Mushroom Dosage Guide: Psilocybin Doses, Effects, & Safety
Magic mushrooms, also known as psychedelic mushrooms, or psilocybin mushrooms, have been used for centuries in traditional ceremonial practices for their mystical and mind-altering effects. Today, many people take magic mushrooms for their therapeutic and spiritual benefits, such as helping to ease anxiety and depression, enhancing wellbeing, and deepening one's self-awareness and sense of spiritual connection.
If you're interested in taking magic mushrooms, it's important to understand the different types of doses and the effects they can have. In this mushroom dosage guide, we'll explain microdosing, mesodosing, macrodosing, and megadosing.
What Are Magic Mushrooms?
Magic mushrooms are a type of fungi that contain psilocybin, a naturally occurring compound that produces psychedelic effects when ingested. There are many different species of magic mushrooms, but the most common species is Psilocybe cubensis. Magic mushrooms have been used for thousands of years by people across the globe and continue to be used today for various purposes, including ceremony and therapy.
Effects of Different Psilocybin Doses
The effects of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, can vary depending on the dosage. Lower doses, such as microdoses and mesodoses can produce mild effects such as enhanced creativity, mood and focus. Higher doses, such as macrodoses and megadoses can produce more intense psychedelic effects such as vivid hallucinations, altered perceptions of time and space, mystical experience and self-transcendence.
It is important to note that psilocybin content varies a lot from sample to sample within the same species, and between various species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
Dosage recommendations below are for cubensis. The panaeolus cyanescens strain is sometimes 2x stronger than cubensis, so know what strain you’re taking and carefully research your dosage to ensure an intentional experience.
Types of Mushroom Dosages
There are four main types of mushroom doses that people take: microdoses, mesodoses, macrodoses, and megadoses. Let's take a closer look at each type.
What is a Microdose?
A microdose is a sub-perceptual or very low dose of magic mushrooms that is typically between 0.1-0.5 grams of dried mushrooms or 0.5-2 grams of fresh mushrooms. Microdosing is becoming increasingly popular for its reported benefits in enhancing creativity, focus, mood and productivity. Many people report microdosing helps with decreasing anxiety and depressive symptoms, although some people report the opposite.
The subjective effects of a microdose are usually mild, and are often described as a subtle mood lift or a slight increase in energy. For these reasons, many people microdose to improve their wellbeing, deepen their creativity and increase their productivity.
Microdosing Considerations
To take a microdose, grind the dried mushrooms into a fine powder and weigh out the desired amount using a scale. Mix the mushroom powder back into a drink or food, such as tea or yogurt, and consume. Alternatively, you can simply eat the fresh mushrooms.
When considering taking any dose of mushrooms, it's essential to approach the experience with mindfulness and proper preparation. It's crucial to create a comfortable and safe environment, free of distractions and potential stressors, to foster a positive experience. Establish your intentions for microdosing mushrooms, whether it be for creativity, personal growth, or mental wellbeing, and maintain a journal to track your experiences and insights.
Lastly, adhere to a responsible microdosing schedule, with recommended breaks between doses, and consult with a healthcare professional if you have any existing medical conditions or concerns. Remember, it's crucial to prioritize safety and respect the substance, even when taking a low dose, such as a microdose.
Learn more about microdosing with our microdosing course.
What is a Mesodose?
A mesodose is a slightly higher dose than a microdose, typically between 0.5-1 grams of dried mushrooms. A mesodose will produce slightly more noticeable effects than a microdose, including increased energy, and creativity, with the possibility of some perception distortions and more abstract thoughts and imagination.
Mesodose Considerations
While microdosing mushrooms tends to be suitable for most activities due to its low potency, mesodosing has more noticeable effects, and as a result, it is better suited for some activities, such as creative pursuits, meditation practices, journalling, and yoga at home, rather than activities like going to work, being around lots of people, and having to respond to anything stressful.
It's also important to test out different dosages, as some people may find that a mesodose of around 1 gram of mushrooms tends to be quite strong and begins to feel like a macrodose.
What is a Macrodose?
A macrodose is typically between 1-5 grams of dried mushrooms or 10-15 grams of fresh mushrooms. It will reliably produce more intense psychedelic effects than a mesodose, such as vivid hallucinations, altered perceptions of time and space, increased introspection.
Macrodose Considerations
A macrodose (or medium dose) is commonly referred to as a psychedelic journey. To help you prepare for a journey, we recommend reading our preparation guide, where we explain the different effects and components of the experience in more detail.
What is a Megadose?
A megadose, high dose, or heroic dose according to the late Terence McKenna, of dried mushrooms is typically 5 or more grams of dried magic mushrooms or 15-30 grams of fresh. Megadoses can reliably produce extremely intense psychedelic effects, and are only recommended for experienced users. The subjective effects of a megadose include intensified effects of a macrodose, mystical type experience, feelings of unity with the universe or a higher power, and powerful closed eye visuals.
Larger doses of mushrooms can have strong visual effects
Megadose Considerations
Taking a megadose, or a heroic dose of mushrooms can be a profound and intense experience that is not suitable for everyone. In contrast to lower dosing amounts like microdoses or macrodoses, the following conditions are particularly important to ensure a safe and beneficial megadose experience:
Experienced user: A megadose should only be considered by individuals who have previous journeys with psychedelic substances and are familiar with their effects at lower dosages.
Mental health: Individuals with a history of mental health disorders, particularly psychotic disorders, should avoid taking a heroic dose due to the increased risk of adverse psychological reactions, unless you are well-prepared, understand the risks, and have done substantial amounts of work on yourself to prepare for such an experience.
Set and setting: A comfortable, familiar, and safe environment is essential for a positive experience. Plan the experience with ample time to relax, reflect, and recover, and ensure that there will be no interruptions or unexpected responsibilities.
Acceptance and surrender: Be prepared to let go and surrender to the experience, trusting in the process and allowing it to unfold naturally. If it feels like you are dying (which is common for heroic doses) let it happen. Many bad trips have occurred from trying to resist things that come up during a hero-dose experience.
Sitter: Having a sitter present, such as a trusted friend can ease the megadose journey by providing a sense of safety and support. We recommend learning more by reading our facilitation guide.
Integration: Integration matters more for high doses than any other dose amount. These are the types of trips that can take you completely out of your sense of what is "normal", and can result in extremely difficult processes of re-integration where many parts of life feel different, irrelevant, or totally different in meaning. It is recommended to take 1-2 days off of work after a high dose, so that you can spend time processing what happened and reconnecting with yourself without added stress or responsibility. Community is also an important aspect of integration.
Different Mushroom Strains
The diverse world of magic mushrooms encompasses numerous strains, each possessing unique characteristics that can produce varying effects and levels of psilocybin, the psychoactive compound responsible for inducing the psychedelic experience.
While Psilocybe cubensis is the most widely known and cultivated strain, other varieties such as Psilocybe azurescens, Psilocybe semilanceata, and Psilocybe cyanescens offer distinct potencies and profiles. The differing levels of psilocybin, as well as other alkaloids like psilocin and baeocystin, can result in a range of experiences, with some strains providing more intense visual hallucinations, while others induce deeper introspection or emotional shifts.
Factors such as growing conditions, cultivation techniques, and genetic variation also contribute to the distinct properties of each strain. Consequently, users seeking specific experiences or potencies should be aware of these differences when selecting magic mushrooms, while remaining mindful of the inherent unpredictability and individual variability inherent to psychedelic experiences.
Different Mushroom Parts
In our experience, different parts of the same species or strain of mushroom will not have different effects. However, different parts of the mushroom, such as the cap, might have higher concentrations of psilocybin content. For this reason it is recommended to blend up the whole mushroom into a fine powder for even distribution of the psilocybin content.
Finding Your Dosage
Finding the appropriate dosage for your magic mushroom experience is important for a safe and enjoyable experience. It's recommended that first-time psychedelic users start with a micro-dose and gradually work their way up to higher doses over time. Factors such as metabolism, mental health condition and previous experience with psychedelics can also influence the appropriate dosage.
You can measure out your mushroom dosage with a portable scale.
Effects of Bodyweight on Psychedelic Effects
Research from Johns Hopkins suggests that a person's bodyweight does not influence the effects of psilocybin.
Setting an Intention
Setting an intention before consuming any amount of mushrooms is of paramount importance to ensure a meaningful and beneficial experience. An intention acts as a compass, guiding you through the often unpredictable, introspective, and transformative journey that mushrooms can initiate. By establishing a clear purpose, you can anchor yourself in your desired goals, allowing you to maintain focus and navigate the ebb and flow of emotions and thoughts that may arise.
This practice can be positive experiences that ultimately lead to profound personal growth, enhanced self-awareness, and a greater understanding of one's place in the world. By emphasizing intentionality, you can maximize the potential of your mushroom experience for healing, self-discovery, and spiritual exploration, while minimizing the risk of a negative or disorienting trip.
Learn more about setting intentions by reading our preparation guide.
Mushrooms can greatly enhance our perception of the beauty of nature, even at small doses
The Ideal Conditions for Each Type of Mushroom Dosage
The ideal conditions for each type of mushroom dosage can vary, but in our experience and research we've found that certain dosages of magic mushroom are better for certain scenarios.
Microdosing
Given its sub or low-perceptual effects, microdosing is suitable for most conditions. Many people microdose while working, being in nature, and exercising, while remaining comfortable in public or professional settings.
Mesodosing
Mesodosing's psychological effects tend to be strong enough that most people prefer to do it at home, or in social settings where they feel relaxed and comfortable with the people around them. People with anxiety may find mesodosing less comfortable than microdosing.
Macrodosing
Macrodosing is best suited for private environments, such as being at home or in secluded natural areas. Macrodosing should generally be done with a guide or trusted friend, especially when getting towards a high dose of 2 grams or more. The same applies for mega doses.
Other Considerations for Journeys
For all dosages over the microdose, it is best to have access to a quiet and comfortable setting with a trusted sitter or friend to help guide the experience. It's important to consider factors such as the temperature and lighting conditions, noise, comfort, as well as the potential for unexpected interruptions.
Clinical Trial Results & Doses
Recent scientific research and clinical trials have shown promising results for the use of psilocybin in the treatment of mental health conditions such as major depression, and anxiety. Studies conducted at Johns Hopkins University and other institutions have shown that even a single dose of psilocybin can produce significant improvements in mood and quality of life for patients with major depressive disorder.
For clinical trials researching the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of major depression, a dose of 25mg of psilocybin, equivalent to approximately 2.5 grams of dried magic mushrooms, has been shown to be effective in reducing clinical depression scores. This dose is being used in other clinical trials, but more research is warranted before we can say for sure what an "optimal dose" is for treating depression and other disorders.
Mental Health
The potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for mental health conditions are still being researched, but there is evidence to suggest that it may be a valuable tool for treating conditions such as depression and anxiety when used in conjunction with therapeutic practices.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Studies are being conducted for the use of psilocybin in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but no significant results have been released yet. The subjective effects of psilocybin, such as increased introspection and emotional openness, may help individuals with PTSD process traumatic experiences in a therapeutic setting. Generally, these studies use macro or heroic doses of psilocybin mushrooms.
Depression & Anxiety
Promising research suggests that psilocybin can be effective in treating both depression and anxiety. However, almost all of the clinical trials on psychedelics have not yet reached stage 3 or 4, where several thousand study participants across multiple locations are given the treatment. Furthermore, there is risk involved and a number of important protocols should be followed if you are using mushrooms to treat any severe mental illness or symptoms. You can read more about that here.
Psilocybin is considered a “breakthrough therapy”, but mushrooms remain largely illegal.
Despite the promising results of recent clinical trials, magic mushrooms remain largely illegal in many parts of the world. However, the designation of psilocybin as a "breakthrough therapy" by the FDA suggests that it may become more widely available as a treatment option for mental illness in the future. It is our hope that as research continues to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of taking magic mushrooms, and other psychedelics, drug policy will become more progressive.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the appropriate dosage of magic mushrooms depends on various factors such as the goals of your experience, your metabolism and sensitivity to substances, how much food you've recently eaten, and previous experience with psychedelic mushrooms and other psychedelics used. It's suggested to start with a micro-dose and gradually work your way up to higher doses over time.
If you would like to learn more about the safe and effective use of psychedelics, you can check out our homepage to discover more. We provide a wealth of resources and information on a variety of topics related to psychedelic use, including microdosing, macrodosing, preparation, integration, and healing.
Remember, it's important to prioritize your own safety and well-being when it comes to using psychedelics. Always do your research, take appropriate precautions, and approach the psychedelic experience with an open and curious mindset.
