Does Microdosing With Magic Mushrooms Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing?
Originally an underground practice, microdose champignon magique is the self-administration of small doses of psychoactive substances (usually in the form of psychedelics) that are intended to enhance mental health and wellbeing. It has emerged alongside the rise of interest in psychedelics in general, and many surveys of people who microdose report that they do so with mushrooms (in particular, psilocybin-containing ones).
Those who microdose often describe it as helping them to feel connected to themselves, other people and to nature, which can be seen as part of a spiritual or therapeutic process. They also report improvements in mood, emotional well-being and cognition. However, there are some concerns about the accuracy and consistency of these self-reports.
Unlocking Potential: How Magic Mushroom Microdosing Can Boost Creativity
A recent study by a Dutch team investigated whether microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms improved certain forms of thinking while monitoring participants’ brain activity. The researchers found that when psilocybin was consumed, resting state EEG power spectra showed decreased power in the theta range (4 to 8 Hz), and preserved Lempel-Ziv broadband signal complexity.
The study has a few flaws, including the fact that it was published as an unregistered preprint and didn’t have a control group of people who did not consume the mushrooms. Additionally, the researchers opted to use low doses of psilocybin, because higher doses can have negative effects on mental health, such as increased stress levels and even mimic schizophrenia phenotypes in animals. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting study that could help to further investigate the potential of psilocybin to improve mental health and cognition.
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