Microdosing: A Treatment for Depression or a Booster for Performance at Work?

The typical trend with recreational drug use is taking the right amount to feel the full effects, but microdosing goes in a different direction. Microdosing is an intake method prevalent with psychedelic substances like LSD, and the purpose of taking a small amount might not be what you expect.

Some early studies have shown that restricting the dosage of psychedelic substances to avoid the hallucinogenic properties might have a positive impact on memory and work ethic. Here are the facts.

Dosing in Moderation

The nugget of information here lies in the dosage and the intended compound. Typical psychedelic drug users purchase mushrooms or LSD for a similar purpose for the trip. However, scientists question whether these substances could have a more helpful use.

Some of the papers currently available online involve using low doses of psychedelic drugs carrying psilocybin and the effects it could have on the mental state of a user. The amounts are small enough to avoid the typical psychedelic impacts of ingesting such a substance but substantial enough that other effects can be noticed.

What’s interesting when comparing both methods of substance ingesting is the intended versus desired effect. The significant difference between the standard dose and a microdose is the lack of a hallucinogenic experience with the latter while still keeping the euphoria and brain stimulation associated with psilocybin ingestion.

What is the Right Amount?

That last paragraph might have caught your attention. Perhaps you’ve had a psychedelic experience previously and didn’t care for the hallucinations but loved the calm and focus it provided. If you’d like to reproduce or even focus on that effect, you’ll need to know the correct dose to take.

Keep in mind that the effects might take longer to kick in, depending on the person. Metabolism and weight are facts to consider during consumption. But never make the mistake of assuming that you haven’t taken enough just because the effects are yet to kick in.

There are two major methods of ingestion, namely dried and fresh. Fresh mushroom truffles are recently harvested and ready for consumption. Dried truffles are crushed into a powder and bottled for the same purpose. The recommended amount for a microdose is 0.25-1 grams for fresh mushrooms and 0.1-0.3 grams for dried.

The recommended amount for dried is smaller because this method is known to have unpredictable concentrations. It depends on factors like the potency of the truffles the powder was prepared from, the processing method, and possibly storage. For more consistent effects, the fresh truffles are typically favored.

Desired Vs. Observed Effects

It is worth noting what you should expect after adhering to the recommended microdosing amounts. The intended effect is a jolt to the brain, slightly euphoric. Some studies have also shown an increase in concentration and productivity.

Many of these studies are still in the early stages, so there’s no telling what further effects ingesting psilocybin in this manner could have. But the results are looking encouraging thus far.

Conclusion

While the outcome is interesting, the current research is also fascinating. There’s still so much to learn about how proper microdosing can positively affect a user, and all the information you might need is readily available.