Magic mushroom microdosing

Contraindications for mushroom microdosing

• Age under 21 years

• Pregnancy

• Breastfeeding period

• Mixing microdoses with alcohol and any drugs

• Microdosing in parallel with the use of antidepressants, tranquilizers

• Rehabilitation period after injury and/or surgery

• Chronic heart problems (arrhythmia, tachycardia, brachycardia, sinus rhythm disorder, heart failure and others).

• During exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases (ulcers, ulcerative colitis, acute gastritis, intestinal obstruction, intestinal adhesions, etc.)

• In states of acute stress or panic attack

• Diagnosed mental illness

• For fun

Possible positive effects of microdosing

• Empathy to the people around and nature. The person becomes more social, open, easier to make contact and communicate with people.

• Reduction of aggression, irritability, fears, obsessions. Release from feelings of anxiety, danger, inevitability, guilt.

• Person begins to notice the beauty around yourself.

• Increased productivity of the brain, creativity and design thinking.

• Energy effect, improved mood and vitality that lasts 6-10 hours after intake. Followed by a pleasant relaxation is felt in the muscles and brain (but not drowsiness).

• Increased balance, strength, focus when doing sports.

• Giving up bad habits (alcohol particularly). People note that they begin to see the absurdity in their addictions and give them up easily.

• Eating behavior is normalized. Lack of overeating, excessive appetite. Preference for a healthy and balanced diet.

• Improvement of cognitive functions: memory, speech, communication skills, ability to concentrate, ability to recognize objects (by sight, hearing, touch, ability to make purposeful movements).

• Improved quality of sleep and pleasant dreams.

• Assistance in self-discovery and hidden talents disclosure.

• Establishing balance and harmony within yourself.

Once you've experienced the beauty of at least 1 or 2 of the above items, there's a chance and temptation to start taking bigger dosage and/or more often.

• DO NOT take microdose every day!

• DO NOT increase your microdose during the whole microdosing course!

  "More" and "more often" leads to a limbo state (feeling like "neither here nor there" — between the start of a trip and sober state). It have a stimulating effect on your brain. As a result, you'll get the opposite effect: drop in energy, fatigue, decreased concentration, cognitive deterioration.

Mushroom microdosing schedule

There are 2 protocols for microdosing: Fadiman protocol and Paul Stamets protocol

Fadiman Protocol for microdosing

Fadiman protocol considered as a standard practice of microdosing.

Microdoses should be taken 1 time in 3 days, i.e. take a microdose 1 day and skip 2 days. This break is important since even on a low dose your body can still build up a tolerance. Hence, you can loose all positive effects of microdosing.

Stamets Protocol for microdosing

The Stamets Protocol differs in two main aspects: schedule and combining the psilocybin mushroom with other components.

Starting with the Stamets schedule a person takes their microdose for the first 4 days of the week. Then the other 3 days are a tolerance break.

Days 1-4: Dose days --> Days 5-7: No dose days --> Repeat

The second difference of Stamets protocol is taking dried magic mushrooms (or pure psilocybin) in combination with Lion’s Mane mushroom microdosing and Niacin (vitamin B3 aka nicotinic acid).

Lion's Mane works as natural nootropic. Supports cognitive performance, memory, nerve and immunity systems. The dosage 5 to 20 grams of fresh or 50 to 200 milligrams of extract. Stamets notes that Lion’s Mane mycelium instead of the mushroom fruiting body, may be most beneficial for microdosing. Lion's Mane is totally legal mushroom and available for purchase or home cultivation.

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Niacin (vitamin B3) is one of many essential B-complex vitamins. The quantity recommended in the Stamets protocol is 100-200mg up to 500mg. Higher dosages can provoke unwanted side effects. Niacin supports nervous system, digestive system, metabolism and skin.

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Niacin (B3), 500mg, 220 Caps - $19.99

Duration of microdosing course

It is recommended to start with 1 month microdosing course and after that have from 2 weeks to 1 month break.

Due to individual feelings this course can be repeated for 1-3 more cycles.

Do NOT take microdoses daily and do not increase your microdose! It won't be a microdose, it will be a stimulation.
Therefore, a decrease in energy, concentration, and cognitive abilities may be occurring.

Some adjustments can be made to the microdose schedule, e.g. every other day or every 4-5 days. Adjustment can be due to the physical and psychological condition of the patient.

When to take a microdose

Take mushrooms only in the morning, because they activate the cerebral cortex. Evening intake may cause problems with sleep.

Eating (breakfast) not earlier than 1-2 hours after taking the microdose.

How to determine your individual microdose

A microdose is the maximum dose of psilocybin mushrooms, when taken without any change in consciousness or perception (including visual, sound, taste, smell, or tactile sensations).

Individual microdose depends on many factors: your tolerance to psilocybin, metabolism, hormonal background, the variety of mushrooms and their storage time. But it does not depend on your body weight.

Before the course, you should calibrate your individual mushroom dose.

To do this, grind in a Coffee Grinder a small portion (about 3-5 or 10 grams) of dried psilocybin mushrooms.

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Use Medical or Jewelry scales to know the exact dose.

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In the morning on an empty stomach, take 0.3g of mushroom powder with water. A clean gastrointestinal tract will allow you to immediately calibrate the necessary dose and determine tolerance.

How to determine the ideal microdose? It should not cause any changes in perception and consciousness. If you feel any side effects (dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, visual effects, fractals, color spots, amplification of sounds, changes in tactile sensations), then at each subsequent intake reduce the portion with 0.05 g step until these effects disappear.

Decrease scheme: 0.3 > 0.25 > 0.2 > 0.15 > 0.1 > 0.05

Decrease the dose until the effects or side effects are gone at all!

For example, if at 0.3g you have any unusual sensations, decrease the next microdose and take 0.25g two days after the first dose. If at 0.25g you have also mushroom effects, decrease the microdose to 0.2g and so on.

If you don't feel any changes with 0.3g, you can go with the microdose increase scheme. Increase by 0.05 g until you feel any effects. As soon as you feel changes in sensation, then the microdose should be lowered by 0.05 g. When increasing the microdose stop at the dosage which there is no change of senses.

Increase scheme: 0.3 > 0.35 > 0.4 > 0.45 > 0.5 > 0.55

Individual microdose can be as low as 0.05 g and sometimes as high as 0.8 g.

The microdose which doesn't cause any change in consciousness or perception at all is considered an individual dose for you and it shouldn't change until the end of the course. This dosage is calibrated only for this portion of mushrooms (this bag, this strain, this species).

For your next bag of mushrooms, new crop and new strain of mushrooms, you will have to calibrate your microdose again. Because the psilocybin content will vary.

Effects to look out for

• 1-1.5 hours after taking a microdose you may have soft stools. It often occurs if your diet is dominated by low-quality food (fast food, semi-finished products, canned foods, sausages, etc.). Don't worry, it's okay! In such way mushrooms purifies your body. This is a sign to pay attention to the quality of food in your diet.

• In the first month of taking microdoses, there is a possible "entry syndrome" that occurs 15-30 minutes after taking the microdose. Nausea, cold sensation, salivation, gastrointestinal cramps, dizziness, headache. These conditions are not observed in everyone and disappear quickly within 15-30 minutes.

• No dilation of the pupils is observed with microdoses. The person is fully functional without any changes or abnormalities.

• With microdosing there is no risk of a "bad trip" or strong psychedelic effects cannot be controlled. Microdosing is the ideal way to get a safe and comfortable introduction to the world of psychedelics.

When microdosing should be stopped

• If "entry syndrome" (nausea, feeling cold, salivation, gastrointestinal cramps, dizziness, headache) lasts longer (1 hour or more) during the first 1-2 weeks of microdosing.

• If the "entry syndrome" doesn't disappear and isn't reduced after 1-2 weeks of microdosing.

• Decrease of energy and general activity, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, headache, increase/decrease of blood pressure during the days of taking microdoses.

• Decreased cognitive functions.

• Any negative effects of the body (physical and psycho-emotional).

How much mushrooms needed for microdosing course

From 0.5g to 8g (3 grams on average) of dried mushrooms will be enough for 1 month of microdosing course.

How to prepare mushrooms for microdosing

Mushrooms should be dried thoroughly until they crisp like chips. Also, you can use an electric dehydrator at low power (temperature up to 122°F or +50°C).

You can check details on mushroom drying and storage and consumption in the

Recommended guide: How to Dry and Store mushrooms properly

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Or use an oven (temperature up to 122°F or +50°C). Or simply wrap the mushrooms in parchment paper and place them on a warm radiator for 1-2 days.

If mushrooms are not dry enough, then you won't be able to grind them evenly in a coffee grinder to prepare microdoses!

You can store dried mushrooms in zip-bags, vacuum bags or in glass jars with tightly closed lids. For convenience Shroomok recommend to divide all mushrooms into 5-10g portions.

Store in a cool and dark place or in the refrigerator. When stored properly, mushrooms fully retain their properties for up to 2 years. After 2 years, they are okay as well, just loose psychoactive potency over the years.

How to make mushroom microdoses

For convenience, you can fill in empty Vegetarian or Gelatin capsules to prepare your individual Capsules for microdosing.

If you don't like mushroom taste you can make Mushroom Chocolates. However, there is also a minus in mushroom chocolate: it does not allow you to measure the required microdose in each candy accurately, because the chocolate is not uniform. This method is great for preparing shrooms for trip.

Microdosing tips

• Grinding the mushrooms in a coffee grinder gives a homogeneous mass and allows you to average the content of psilocybin in the total mass of mushrooms. Because each single mushroom, mushroom stem or cap can contain a different concentration of psilocybin. By taking stem, or cap, or abortion, or small whole mushroom you will take a different dose of psilocybin all the time. Grinded mushrooms have more stable psilocybin concentration and you can calibrate precisely your mushroom dose for system microdosing course.

• The most convenient way to take it is to prepare Mushroom Capsules for Microdosing.

• It is better to take the very first microdose on a day off, so that you'll have more control of your sensations. In case you need to go to the toilet or have "entry syndrome", you can not hurry anywhere, and take time for yourself and your sensations.

• Don't drive a car on the first day of taking microdosing.

• Keep a microdosing diary where you can make notes about all your sensations (physical and psycho-emotional) and note any changes in the quality of your life on a daily basis (mood, activity, reactions, emotions, etc.)

Afterwords

Microdosing is a responsible process that should be approached with proper preparation and awareness. First of all, answer to yourself "Why do I need microdosing?"

Listen to your feelings and track them in your diary. Stick to your individual dose throughout the entire microdosing course and follow the schedule.

Ask questions and share your experience in comments below or on Forum.

If you find this guide helpful you can 🍄 Buy Shroomok a mushroom as a donation and say something nice!

Take care!