As people search for ways to improve their mental and physical health, microdosing psilocybin has gained popularity as a solution. This practice involves taking small, sub-perceptual doses of the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms. While microdosing is still considered controversial by some, there is insurmountable evidence growing that it can offer a range of benefits, including reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline, improving neuroplasticity, and promoting longevity of health both in the mind and body.
A microdose of a psychedelic is a 1/10 to a 1/20 of an amount one would take, if they were taking a recreational, or transformational does.
James Fadiman – The Remarkable results of microdosing
What is Microdosing Psilocybin?
Microdosing psilocybin involves taking small doses of the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms over a period of time. Unlike larger doses, which can cause profound alterations in consciousness, microdoses are intended to be subtle and barely perceptible.
The recommended dose for microdosing psilocybin is around one-tenth to one-twentieth of a typical recreational dose, or around 0.1 to 0.5 grams of dried mushrooms. However, individual tolerance levels can vary widely, so it is important to start with a low dose and gradually increase over time.
Benefits of Microdosing Psilocybin
One of the most promising benefits of microdosing psilocybin is its potential to reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Studies have shown that psilocybin can increase the growth of new neurons and strengthen existing neural connections, which can improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Microdosing psilocybin has also been shown to increase neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and change in response to new experiences. This can improve learning and memory, as well as enhance creativity and problem-solving skills.
In addition, microdosing psilocybin has been reported to improve mood, reduce anxiety and depression, and increase feelings of empathy and connectedness. These effects can be particularly beneficial for people who struggle with mental health issues or who are seeking greater emotional wellbeing.
Protocols for Microdosing Psilocybin
While there is no single protocol for microdosing psilocybin, there are some general guidelines that can be followed to ensure safe and effective use. It is recommended to start with a low dose and gradually increase over time, monitoring the effects and adjusting the dose as needed.
It is also important to use a reliable source of psilocybin, such as dried mushrooms or capsules, and to avoid using other substances that could interact with psilocybin, such as alcohol or prescription medications.
Some people choose to follow a specific schedule for microdosing, such as taking a dose every other day or every three days. Others prefer to take microdoses as needed, depending on their mood and level of stress. Here are some examples of what you could try:
Fadimans Protocol as described below
1 capsule of 10 or 20 micrograms every 3 days
Sample Schedule for the week:
Day 1: Dose
Day 2-3: No Dose
Day 4: Dose
Day 5-6: No Dose
Day 7: Dose
Stamets Protocol
1 capsule of 10 or 20 micrograms 4 days on, 3 days off
Sample Schedule for the week:
Day 1 – 4: Dose
Day 5 – 7: no dose
Performance Based Protocol
Every Other Day
Sample Schedule for the week:
Day 1, 3, 5, 7: Dose
Day 2, 4, 6: No Dose
The Remarkable Results of Microdosing
James Fadiman is one of the modern godfathers of Psychedelics on earth. In this video he describes the results him and his team received from thousands of participants and it is remarkable.
“There is no science yet, just worldwide use”
James Fadiman – The Remarkable results of microdosing
What Fadiman says is, we are simply rediscovering this, as our ancient ancestors had been using very low doses of dmt based substances to increases stamina, visual acuity and focus levels.
- 10:37: Fadiman introduces the study
- 11:20: Protocol suggested by Fadiman, which is now the Fadiman protocol, which is 1 microdose every 3 days.
- Impact Study on effects of Microdosing – Observed
- 12:03: Academic Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Party Anxiety reduction
- 12:13: Aspergers, more ease in social situations
- 12:38: Bipolar, mood elevation during the depression, not recommended during manic phase
- 13:10: Creativity, coding machine design ‘improvement’
- 13:25: Concussion are often alleviated with microdosing
- 13:38: Decreased their use of coffee, cigarettes, adderall, anti-depressents, (he makes a clear point that it is important to taper off any hard pharmaceutical medication or other hard substances.)
- 14:15: Reduces ‘ice-pick’ headaches
- 14:12: “In general when people are microdosing, they improve their health habits. Food choices, exercise, yoga and meditation.” The changes in habits are not occurring due to will-power, yet it seems to be an effect of the microdosing across the board.
- 15:46: Learning – Languages, advanced maths, a lot of participants said they were much better able to focus in class.
- 16:18: Menstrual Periods, positive impacts on troubling emotional or physical PMS. Improvements from horrible to normal bneing reported.
- 16:38: Physical skills, musical instruments, drumming, composition, flying a plane improvements
- 16:50: Microdosing seems to decrease the triggering of trauma
- 16:57: Improvements in procrastination
- 17:16: Some participants improved their stuttering
- 17:22: Writers block reduced
- 17:46: Improvements at work and “more comfortable with those ‘awful people’ at work.”
- 19:15: In general, anti depressants tend to make negative emotions go down – which means you are much better able to stand being unhappy – Microdosing work differently it makes you less unhappy and more happy.
- 21:50: Shingles – A participant from Namibia who was in extreme pain from shingles. According to his report, 45 minutes after taking the mushrooms he was out of pain. According to his colleague, she had come across two other women who cured their pain of their shingles.
- 23:40: People who shouldn’t microdose – People with red, green colour blindness – tracers are a light source that traces your eye movement when taking regular psychedelics. People with Red Green colour blindness had tracers for days, thus why they dropped out of the study.
Macrodosing vs Microdosing
At 6 minutes 33 seconds of the Joe Rogan Podcast, Stamet discusses a study with mice, in which the use of microdosing created a more positive effect on PTSD and Trauma then Macrodosing.
“So the idea is you microdose (way) below the level of intoxication but then it benefits neurogenesis”
Paul Stamets – The Benefits of Microdosing mushrooms
“The evidence we have so far, is it looks like neurogenic benefits of microdosing are greater then the neurogenic benefits of macrodosing – If you flood the receptors and you’re having this incredible trip thats fantastic… it’s life changing, yes, that is still beneficial for changing your life, but over weeks of regeneration of nerves with microdosing, instead of flooding and overwhelming the senses, its feeding the receptors which is allowing for neurogenisis.”
Epigenetic Neurogenesis
Stamets says this is only a hypothesis, although there is enough study already completed on Microdosing that shows incredible implications that microdosing increases you’re neuroplasticity and shows it has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer properties, making it a potential treatment for a variety of diseases.
As the following video discusses in detail the following:
- At 7 minutes 20, Stamets starts discussing the benefits of mycelium for both the bee species as well as human beings – this was so powerful that an article was solely dedicated to this here.
- At 10 minutes 35 seconds, Stamets discusses the Antiviral properties mycelium have proven in the bee population to strengthen the immune system and its implications for humans.
- At 22.47 mushroomconferences.com was shown to access hundreds of journals and pieces of literature on mycology, psilocybin and mycelium.
- 25:16 Stamets discuss the ‘Stoned Ape Hypothesis’
- 27:11, it shows the enhanced neural pathways while on psilocybin compared to placebo.
- 28.50 JHU applied in 1999 to study the Clinical Relevance of Psilocybin and Published the findings in 2006 with patients who attributed this study to be one most of the spiritual significant experiences of their lives. He talks about a 2017 study on 480,000 prisoners surveyed, and out of them, if a prisoner has one experience with psilocybin there is a 27% decreased odds of larceny and theft, a 22% decreased odds for property crime and an 18% decreased odds for violent crime.
- 31.05 Psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression as a “reset” therapeutic mechanism is proposed to reset the default mechanism in the mind.
- 32.00 Proposing to remove Mycelium from Schedule 1 to Schedule 4, due to the low potential for abuse.
- 34.15 Epigenetic Neurogenisis – competitive disadvantage if not microdosing. Less prone to anger, more successful and calmer effects.
- 35.17 Double blind control placebo study showed when the individuals went off the lions mane, their progression toward dementia then restarted. The use of Lions Mane staved off the natural progression toward dementia.
- 35.50 Lions mane mushrooms remove amyloid plaques on neurons in Alzheimers patients. The amyloid plaques interfere with neuro transmission and cause remyalanation.
- 39.30 Stamet describes a study where mice were, somewhat unceremoniously tortured for the good of mankind. They were shocked after a tone was played, and after a number of shocks, like maslows dogs, the PTSD would have them cowering whilst hearing the tone, expecting a shock. After macrodosing psilocybin, it took them 10 cycles of the noise, without the shock, to diminish the PTSD response, where on microdosing, amazingly, they only required two cycles, demonstrating that microdosing could be more impactful than macrodosing. You can read more about this here.
Participate in the Microdose.me study
Once you download the Microdose.me app from Quantified Citezin at microdose.me. You will be given only a set of words as your password if you are to forget your pincode. This is the same as your Blockchain wallet if you’re aware.
This is so your data remains anonymous no matter if there is a data breach.
Psychedelics, Microdosing & Alzheimers
In the following video Brainfacts.org describes how Psychedelics can treat Alzheimers disease. The one that disrupts the communication between neurons and causes cell death in the areas of in memory attention and learning. This is caused by the build up of hamrful proteins called neurofribulary tangles and amaloid beta which leave the brain to turn up its defence system, creating inflation and pressure on the brain.
A way to ease this inflammation is to switching on a special receptor called the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. In a healthy brain, there are high concentrations of the serotonin 2A receptors in regions most vulnerable to alzheimers, like the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus. Activating the 2A receptors, particularly in these parts of the brain will reduce inflammation, and that is exactly what Psilocybin has been shown to do in patients across the world.
Conclusion
Microdosing psilocybin is a practice that is gaining popularity as people seek new ways to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. While there is still much to learn about the effects of psilocybin on the brain and body, this research demonstrates that microdosing can offer a range of benefits, including reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline, improving neuroplasticity, and promoting emotional wellbeing.
And for those who are open to exploring new avenues for self-improvement, microdosing psilocybin will offer a promising path toward greater health and longevity.
If you are concerned about cognitive decline, dementia or alzheimers, speak to a local specialist, or reach out to our team to see if we can point you in the right direction to start your microdosing journey for your local jurisdiction.
