffee, pharmaceutical drugs, or other substances withdrawal
• Relief from menstrual pain

There’ll probably be a plethora of double-blind studies on microdosing soon, but the science of microdosing is still relatively nascent. People have reported they choose to microdose for various reasons, including the following list.

• Relieving anxiety
• Feeling more relaxed in social situations
• Fueling creativity, be it technological or artistic
• Enjoying the learning process
• Focusing better while doing so

Now here’s something intriguing. Some microdosers have found that microdosing helps decrease their reliance on addictive habits like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. Microdosing is indeed a safer habit than these more traditional ones. 

Psilocybin isn’t considered to be an addictive drug– many who’ve struggled with alcohol dependence even report that microdosing changed their lives for the better.

Psilocybin Effects

Psilocybin is the main hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms. It’s a psychedelic drug that people have been using for more than 10,000 years for various medical and spiritual reasons. Experiences can change, but people report altered perceptions of space and time, feelings of euphoria, and a meditative, dream-like state.

Researchers often measure the “mystical experience” according to a scale that quantifies a sense of sacredness, unity, positive mood, the transcendence of time/space, etc. Research has revealed that the more intense the mystical experiences, the more likely you’ll experience positive benefits from the experience.

How To Microdose Psilocybin

You may have imagined popping a shroom into your mouth and your pancakes and coffee every morning. But it’s unfortunately not that easy to microdose psilocybin. Don’t be intimidated, though. We’re not saying it’s that difficult either.

Microdosing requires you to take a precise amount of the psychedelic substance. Too little, and there won’t be any effects. Too much, and your day may become “too colorful.” Before consuming your shrooms, dry them out and grind them into powder form.

Remember that different mushroom strains, individual mushrooms, and parts of shrooms will contain varying quantities of psychedelic ingredients. While we may thank Mother Nature for providing us with the magical plant psilocybin, she was playful and not very concerned with helping us create super-specific dosages.

What’s The Average Dose?

That depends on the substance and whether or not you’ve taken them orally. If you’re on a full stomach, the effects may be diminished. But a general rule is that a typical microdose is anywhere from 5-10 percent of an average dose.

For example, a typical dose of mushrooms is 1-1.5 grams. A microdose is somewhere from 50-150 milligrams. Plus, microdoses can be taken in raw or liquid form, depending on the substance.

How Often To Microdose

Your microdosing routine depends on your intentions. But many users report doing it twice a week, preferably outside working hours. Many tend to experiment with micro-dosing on their own. But for those using psychedelics as therapy, experts recommend supervision by professionals and periodic breaks to not build up a tolerance that diminishes the drug’s effectiveness.

Microdosing Risks

Psychedelic substances can be very potent. When microdosing, it’s not wise to mix these substances with alcohol or other drugs, including prescription drugs. Some experts recommend staying away from stimulants like coffee as well. If you’re taking prescription drugs, wait three or four hours before microdosing. It’s also crucial for beginners to microdose in comfortable surroundings.

Substances Used For Microdosing

Although “microdosing” typically refers to psychedelic drugs, some folks practice it with various substances. The following substances are the most common ones people use for microdosing. But some of these carry the risk of having a “bad trip” or other adverse effects, including causing stomach problems:

• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD): LSD is among the most common substances utilized for microdosing. Some users report feeling sharper, more productive, and optimally focused throughout the day.
• Psilocybin (“magic” mushrooms): Psilocybin can act as an antidepressant for those with severe depression. Users have also reported feeling empathic and emotionally open.
• Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Known as the “spirit molecule,” microdose DMT is believed to relieve anxiety and aid in spiritual awareness.
• Iboga/ibogaine. This substance is a root bark used as a remarkable medicine by the Bwiti of Central Africa.

We’ll address these substances in more detail from now on.

LSD

LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is a psychedelic mind-altering substance obtained from lysergic acid present in the ergot fungus growing on some grains such as rye. LSD is clear or white, has no smell, and is crystalline in its pure form. 

Often just called “acid,” it’s usually sold in the form of small tablets, capsules, or squares. The psychological effects of an “acid trip” typically begin within half an hour and can last for up to 12 hours.

A worrying factor about microdosing LSD is that these trips can be either very “good” or “bad,” i.e., ranging from euphoric to unpleasant. In rare cases, LSD consumers have developed long-lasting psychoses or depression. Albert Hoffman was the person who made LSD in 1938– but he discovered its hallucinogenic properties in 1943.

Mescaline

Mescaline is a naturally occurring psychedelic proto-alkaloid found in certain succulents such as the peyote cactus. Peyote has been used for nearly 6000 years by Native Americans. Mescaline was identified in 1897 by Arthur Heffter (German chemist). The effects of ingesting mescaline can include altered consciousness, dilated pupils, a perceived slowing of time, and dream-like moods.

Iboga

Iboga (Tabernanthe Iboga) is a rainforest shrub indigenous to West Africa. The region’s Pygmies first discovered the shrub. Iboga has been used in healing traditional practices and rituals in the Central West African rainforest for thousands of years. The primary use of Iboga is to treat addiction to opiates and other highly-addictive substances.

Iboga is very potent; however, the results are far gentler when microdosed and include phases of introspection and heightened mental activity. The effects of Iboga can last for many hours, like the sensations of having a “waking dream.”

DMT

Considered the world’s most potent psychedelic, DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) is a crystalline powder sourced from Asian and South American plants. It’s sometimes inhaled but can also be mixed into brews like Ayahuasca.

Some of the well-known side effects of DMT ingestion include hallucinations, nausea, anxiety, muscle rigidity, headaches, seizures, and irregular heartbeat. Researchers have explored the effects of microdosing DMT in rats and demonstrated that when administered to rats at low doses, it can improve depression and anxiety. When microdosing DMT, the results can be mild, pleasant, and euphoric.

Cannabis

Cannabis– also called hemp, marijuana, and hash, among other traditional names– is the generic term referring to numerous psychoactive products obtained from the plant Cannabis sativa.

The active component of cannabis is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). According to the World Health Organization, almost half of all drug seizures worldwide are marijuana seizures, and about 147 million people, 2.5% of the world population, consume it. The most popular way to ingest cannabis is by drying and smoking the plant’s leaves, but it can come in powdered form, oil, or tincture.

Psilocybin Truffles

Psilocybin or “magic” truffles have been very popular since 2008 when the Netherlands outlawed psilocybin or “magic” mushrooms – but not psilocybin truffles. These truffles are hard nodules called sclerotia that form on the magic mushrooms’ mycelia.

You may think of them as underground extensions of the mushroom, which are dense and have less moisture content than the stems and caps above ground. Psilocybin truffles are not the same as those that you use in cooking. That kind of truffle belongs to the genus Tuber. Plus, “magic” truffles provide nutrition storage for the magic mushrooms during difficult growing conditions.

They contain the same psychoactive ingredients responsible for inducing a psychedelic effect, just like “magic” mushrooms, but less potent than stems and caps. The impacts of responsibly microdosing psilocybin truffles can include heightened senses, enhanced focus, mood changes, amplified creativity, more energy, and motivation.

Psilocybin Mushrooms

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring hallucinogen and psychoactive chemical first isolated in 1958 by Albert Hofmann. More than 180 species of shrooms contain psilocybin or the derivative psilocin, and indigenous cultures have used them in their traditional and spiritual rituals since ancient times. 

Studies indicate that using psychedelic mushrooms can reduce instances of opioid dependence, implying its protective effects.

The mushrooms containing psilocybin resemble ordinary mushrooms with long, slender whitish-gray stems and dark-brown caps. A word of caution: It’s possible to confuse magic mushrooms with some toxic types of mushrooms, although most of these look pretty different. One type, called Pholiotina rugosa, looks like the magic mushroom, so be careful.

How To Consume Shrooms

Your shrooms are ground up, and you know how much you’ll consume. Now it’s time to decide how to take them! You can ingest the powder if you wish, but we don’t recommend it. This method will indeed work, but the point is that magic mushrooms have a very peculiar taste. Some have even compared it to dirt.

A better method for ingesting the powder is adding it to your tea. Stir it in, maybe with some honey and lemon, and enjoy a great morning drink. You can also fill empty capsules with powder and make custom mushroom capsules. Or, shop our mushroom pills and experience a convenient and easy way to enjoy the benefits of these shrooms in a consistent micro-dose or regular dose. 

Steps To Microdosing

The following step-by-step procedure is based on the LSD microdosing protocol outlined by psychedelic researchers. However, experts suggest adhering to its tips once microdosing other substances too.

• First, get a high-quality substance. You can find legal microdosing supplements online.
• Take the first dose, preferably in the morning (without any significant obligations and any children around). Remember to take your first microdose at 1/10 or 1/20 of a normal dose.
• Then, sit back, pay attention, and observe your experience. You should notice if it matches your initial goals. Keep a log of the day to record the effects. The length of each microdosing experience will change depending on which substance you’re using.
• The next step is to adjust (if necessary). Did the first time produce the desired result? If yes, that’s the ideal dose. If not, adjust accordingly.
• Proceed with regular use. You may follow the “one day on, two days off” principle and continue to start a regimen for ten weeks. It’ll help avoid building up a tolerance. Building up a tolerance could result in a decrease in the desired results after a few days.

Note that the effects of certain substances can last for up to two days and be detected by urine or blood drug testing a week or more after dosing. Drug tests like hair follicle tests can have an extended detection period.

It’s also worth noting that cannabis use may be detectable for up to 30 days after consumption, depending on the sensitivity of the drug test.

How To Schedule Microdosing

Once you’ve prepared your doses, you should decide how to schedule the microdosing journey. Even at tiny amounts, your body can still build up a natural immunity reasonably quickly, so you must take breaks. There are a few typical schedules that we’ll discuss here.

First, the most classical and famous one is a microdose every three days. The idea is you feel the full effects on the first day. You still feel about one-half the impact on the second day as the substance is still in your body. And here comes a tolerance break, the third day.

If you follow this schedule, taking 0.1 grams every three days, you should manage to avoid tolerance. Some individuals also do it every other day, and it may work for them, but we would still suggest every third day for beginners.

Another regimen is one week on and one week off. This would average every other day, but you can rebuild your tolerance by taking a week off. Since there hasn’t been a lot of complex core scientific study on the best regimens, you need to choose the one that works the best for you and stick with it for a month.

The key here is consistency. Many of the benefits of microdosing come over time, not on the first or second day, so make sure you stick to whatever schedule you choose.

Bottom Line

Although you shouldn’t notice any significant effects from microdosing, it’s wise to take the day off from social commitments and your job, especially if you’re trying it for the first time. That way, you can fully observe yourself through the trip, and you don’t feel any pressure, which could adversely impact your mindset.

Shop from our dried mushrooms and enjoy the benefits of these shrooms in a consistent micro-dose or regular dose.