Common questions about Psychedelics
Is microdosing psilocybin safe?
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance produced by psilocybin mushrooms, also called ‘magic’ mushrooms. With the modern revival of psychedelic research, psilocybin is being investigated for its therapeutic potential as a treatment to help psychological disorders such as depression and post traumatic stress disorder.
Magic truffles are often dubbed the safest “recreational” drug to take, with those who take them reported to be the most sensible and well prepared, according to the 2017 Global Drug Survey.
Can I microdose if I have never tried Psychedelics?
It is important to understand that microdosing does not mean getting high nor does it induce a 'trip', proper microdosing should be subperceptional. Hence if you don't feel ready yet to experience a psychedelic experience, but you’d like to get the benefits of substances such as psilocybin then microdosing is your best option.
What happens in the brain on psilocybin?
Modern neuroscience has demonstrated that psychedelics such a psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, operate to significantly reduce activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN). This reduction in DMN activity functions as a kind of ‘rebooting’ of the brain, and is thought to be linked to one of the most enduring therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances.
Researchers have studied the default network mode for decades now. It’s a group of brain regions (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and the inferior parietal lobule) that are important for our survival.
Due to psychedelics’ ability to disrupt the activity of the DMN, they have a particularly strong therapeutic potential when it comes to changing negative thought patterns. For example, a study by Imperial College London assessed the impact of psilocybin-assisted therapy on twelve patients with severe depression. Results demonstrated that psilocybin-assisted therapy was able to dramatically reduce their depression scores for a period of up to three months.
Can you really calculate dosage from body weight?
A dose of psilocybin is subjective, and is relative from individual to individual.
More and more websites are promoting the idea that it is possible to calculate your dose based on your body-weight. But is it really so?
Very recent studies on psilocybin microdosing suggest that basing your dosage entirely on body weight might not be the most efficient way of dosing psilocibin.
The study shows that when given a fixed standard dosage, the subjective experience of the participants did not significantly change based on weight, sex or age. As such, calculating a dosage from body weight is likely completely inefficient and might result in lighter people taking too little for a full trip.
First medical uses of psilocybin
In the 1950s a group of pioneering psychiatrists showed that hallucinogenic drugs had therapeutic potential, but the research was halted as part of the backlash against the hippy counterculture.
In August 1960, Timothy Leary conducted a self-experiment using psilocybin mushrooms. After trying pure, extracted psilocybin, he and Dr. Richard Alpert tested whether it could help reduce recidivism rate and constitute an effective psychotherapy aid.
Illicit experimentation continued over the following decades, partly inspired by the mystical writings of Aldous Huxley, and a vigorous subculture sprang up surrounding hallucinogens in the 1960s.
What’s the difference between mushrooms and truffles?
It is commonly assumed that truffles are a totally different organism than mushrooms, but this is not the case at all.
Some species have different options of developing themselves depending on the conditions of their environment.
Generally mushrooms prefer to grow above the surface in their characteristic umbrella shape. But under certain conditions the mushroom will form a truffel under the ground instead.
