The Mythology Behind Microdosing

Microdose psychedelics has become particularly popular thanks to boosting performance in high-pressure occupations like software coding. Individuals who suffer from psychological state conditions starting from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to depression have reported fewer symptoms and improved moods after taking crumb-sized portions of psychedelic substances.

However, few scientific studies are conducted into the effectiveness of the practice under controlled circumstances. The little data available has usually been from personal accounts or what’s also referred to as anecdotal evidence within the scientific community.

What Exactly is Microdosing?
Science considers microdosing the practice of taking mind-altering substances like LSD and psilocybin-containing mushrooms (Magic Mushrooms) in far lower dosages than needed to supply their psychedelic effects. Normally about 5 percent of the quantity is typically consumed by narcotic users.

Prohibition Stymies Research
Most of the work that has been wiped out in this area has focused on the advantages of giving patients full doses of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana, and therefore the results have often been extremely promising.

However, this research was placed on hold for about 40 years when the substances being studied were prohibited.

A resurgence of scientific interest in using these substances to enhance health has prompted lawmakers to permit marijuana to be used for medical purposes. Furthermore, it’s the utilization of psychedelics to treat psychiatric conditions that have garnered the main interest.

This is because the secrets of the human brain remain largely mysterious to science, which has made developing effective treatments for conditions that afflict many many people around the world extremely challenging.

Encouraging Results Prompt Further Research
Scientists have discovered that full doses of LSD and psilocybin mushrooms appear to be effective treatments for alcohol and tobacco dependency, mood disorders, and PTSD.

This, alongside anecdotal evidence that means smaller doses of those substances could have similar positive effects, has prompted researchers to require a better look. The challenge for scientists is that much of the available evidence comes from online communities.

This means the individuals providing the info are uncontrolled and will be vulnerable to confirmation bias, which a bent to favor, interpret, and recall information in a manner that confirms one’s values and beliefs.

Despite these caveats, the first results do appear to merit further study.

Scientists are particularly curious about the practice because it could provide the health benefits of full doses of psychedelic substances without the long-term consequences.

University of Toronto Study
One of the foremost widely read studies into the effectiveness of microdosing in clinical studies was published within the “Harm Reduction Journal” by researchers from the University of Toronto in July 2019.

The research team selected 278 subjects to participate in the study after sending questionnaires to individuals who had posted about their experiences online.

Most of the themes were members of the Reddit community, and therefore the study focused exclusively on the results of taking micro-sized amounts of LSD and psilocybin.

The subjects were questioned about their psychological state challenges and their experiences taking small amounts of psychedelic substances.

They were then asked to supply three advantages and three disadvantages:

The most common reported benefits were improved mood, higher energy levels, and greater creativity.

The leading drawbacks were psychological discomfort, impaired mood, and reduced focus.

Dutch Study
Scientists must understand how small doses of drugs like LSD and psilocybin affect the brain if they’re to develop new and effective treatments for depression and other psychological state conditions.

It is widely believed that these substances improve cognitive flexibility by targeting serotonin receptors.

To put this theory to the test, a team of researchers studied the consequences of consuming psychedelic truffles during an occasion hosted by the Dutch Psychedelic Society.

The researchers did this by asking 38 volunteers to finish an image concept task to measure their thinking and an alternate uses task to assess their out-of-the-box thinking.

They found that performance in both tests improved significantly after the truffles were consumed.

The researchers concluded that consuming psychedelic truffles appeared to improve creativity while having no noticeable effect on fluid intelligence.

The study results were published in August 2018 within the journal of the ECU Behavioural Pharmacology Society.

UK Study
In previous placebo-controlled studies in 2019, the UK-based think-tank and NGO Beckley Foundation conducted testing to research LSD’s potential therapeutic applications.

The Beckley/Maastricht Programme investigated the short-term effects of small doses of LSD on cognitive functions, mood, and pain tolerance.

The study demonstrated for the primary time within the lab the advantages of taking crumb-sized portions of LSD.

The Beckley Foundation’s pioneering work could lead to acid becoming a possible effective treatment for various conditions that include chronic pain, mood-affective disorders, brain rehabilitation, age-related cognitive decline, and mild cognitive impairment.

The Foundation has already started initiating further research projects that explore these potential applications.

The Possible Danger
While microdose individuals don’t consume enough LSD or psilocybin to experience an altered state, there are still concerns that taking even small amounts of those substances for prolonged periods could lead to health complications.

LSD is understood to elevate vital signs and lift heart rates, which concerns medical professionals –as drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that are commonly taken for conditions like anxiety and depression have similar side effects.

The substances have also been known to trigger psychotic episodes in individuals predisposed to manic depression or schizophrenia.

The continuing prohibition of psychedelic substances presents scientists with another challenge.

To explain, participants in most of the first studies purchased the substances they consumed illegally.

Since street drugs aren’t regulated, this suggests purity and potency can’t be established with any degree of certainty.

Lastly, most of the long-term effects have largely been unstudied; thus, they’re unknown.

Aside from build up a tolerance, there could also be other benefits or risks that we aren’t conscious of yet.

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Ground-breaking New Frontiers
The general scientific consensus on taking minuscule amounts of hallucinogens could best be described as cautiously optimistic, but even strong advocates concede that much more work has got to be done before any firm conclusions are often drawn.

The stigma surrounding psychedelic substances should be addressed, resulting in research conducted that uses larger controlled subject groups given both pharmaceutically pure psychedelic substances and placebos.

That being said, the research community isn’t resting on its laurels, and global research on the trend of taking teeny tiny doses of hallucinogens is, in fact, exponentially growing.

Regulatory approvals over a previous couple of decades gave thanks to hallucinogen testing trials that are currently underway.

What’s also interesting is that the websites for associations like MAPS and Psychedelic Support describe how people can participate in MDMA and psilocybin pilot clinical studies, while UC Berkeley announced this year that they’re making $1.25 million in capital from an anonymous donor to create the Science of Psychedelics in new UC Berkeley Center.

The Center will conduct research using hallucinogens to research emotion, cognition, and perception and their biological origins within the brain.

Exciting stuff!