Microdosing Psilocybin

What is microdosing?

Microdosing is defined as the practice of administering very small quantities of a specific drug in order to test or benefit from its physiological action, while minimizing undesirable side effects. When microdosing psilocybin, it is typical for the consumer to ingest one-20th to one-tenth of a recreational dose.
This is heavily dependent on the individual's experience, as well as the strain selection. Individuals who practice microdosing don’t experience hallucinogenic highs, however they can stimulate or improve cognitive functions.

History & Origins of Microdosing

The history of microdosing psychoactive substances is somewhat blurry so it is difficult to state where exactly it originated. What we do know is that certain tribes, such as the Bwiti of Central Africa, have been practicing microdosing of psychoactive ingredients like the Ibogba root for centuries. Nonetheless, the modern understanding of psychoactive substances and microdosing can be attributed to Swiss chemist, Dr. Albert Hoffman. In 1938, he became the first known person to synthesize, ingest and learn of the psychedelic effects of LSD. Twenty years later he was also considered to be the first known person to isolate and synthesize the psychedelic compounds of mushroom and truffles in 1959: Psilocybin and Psilocin.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the mid 1960’s when psychedelic recreational use went through the roof. The psychedelic era, which was a time of social, musical, political and artistic change, was heavily influenced by the recreational use of psychedelic substances. This choice of psychedelic substance was mainly psilocybin or LSD. However, from the 70’s to early 21st century, microdosing had decreased in popularity and seemed to have stayed relatively underground. It wasn’t until 2010 – 2015 when microdosing emerged as an increasing trend again, especially amongst Silicon Valley developers. In Silicon Valley, microdosing was often referred to as the “productivity hack” because of its ability to improve cognitive functions, such as creativity and focus. It’s practicality and functionality has made microdosing the most practical and popular method of ingesting psychoactives.

Want to know more about the history of Psilocybin? Click here!

Protocols for Microdosing Psilocybin
Microdosing Psilocybin can be carried out according to a variety of protocols, and it is all dependent on what your actual goal is. These 6 different regiments are based off protocols suggested by two important individuals in the field of mycology, Dr. James Fadiman and Paul Stamets. Underneath, you will find an in-depth explanation of each protocol.

Fadiman Protocol

The Fadiman Protocol is considered to be the most popular and followed protocol. This was introduced by Dr James Fadiman in 2011 and it is considered to be a good starting point for beginners. This protocol uses 3 day cycles, which you have to repeat for a total of 4-8 weeks in order to see whether it is suitable for you. The exact schedule can be seen underneath

Day 1: Microdosing Day
Day 2: Transition Day
Day 3: Reflection Day
Day 4: Microdosing Day
Day 5: Continue Cycle

Once you have done this for 4-8 weeks it is important to have 2 – 4 weeks of rest before microdosing again. The only downfall of this is that the microdosing days change per week, so it can interfere with your day-to-day schedule.

2. ‘Two days a week’ Protocol

This protocol is also known as the fixed microdosing protocol because you choose 2 days on which you microdose and stick to this for 4-8 weeks

Day 1: Microdosing Day
Day 2: Transition Day
Day 3: Reflection Day
Day 4: Microdosing Day
Day 5: Continue Cycle

Once you have done this for 4-8 weeks it is important to have 2 – 4 weeks of rest before microdosing again.

3. ‘Every other day’ Protocol

This protocol was devised by the Microdosing Institute. This protocol consists of microdosing every other day. According to reports, this protocol has resulted in medical benefits for those suffering from depressive symptoms, social anxiety, ADD, migraines, cluster headaches, and a few other issues.

Day 1: Microdosing Day
Day 2: Transition Day
Day 3: Microdosing Day
Day 4: Transition Day

4. Intuitive Protocol

The purpose of this protocol is that the individual is able to decide which days they wish to microdose. However, it is important that you pause for at least one day between microdosing in order to avoid building up resistance to the psilocybin.

5. ‘Stacking Lion’s Mane’ Protocol

This protocol was developed and tested by legendary mycologist, Paul Stamets. This protocol, also known as stacking, consists of ingesting a low dose of psilocybin, a niacin flush and mushroom lion’s mane. According to Paul Stamets, this combination of substances has a positive lasting effect on the behaviour and growth of brain cells. Underneath you can find the varying schedules for this protocol

Week 1:

Day 1-4: Microdosing Day
Day 5-7: Resting or Lion’s Mane only

Week 2:

Day 1-4: Microdosing Day
Day 5-7: Resting or Lion’s Mane only

Follow these steps for 1 month and then take a 2-4 week break in order to reset the body and brain.

6. ‘Nightcap’ Protocol

Generally speaking, individuals who are microdosing tend to ingest the dosage every 2-3 days depending on the regiment. The idea behind this is that you have a day or two in order to transition and reflect on the effects of microdosing. Furthermore, the break in between microdosing days is meant to avoid individuals from building resistance to it. The most important thing is to choose the protocol that you think is most interesting or suitable for you, and stick to it.

Potential Benefits

No physiological addiction
Feelings of euphoria and heightened awareness
Increase productivity

Potential Risks

Can be psychologically addictive.
Relatively unknown side effects
Can be an emotionally painful or frightening experience.

Should I microdose truffles or mushrooms?
You may all be asking yourselves which of the two is best to microdose? Well there is no definite answer to it, but truffles are preferred by many consumers due to its Psilocybin quantity being lower. The other advantage of truffles, over other substances, is its legal/decriminalised status in the Netherlands. This makes it easier to cross paths with. If you would like to know more about the types of truffles offered for microdosing click here!