What dosage of magic mushrooms works best? Since the release of Netflix documentaries like Michael Pollan’s How to Change your Mind, more and more people have developed a real interest in psilocybin or psychedelic substances. However, dosing protocols are sometimes still vague, and the question of the right dose often comes up in conversations. The dosage of psilocybin depends on many factors, such as the theme to be explored, the physiology and sensitivity of the user, the desired effects, and the type of mushroom.
The amount of psilocybin in question
Before going further, it’s important to understand some fundamental concepts. First, it’s necessary to know that in the world of psychedelics, doses are referred to in terms of weight. But the weight of what? Magic mushrooms or psilocybin?
Finding the right measure
In fact, we always talk about the weight in truffles or mushrooms. So, if an article mentions a microdose of 1g, it’s indeed 1 gram of magic truffles. This is the simplest since truffles or mushrooms can be measured with a simple digital kitchen scale.
Conversely, the amount of pure psilocybin is seldom discussed. Indeed, molecular measurements require laboratory equipment that no one has. Nonetheless, it is possible that some articles mention a dosage of psilocybin in milligrams, referring to a theoretical approximation.
Variable effects
Finally, while it is possible to estimate the amount of psilocybin, this does not provide certainty about the effects. Because they depend essentially on the metabolism and sensitivity of the individual: each body has its own rules of assimilation.
Moreover, many external factors reduce or increase our receptivity. Depending on stress, diet, or location, the same person can take off with 5g of truffles and feel nothing the next time with 20g.
The different types of dosing
In terms of dosing, psilocybin encompasses 3 main categories: microdosing, medium dose, and strong or heroic dose.
Microdose: a gentle takeoff
Microdosing involves taking a very small amount of psilocybin for several consecutive days and alternating with rest periods.
This technique is often used as support for melancholy, as a creativity or energy booster. It has a notable advantage: it does not provoke any psychedelic or psychotropic effects and can therefore be integrated into daily life. Moreover, microdosing truffles does not require – in principle – any specific supervision. There are currently 2 popular methods: the Fadiman protocol and the Stamets Stack.
Mid-dose: noticeable psychedelic effects
The medium dose, between 5 and 10 g of psilocybin truffles, can already offer marked psychedelic effects. For some, the journey includes kaleidoscopic visions, hallucinations, reflection, and introspection.
Mid-dose can also be challenging with strong emotional stimulations. These justify the need for preparation and the support of a trusted, experienced person on site.
Strong and heroic dose: prioritize good supervision
From 20 g of magic truffles, one can speak of a strong dose. This is reserved for people surrounded by professionals or experienced individuals. It can provide strong sensations or powerful realizations. For example, a surge of love, a connection with nature, spiritual enlightenment, or revelations about one’s personal history (forgotten traumas).
To benefit from a potentially challenging experience, one would recommend a specific intention, thorough preparation, and rigorous integration.
Moreover, exceeding the “heroic dose” of 40 g is very rare, as no additional effects have been identified.
Fresh truffles dosing
The following table gives an idea of the effects one can expect depending on the consumed dose. Note, these informations are provided for guidance: effects vary from one person to another, and each journey is infinitely unique.
| Microdose | Mid-dose | High dose | |
| Quantity of fresh truffles | 0,5 to 1 g of truffles | 5 to 10 g of truffles | 20 to 40 g of truffles |
| Experience | Anyone, experienced or not. | People with an experienced setting. | Experienced individuals or those with professional supervision. |
| Psychedelic Effects | |||
| Euphoria | ❌ | 🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Color vision | ❌ | 🍄🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Visual or auditory hallucinations | ❌ | 🍄 🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Awareness | ❌ | 🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Detachment | ❌ | 🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Spiritual awakening | ❌ | ❌ | 🍄🍄 |
| Feeling of belonging / connection with the living | ❌ | ❌ | 🍄🍄 |
| Working on traumas | ❌ | ❌ | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Psychological Effects | |||
| Relaxation | 🍄 | 🍄🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Creativity | 🍄 | 🍄🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Mood | 🍄 | 🍄🍄 | 🍄🍄🍄 |
| Side effects | |||
| Nausea | 🍄 | 🍄 | 🍄 |
| Confusion | ❌ | 🍄 | 🍄 |
| Increased heart rate | ❌ | 🍄 | 🍄 |
| Challenging experience | ❌ | ❌ | 🍄 |
An individual experience
Psilocybin is like coffee, love, or music: everyone reacts differently, based on criteria that can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint.
Take the example of coffee. With just one coffee, some people can become overexcited, unable to sleep, while others can handle drinking 4 throughout the day without affecting their sleep. The effects of psilocybin are never predictable, and simply increasing doses doesn’t guarantee an extraordinary trip: on the contrary!
It can happen that one feels very strong things with 10g of truffles but becomes completely blocked at 20g. Therefore, it’s always preferable to start low and increase gradually.
Finding the right dose of truffles
Choosing the right dose of psilocybin is a very personal matter. The calculation is based on a set of 5 criteria:
- Experience with psychedelics;
- Emotional sensitivity, or to chemical and natural molecules;
- The ability to let go or to enter a trance;
- The desired effects/intensity;
- Age, state of fatigue, tiredness, or lack of sleep.
The first criterion, that of experience, is the most important: inexperienced people are advised to start with very small doses, unless they have a very qualified environment to supervise their experience. Indeed, participating in a retreat or the guidance of a facilitator are good options for entering the world of psychedelics serenely.
The booster dose technique
When dosing psilocybin, it’s therefore important to consider that an average quantity can become heroic for particularly receptive individuals.
During a psychedelic retreat in the Netherlands, we favor progressive ingestion. The ceremony takes place in two stages so that everyone can progress at their own pace. Participants first consume a medium dose. Then, depending on the effects and their receptivity, they can add a booster dose. If they feel ready, this opens the door to a deeper emotional and sensory exploration.
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Truffles dosage and bad trips
Properly dosing psilocybin is primarily a means of avoiding a bad trip. But with psilocybin, there’s no need for alarm. In fact, magic truffles and mushrooms tend to lead to challenging experiences rather than bad trips.
Moreover, there are certain psychological benefits to having a challenging experience. In most cases, it allows one to confront difficult emotions to work through and integrate them. The support of a trusted or experienced person can prevent a challenging experience from going out of control.
Dosage of truffles vs. mushrooms
As we have seen, mushrooms contain more psilocybin but are illegal almost everywhere in the world. Conversely, fresh magic truffles are legal in the Netherlands, and one can consume them without risk in Amsterdam or at a psilocybin retreat. This makes them easier to procure.
Beyond the legal aspect, the interest in truffles lies in the fact that they are easier to dose. Indeed, depending on the growing conditions, the same variety of mushrooms can vary in psilocybin content from one specimen to another. This is due to the more or less challenging growing conditions, which force the plant or mushroom to deploy more nutrients to face one difficulty or another.
However, for sclerotia (truffles), the proportion of psilocybin is relatively stable, as they do not have to adapt to growing conditions. Psilocybin truffles, therefore, offer a finer and more precise dosing than mushrooms.
Psilocybin dose equivalence
When calculating dosage, freshness is just as important as the type of mushroom. If you meet a psychedelics enthusiast, they will likely tell you they prefer fresh products. Don’t think it’s just a fanatic organic agriculture snob. There’s a more subtle reason!
Dried mushrooms are dehydrated to extract water. So, compared to fresh products, they theoretically have more psilocybin by weight. But it’s not that simple, as the dehydration process and time can alter the psilocybin.
The same phenomenon is known with fruits: a dried orange contains less vitamin C than an orange bought at the market or picked from the tree. And it’s particularly difficult to predict how much Vitamin C it will actually contain. The same applies to the mushroom kingdom.
Therefore, for the sake of accuracy, enthusiasts prefer to opt for freshness.
Truffle/mushroom correspondence
The following table provides the correspondence between different types of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the Psilocybe Cubensis branch.
As we’ve mentioned, it’s very difficult to give a real value for dehydrated products as they lose effectiveness over time. Note that this quantity is indicative and can vary depending on the specimen:
| Fresh truffle | Fresh mushroom | Dry mushroom | Indicative pure psilocybin | Comment |
| 1 g | 1.5 g | 0.15 g | 1 mg – 1.6 mg | No psychedelic effects |
| 5 g | 7.5 g | 0.75 g | 5 mg – 8 mg | Mild psychedelic effects possible |
| 10 g | 15 g | 1.5 g | 10 mg – 16 mg | Noticeable psychedelic effects |
| 20 g | 30 g | 3 g | 20 mg – 32 mg | Intense psychedelic experience |
| 40g | 60 g | 6 g | 40 mg – 64 mg | Intense psychedelic experience |
Research and Psilocybin Dosage
Since psilocybin was designated by the FDA as a breakthrough therapy (for depression, addiction, or anxiety), researchers have been interested in the ideal dosage. Finding the right balance and creating the best blend are significant challenges. Indeed, this allows for maximizing the potential effects of psilocybin on mental health.
3 studies offer contrasting results on creating a balanced dose.
A study on risks:
In 2022, a study conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, in partnership with COMPASS Pathways, concluded that psilocybin was safe for doses of 10 mg or 25 mg.
- This dose was administered to 60 individuals for therapeutic purposes.
- Additionally, 29 other participants received a placebo.
- All, whether they received psilocybin or the placebo, benefited from individual interviews conducted by qualified psychotherapists.
- After ingesting their dose, they were monitored for 6 to 8 hours and then followed for 3 months to assess certain changes.
At the end of this experience, no one requested to leave the protocol due to bothersome adverse effects. Moreover, no participant reported any lasting harmful effect regardless of their dose. Note that there are no psilocybin retreats in the UK, only clinical trials.
A study on weight and sex:
In 2021, a first study explored the influence of weight and sex on the necessary dose to experience psychedelic effects. However, the protocol used seems insufficient for drawing conclusions. Consider: by gathering archives of previous experiences (2001 to 2018), researchers selected several profiles whose body weight ranged from 49 to 113 kg, including women and men. Each had received between 20 mg and 30 mg of psilocybin, then filled out the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) at the time of their participation.
From this data, scientists compared responses to conclude that weight or sex did not influence psilocybin. Currently, this study does not confirm that they are truly without impact on the amount of psilocybin to be administered.
Online, there are testimonies from several users who follow an unproven rule. This has the advantage of caution:
- Below 50 kg: 50% of the dose.
- Between 50 and 70 kg: 75% of the dose.
- Above 70 kg: 100% of the dose.
A study on effects :
In 2023, another study demonstrated the benefits of a medium dose of magic truffles on people suffering from depression. 52 participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder were divided to receive either a single moderate dose (0.215 mg/kg of body weight) of psilocybin or a placebo in conjunction with psychological support.
Scientists assessed the mental state of the participants before and after taking magic mushrooms. For this, they used 2 diagnostic methods from the field of psychiatry: MARDS and BDI. The results indicate a substantial decrease in depression symptoms for the psilocybin group:
Participants who received a placebo recorded an average decrease of 4 points over the 14 days following intake. Those who actually received a dose of psilocybin reported an average decrease of 12 points over the same period.
[microdosing]FAQ on Magic Truffle Dosage
To choose your dose of psilocybin truffles, you must take into account the support and experience you have. Beginners without qualified surroundings should not try anything other than microdosing.
This depends on the individual’s profile and the location of the retreat. Psilocybin retreats in Oregon use dried mushrooms. In the Netherlands, they use fresh truffles. Each participant talks with their facilitator before and during the retreat to find the ideal dosage, matching their expectations and capabilities.
After a psilocybin retreat, people suffering from depression or anxiety sometimes wish to continue benefiting from the effects of magic truffles on mental health. In this case, they can start a Fadiman or Stamets microdosing protocol 8 to 10 days after the end of the depression retreat. This delay helps to avoid a habituation effect.
Regardless of the dose, psilocybin is not addictive. It really does not have much in common with narcotics like cocaine or heroin. Participants who have an intense experience do not feel a visceral need to take magic truffles again in the days following. Some may return several months or years later to continue their exploration, others never.
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