Harvard Health looks at the increasingly popular trend of taking small amounts of potent psychedelic drugs—a practice known as microdosing—in order to purportedly enhance one’s creativity, concentration, and mood, among other claims. The trend has become popular amid growing interest in psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin which initial studies show has the potential to effect long-lasting improvements in the mental health of patients suffering from anxiety, PTSD, and treatment-resistant depression. Microdosing means taking a fraction of a regular dose that causes one to hallucinate, believing that this smaller amount—the exact dosage isn’t clear, as the potency of magic mushrooms can vary—can provide benefits without the risks of tripping, which can be traumatic. Yet even as more and more proponents tout microdosing, the scientific evidence is scant. In fact, there’s little research showing that this approach is either safe or effective. Some studies indicate a real benefit, whereas others are much less convincing and show little or no improvement in well-being and cognitive function. Studies that do show some improvement support the hypothesis that the effect people receive from these drugs is mostly an expectancy effect, and suggest that one needs to consume a higher dosage for any therapeutic benefit. These are powerful substances that hold much potential but can also cause considerable damage to patients, and require more study and regulation before becoming mainstream treatment tools.
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