Why is Microdosing Mushrooms All the Rage Right Now?

microdosing mushrooms

Mushrooms these days aren’t limited to pizzas and vegan food.

From Silicon Valley to Hollywood, stressed out tech engineers, moms, and anxiety-ridden people have been microdosing with mushrooms to help make life a little bit more bearable. And when you consider its popularity, surely it has to work, right? Even therapists, celebrities, artists, and many kinds of professionals are turning to this natural medicine.

But why microdose?

Though the use of mushrooms as a psychedelic drug, and for its physical as well as mental healing properties, dates back to 9000 BC when they were used by indigenous cultures in Africa, it wasn’t until the 50’s when magic mushroom consumption made its way to the west. A mycologist, or mushroom researcher by the name of R Gordon Wasson went to Mexico to learn more about these incredible fungi back in 1955.

He met a shaman working with the Mazatec tribe in Oaxaca, Mexico and he was able to witness how mushrooms were used in ritual ceremonies. He wrote about his findings in Life magazine, which was read by Timothy Leary, the most renowned proponent of LSD and other psychotropic drugs. Leary then started experimenting with mushrooms in Harvard University, and from then on it was linked to the hippie movement. But because of the war on drugs, the benefits of magic mushrooms were quashed and seen as taboo – in the same way marijuana was.

Fast forward to current times, and more people are discovering the value not just of magic mushrooms, but in taking such tiny amounts of the drug. Instead of going on a full-blown journey, microdosing magic mushrooms enables the user to experience a heightened sense of creativity and clarity while assisting with anxiety and depression. Many busy professionals and artists turn to it to help make them more productive and creative, but the rest of us can all benefit from its mental benefits as well. Besides, who isn’t suffering from anxiety and depression these days?

Last month, an article also came out documenting how moms were microdosing mushrooms and they said it helped make them better at motherhood. Natalie said that she consumes a 100mg pill of magic mushrooms once she wakes up, then meditates before waking up her daughter.

“I had a lot of rage where I wanted to hurt my baby. Sometimes she wouldn’t stop crying, and I just had so much anger inside of me that I was afraid for her, which caused me to want to kill myself because I was afraid that I was going to hurt my kid,” she said. But microdosing has helped her face the challenges of motherhood while being more calm.

The anecdotal evidence we have today says that microdosing magic mushrooms can help people treat a wide range of conditions, from stress, anxiety, depression to even addiction and severe chronic illness.

Tons of money is being poured into deeply studying the impacts of magic mushrooms on people today, and we are reaping the benefits. But the research is still fairly new, and the studies available are limited. Despite that, it’s hard to ignore the benefits when numerous people already describe how it’s been a tremendous help.

In an international survey conducted, 79% of respondents verified that their mental health has improved after they microdosed. “To date, most quantitative microdosing studies have excluded people with a history of mental illness, have not reported microdosing motivations, and no study has examined the sociodemographic and other correlates of microdosing as mental health and substance use therapies, nor the sociodemographic and other correlates of perceived improvements in mental health that people attribute to microdosing,” explains Toby Lea, the study author.

“Respondents who had been microdosing for a longer duration were also more likely to be motivated to microdose for mental health. This may suggest that microdosing is working for these people, and that they are continuing to microdose as an ongoing therapy to replace or supplement psychiatric medications, some with the knowledge of their doctor and/or psychotherapist,” says Leah and his team.

So how much is a microdose of magic mushrooms?

Your preferred dose of magic mushrooms may be different from mine, since we need to take into account factors such as weight, height, and body chemistry. It affects everyone differently, just like weed. But generally speaking, around .1 to .5 of dried magic mushrooms should do the trick.

When microdosing this amount, one should still be able to be productive and feel good without that feeling of getting too high. Common effects of a full-blown mushroom trip include hallucinations, laughing hard, and wobbly legs. But when this amount is small enough you can actually feel more energized mentally and physically, though it’s also easy to notice how easy anxiety leaves the building. It helps you have such a great day without doing much, you’re more forgiving of others and yourself, and maybe you just love everyone else around you more.

How to microdose

If you’re ready to give mushrooms a try, there are a few things to keep in mind. For one, don’t mix it with other drugs, not even alcohol. Psychedelics are powerful and they are extremely therapeutic, but mixing them with other substances is never a good idea. Ideally, on the day you microdose, you aren’t even taking any stimulants including coffee.

Do it outside of work hours, and be in a place where you can relax, though being in nature is recommended. If you want to start microdosing mushrooms for therapy, supervision by a professional is always ideal.