Psychedelic microdosing could be more beneficial for improving mood and attention than previously thought, according to a new preliminary study.
“About 9 years ago, I heard about microdosing, and followed up since the information I was told was so different from higher dose reports. I have been involved in psychedelic research on and off for 50 years,” said James Fadiman, the study’s lead author.
A team of researchers at Sofia University in California recruited over 1,000 participants from numerous countries to microdose once every three days for a month. Participants were instructed to fill out evaluations of their emotional well-being and journals of experiences.
Based on the findings, participants reported an increase in positive emotions, fewer headaches, and improved social interactions. Microdosing also boosted productivity and focus.
“Participant reports suggested that spaced but repeated microdoses were followed by improvements in negative moods, especially depression, and increases in positive moods. Increased energy, improved work effectiveness, and improved health habits were observed in clinical and non-clinical populations,” the findings say.
“Smaller samples described alleviation of symptoms in migraine headaches, pre-menstrual syndromes, traumatic brain injury, shingles, and other conditions not previously associated with psychedelic use.”
“Microdosing has none of the classic exciting effects of psychedelics, is safer, and many people all over the world report taking these low doses to be beneficial,” said Fadiman.
The findings were detailed in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
