From Elon Musk to Mushroom Chocolate Paltrow and even suburban mums before the school run, microdosing shrooms has gone from a Burning Man fringe hobby to something like a mainstream lifestyle hack. And as more and more research reveals that psychedelics aren’t just “bizarre trips”, they might actually have unique health benefits, microdosing has become a popular way to get the most out of your mind-bending experience.

But there’s a lot we don’t know about mushroom microdosing, and the practice hasn’t been widely endorsed by the medical community. For one, mushrooms vary in potency, making it hard to regulate dosage or predict the effects based on the amount of drug consumed. Plus, consuming any kind of psychoactive substance can be potentially unsafe for some people, especially if they have a history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or a family history of mental illness.

The Psychedelic Renaissance: Microdosing Shrooms in the Modern Age

To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to follow safe consumption practices, a.k.a “harm reduction”. Having the right tools for sourcing and measuring your drugs is critical, and one of the most important things you can invest in is a digital food scale. Use the “Tare” function to negate the weight of your container or capsule, then add your standardized dose to achieve the correct measurement.

Another important factor to keep in mind is that many people who microdose psilocybin mushrooms, or any psychedelic drug for that matter, combine it with other natural plants that have healing properties such as lion’s mane or vitamin B3. These combinations enhance the therapeutic effects and help mitigate any potential negative side effects.