Microdosing psilocybin mushrooms has become the next big health “craze”... You could say people are going crazy for microdosing! With some of the reported benefits like freedom from anxiety and depression, and an increase in creativity, productivity and focus, it’s no wonder this is the next big (little...) thing!
To meet the demand, companies are popping up left, right and center. So how can you choose the best mushroom microdose product?
Well, when it comes to choosing a product, it’s good to view microdosing the same you would with any supplement. What’s your desired outcome?
For example, if your desired outcome is simply recreational use, you may find that taking plain psilocybin mushrooms without any other ingredients will do the trick. However, if you are microdosing for depression or anxiety, then a blend of psilocybin mushroom with reishi and lion's mane will likely yield a more favorable result.
Before we go further, let’s quickly define some terms that we will be using in this post:
Medicinal Mushrooms - These include non-psychedelic mushrooms like reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps and chaga. They are highly medicinal and have been used safely for 1,000s of years. They are commonly used in psilocybin microdose formulas, as well as non-psychedelic over-the-counter supplements.
Psilocybin Mushrooms - These are the psychedelic type of mushrooms.
Extracts - These are ready to consume extract powders of medicinal mushrooms (reishi, lion’s mane, etc…).
Here are some common microdosing blends you may find companies using, or that you may find on the interwebs…
The Stamets’ Stack
This blend was developed by the famous mycologist, Paul Stamets. It contains psilocybin, lion’s mane, and Niacin (Vitamin B3). This blend was especially formulated for nervous system support. Lion’s mane is added to the formula for its neuroprotective and neurorestorative functions. Niacin is added to “drive” the lion’s mane and psilocybin deeper into the nervous system. If you’ve ever taken Niacin, you may be familiar with the “Niacin Flush”. This is an effect where you experience a flush of red on the skin with an itching or burning sensation. It generally lasts for about 20 minutes and is harmless. This “flushing” experience also happens on a more subtle level in the nervous system (don’t worry! You won’t experience an itchy or burning nervous system...). The result? It opens your nerves and allows the other compounds to be “driven” in deeper.
Adaptogen Mushroom Blend
Adaptogens are herbs or fungi that have a “dual directional” effect. For example, reishi mushroom is known to regulate the immune system - boosting it if it’s underactive, or down-regulating it if it’s over active. Commonly blended into psilocybin microdose formulas are lion’s mane and reishi mushroom extracts. Together, these make a great combination. Lion’s mane regenerates and protects nervous tissue, while reishi calms the nerves and harmonizes the heart and cardiovascular system. People may add other medicinal mushrooms to their microdoses like turkey tail, chaga, and cordyceps.
Our Majik Micro Blend
This is our specially formulated blend. It includes phycocyanin (e3 live blue majik), lion’s mane 8:1 extract, reishi 10:1 extract, cacao and monoatomic gold. Phycocyanin acts similar to Niacin. It drives the psilocybin deeper in the nervous system. Phycocyanin also has a cooling (calming) effect on the nervous system. Lion’s mane regenerates and protects nervous tissue, while reishi calms the nerves and harmonizes the heart and cardiovascular system. Cacao is added for its heart opening effects. Monatomic Gold Is a Powerful Electrical Conductor to Help with Physical and Mental Energy, composed of single gold atoms. Monoatomic gold potentiates and enhances the effects of the other ingredients. We use only the highest quality organic ingredients.
Cacao Microdose Drink
One of our favorite ways to microdose is to make a cacao elixir with honey/maple syrup, coconut milk, raw cacao, psilocybin, and medicinal mushrooms like reishi and lion's mane. It’s a great kickstart to the day! Or an afternoon pick me up…
These are just a few examples of different formulations. Most microdoses on the market include medicinal mushrooms like reishi and lion's mane. Unfortunately a lot of the medicinal mushroom extracts available are ineffective and lack potency.
Why Medicinal Mushroom Extracts Are Not Always All They’re Cracked Up To Be...
First let's talk about extracts.
For a mushroom like reishi or lions mane to be effective it needs to be brewed into a tea or made into a tincture (or both!). Simply powdering the mushroom will yield little to no benefits. This is because the medicinal compounds present need a solvent (alcohol tincture) or hot water (tea) to be extracted and absorbed by the human body. Without a tea or tincture, all the medicinal compounds are “locked” away.
So, an extract is a process where the mushroom has been made into a tea or tincture and then processed through a high-tech machine… And it is spit out magically in a fully absorbable powder form!
Some powdered extracts are 1:1 ratios, and others are as high as 10:1 ratios. A 1:1 extract means every gram of mushroom extract is equal to a gram of raw mushroom. This is fairly low especially when taken in capsule form. A 10:1 extract however means that every 1g of extract is equal to 10g of raw mushroom… Now we’re talkin’!
As you can imagine, 1:1 extracts are considerably cheaper than 10:1 extracts. Unfortunately, we have found many microdose products contain 1:1 extracts, which make for a cheap production cost, and good marketing… But a far less superior product.
But even if a company is using high extracts, quality is still more important than quantity…
The amount of active compounds in the extract is just as (or more…) important as the concentration. Active compounds = the healing properties. Many companies mix starch (like rice starch) in with their extracts to increase weight - but of course this considerably reduces the potency. Furthermore, many companies will simply use the mycelium (root system) of the mushroom, rather than the fruiting body (the mushroom itself). Mycelium has little to no active compounds relative to the fruiting body.
Not to mention some poor quality extracts may contain heavy metals and pesticides!
That’s why we only use 10:1 extracts in all of our products - so you get the most for your money. Not only do we use 10:1 extracts, but we source extracts made purely from the fruiting body of mushrooms, with the highest concentration of active compounds available. No fillers, no starch, no mycelium. Just pure medicinal mushroom goodness.
So What Blend Is Right For You?
Many of the effects like increases in focus, productivity and creativity, as well as reduction in anxiety and depression, are offered by psilocybin microdoses. This is true whether it is combined in a formulation or not. However, combining other ingredients (like in our Majik Micro Blend…) beyond “just” psilocybin tends to yield stronger and more desirable results. It’s kind of like a healthy diet - the more variety the healthier the effects. In fact, combining certain foods will “unlock” nutrients in the other foods. For example eating spinach with lemon will unlock the iron in the spinach. This is also true when combining psilocybin with medicinal mushrooms and other “superfoods”/supplements.
The amazing thing about medicinal mushrooms like Reishi and Lion’s Mane is that they are health promoting and adaptogenic. This means whether you are unwell, or you are healthy, they will offer benefits to your body, mind and spirit. They are known to benefit those suffering from depression and anxiety. They are also known to increase focus and productivity in healthy individuals. That’s why our favorite microdosing formulations always include them.
Just make sure the microdose product that you are formulating, or that you are purchasing, comes from a reputable and high quality source. Otherwise you may notice lackluster results...
