Disclaimer:
The material below is not intended to provide medical advice and we don’t encourage the illegal use of any substances. Ayahuasca is a potentially illegal substance, and we do not encourage the use of this substance where it is against the law. Due to the high demand for the subject, we created this article for educational purposes. The intent of the content is to help you start learning about the subject
Types of Doses: Microdose and Minidose
How much is used in one dose can dramatically alter the experience with magic mushrooms.
A microdose is around 0.1 to 0.3 grams, but can vary from person to person. It is meant to be just beyond the ability to notice it. This kind of dose is usually done weekly, or on a frequent and regular schedule and the aim is to boost creativity, energy, and focus while decreasing stress and anxiety and other symptoms of mental illness. Feeling more mindful, more motivated, having better memory and an easier time meditating are likely results.
A minidose is around 0.35 to 0.75 grams. This dose is able to be felt, but only just. One will likely experience mood effects, like mild euphoria and mindfulness. It can relieve symptoms of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. Thinking is clearer and there is typically more enjoyment in physical activities and tasks. There usually aren’t visuals at this level, but if there are, they will be very mild. There may be some difficulty focusing and socializing, and some restlessness.
On these two doses, do not expect to have a full trip. Though perception may be slightly affected, it is usually not to an extreme where there is a hard time being grounded in reality. These doses seem to enhance everyday life, but do not make a vast difference in functioning.
Trip Doses: Museum, Moderate and Megadose
These doses give more of the effects of psilocybin and can come with visuals, mood effects and perceptual changes.
A moderate dose ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 grams. There are likely some moderate visuals, like an environment that seems to “flow” or “breathe.” Increased empathy, senses, creativity and appreciation for art are commonly reported changes. Time might seem to pass slower or quicker than normal. Pupils may dilate and have increased sensitivity to light. Mood will likely be amplified in its current direction, positive or negative. Introspection and flow states are increased. However, there may also be difficulty focusing and socializing, as well as some frustration at the dosage.
A high dose is between 2 to 3.5 grams. At this dose, a full trip is likely. This includes visual hallucinations like patterns and fractals. Time will have a distortion, and even depth perception will be affected. The ability to understand your surroundings is not lost, though they will be significantly affected. A reasonable expectation is life-impacting insights, piqued interest in the mundane, magnified emotions, visuals whether eyes are open or closed and possible synesthesia. There may be feelings of disorientation, some anxiety, a lot of yawning, some dizziness and nausea and difficulty with cognitive tasks. There is also a clear sense of the trip, including the come-up, peak and come-down. Synesthesia (blending of senses) can occur at this dose and higher.
A megadose is usually 5 or more grams. This is an intense trip where there is high chance of disconnection with reality. Intense hallucinations, ego death, feelings of wonder or mysticism and strong introspection are what can be expected from this dosage level. A sense of time is gone, distortion is present, and motor abilities can be compromised . Cognitive tasks are very difficult, and nausea and dizziness usually accompany this dose. Visuals are strong and ego death is likely.
How to microdose magic mushrooms?
When it comes to microdosing psilocybin mushrooms, a little can go a long way. If a regular dose gives a “full trip”, then a microdose is typically 1/10th the number of magic mushrooms that you would normally take.
A regular dose can vary, but ranges from 1 gram, which produces some effects but usually not hallucinations, to 5 grams, which is considered the “heroic” dosage to get the absolute fullest experience. The most typical dose ranges between 1.5-3.5 grams to get the hallucinogenic effects, strong euphoria and even synethesia at the higher end of the scale.
A microdose often ranges from 0.1 grams to 0.5 grams, and won’t create a “high” but can still have long-term beneficial effects. Everyone has a different physiology, so it’s important to start with low dosages and go up from there. A higher metabolism can limit hallucinations, while some people may feel a different reality from a microdose.
In a study funded by the University of Toronto in 2019, the most often self-reported improvements when microdosing was improved mood (12.8%), improved focus (10%), creativity (9.4%) and improved energy (7.6%). Less reported, but still with some regularity, were benefits in sociability, cognition and self-efficacy. From these results, we can inference how it is possible that psilocybin, even at microdose levels, can have significant improvements in disorders of depression, anxiety, PTSD, addicitions and other clinical diagnoses.
There are a few challenges associated with magic mushrooms. One of the most strongly endorsed issues, with almost 30% of respondents citing it was the illegality of psilocybin and the related problems of substances being unregulated (ending up taking too much or too little), unpredictable availability, costs set by the black market and social stigma.
Other issues that came up from self-reports were physiological discomfort (18%) that included disrupted senses from visual hallucinations, temperature dysregulation, tingling, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress, reduced appetite and increased headaches.
Fewer reports conflict with the benefits that others have endorsed, citing impaired focus (8.8%), increased anxiety (6.7%), impaired energy (7.2%) and other contrary symptoms. This conflicting evidence suggests individual differences, perhaps in physiology, dose, substance or other factors, play a not insignificant role in moderating these effects.
