What is microdosing?
Microdosing is the practice of ingesting very small amounts of a psychedelic substance. Microdosers report increased productivity, lowered anxiety and stress, and a feeling of living in the present. Microdosing uses psychedelics to enhance normal, every day activities while staying in complete control of your ego and the nature of reality.
Microdose protocols
When it comes to microdosing, various protocols have been developed by experts in this field to guide “best practice” in terms of microdosing schedules – exactly how much of a psychedelic to take, in what form, and when.
Having a schedule is important because it is not recommended to microdose every day, or continuously, with no plan in place. One of the reasons is because the effects of a microdose can last for two or three days – “the afterglow” – making it unnecessary, redundant even, to microdose daily.
Continual microdosing results in a tolerance buildup to the given substance, making it less effective. Without an effect, there is no reason to put external substances into your body. At the end of the day, it’s good to be able to objectively compare how you feel during the “on” days (the day you microdose) as opposed to “off” days (the third day of the cycle, before your next “on” day).
The Fadiman Protocol
Developed by Dr. James Fadiman, this protocol was initially developed for research purposes and is now widely followed by the microdose community. In this approach, users microdose once every three days over the course of a full month. The protocol suggests taking smaller microdoses initially in the first two weeks, then increasing the dose through the next couple of weeks.
Is there any special time of day for microdosing?
Fadiman advises taking each microdose before 10 a.m – “taking it later may make it harder to fall asleep.” After the month, people may continue to microdose periodically instead of habitually, on an “as-needed” basis. For example, when seeking to reduce anxiety or increase focus in the run-up to a big exam.
The Stamets Protocol
Paul Stamets is one of the most reputed mycologists in the world. He has written six books on mushrooms, delivered an eye-opening TED Talk, and created a different protocol from Fadiman’s advising a dosing protocol of five days on, two days off; again so as not to build up too high of a tolerance.
The Stamets Protocol revolves around a specific blend of substances which he developed – Niacin, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, and Psilocybin. This is very similar to our Elevate Blend. Stamets calls this “the stacking formula for epigenetic neurogenesis”.
Custom protocols
To be clear, it should be mentioned that neither Stamets’ nor Fadiman’s protocol is unchangable – microdosing affects different people in different ways and, ultimately, a microdoser should figure out what kind of microdosing pattern works best for them, based on ongoing observation. It’s all about introspection! Find out what is working for you.
The best intention to take with these protocols is primarily to avoid the scenario of microdosing too often, which is both unnecessary and contradictory to the very nature of microdosing. It’s also important not to have too much, per individual dose.
In general, each microdose is just 1/10 to 1/20 of a “normal” dose or 10 to 20 micrograms. Wired has some usual figures here. Always seek out advice on dosage amounts from a trusted source if you are not sure how much to ingest.
The bottom line: listen to your body
Especially if you are new to the process, it’s worthwhile following a protocol such as fadiman’s or stamets’. However, you also must monitor your body’s reactions to the microdosing and make adjustments accordingly.
As Dr. Jingshu Zhu related to microdosing.nl, “I first followed Dr. James Fadiman’s suggestion … however, as my body is quite small (50kg, 158 cm) and very sensitive, my sweet spot was lower than average (less than 0.1g dried truffles, or 0.3g fresh ones), and the 2-day gap was sometimes too short for me. It’s very important to listen to your body and customize the dosage and frequency accordingly.”
Beginners to microdosing
If you have never tried any psychedelics before, or if substances tend to have strong effects on you, then you are in this category. Beginners to psychedelics should always follow the golden rule of start low and go slow.
For beginners to microdosing, start at the lowest dose. If you are microdosing with magic mushroom blends, start with one of our house Faded blends, and choose the 50 mg dose. 50 mg is, also, one twentieth of a gram. Once we pass a gram, we exit microdose territory.
Microdosing with magic mushrooms
Our magic mushroom blends combine psilocybe cubensis mushrooms (magic mushrooms, shrooms) with herbal adaptagens that assist in tailoring the experience with other effects. for example, the elevate blends combines golden teachers psilocybe with lion’s mane mushrooms, a powerful natural tool for clarity and mental focus.
Here are our mushroom microdose blends to choose from
The magic mushroom tea method
If you sometimes get an upset stomach when taking magic mushrooms, the first thing to understand is that is completely normal! Many people have trouble digesting the raw mushroom material smoothly, which can result in nausea, general discomfort or mild to severe anxiety. For this reason, many shroom users have turned to the age-old practice of making tea from raw mushrooms. Many people love this process, and by offering pre-made shroom teas with specific doses, you can accurately dose your journey in an easier way than ever.
Even better, Sage Teas offers two different strain choices, the more potent Penis Envy strain and the microdose standard, Golden Teachers. For the best microdose journey, choose the 500 mg dose of golden teachers. A half gram is definitely a higher end of microdosing, but depending on your tolerance it might be perfect for you! Remember with shroom tea, the effects may come on a little faster and wane quicker, as you don’t have to digest any raw material before absorbing the psilocybin / psilocin into your bloodstream.
Check out the options for shroom tea
Microdosing LSD
If you are looking to microdose with LSD, check out our Osmosis microdose products. Each of these products is in line with the others; one drop, one mint, one tab are all 5 micrograms each. That means starting with just one (1) unit from any Osmosis product will equal 5 micrograms (one twentieth of a “full dose”).
Check out our Osmosis LSD microdose products
Dosing guide
Microdose: 0.1 grams – 1 gram
The point of the microdose is to ingest the substance and garner positive effects, but not to actually “trip out” or feel the effects in any noticeable way. Users report mental clarity, focus, a sense of well-being, and a sense of calm and connectedness to nature. At the higher end of this spectrum you will start to feel the space around you, lights may be brighter, sounds sharper, and slight visual distortions.
Threshold Dose: 1 gram – 4 grams
The Threshold Dose is just that – it’s the threshold between you and everything else, the doorway between reality and the beyond. For some users, you will enter the threshold dose around a gram (1 gram), for others (higher body fat index, more experienced users) it is closer to 3 or 3.5 grams. At this dose you can expect noticeable visual distortions, kaleidoscopic patterns and a feeling that everything is connected. You may find yourself asking basic life questions full of wonder, or staring at regular parts of nature like you are seeing them for the first time.
Hero Dose: 4 grams – 7 grams
Higher doses are often best experienced with the assistance of a sitter. A sitter is a friend, family member or, ideally, a psychedelic therapist, that will be with you through the entire journey. The most important part is they are not using substances, they are your anchor to sober reality if you should require assistance working through anything. At the Hero Dose level, things start to get really wild. You may experience full ego death, an intimate bond with nature and the cosmos, a renewed appreciation for beauty of life, and serious (sometimes overwhelming) visual fractals.
God Dose: 7 grams +
The same precautions apply to the God Dose as the Hero Dose. God Doses are not recommended unless you are with a sitter. Ideally, you have some experience with high doses of psychedelics before attempting this… we want to make sure you stay safe out there! At the God Dose level users experience total ego death, potentially even temporary depersonalization disorder. Be sure to stay safe at this high dose.