The science on microdosing hasn’t caught up with its popularity. [Graphic by Alisha Velji/the Charlatan] When Ki microdosed mushrooms for the first time four years ago, everything felt lighter and less stressful. She felt reassured.
“Like a muscle relaxant,” she said. “Things are just more pleasant. You don’t harp on things quite the same.”
Alongside traditional treatments for depression and anxiety, Ki turned to taking psychedelics at a low dose — otherwise known as microdosing — to help work through trauma. She said her friends and online forums recommended trying mushrooms.
“When I first went [to a dispensary], you fill out a form why you’re using it and I circled depression, anxiety and PTSD,” she said.
Despite the growing popularity of mushroom stores, most use and possession of psychedelics is illegal in Canada.
For confidentiality reasons, Ki’s full name is shortened in this article.
Ki is part of a rising number of people microdosing psychedelics in pursuit of mental health benefits. According to a U.S. study , in 2024 there was a 1,250 per cent increase in internet search history on microdosing, compared to 2015.
Yet, the science on microdosing hasn’t caught up with its popularity.
Omer Syed, a research assistant at the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science , said there is little to no scientific evidence that microdosing psychedelics, like mushrooms or LSD, has any effect.Currently, most scientific research is based on surveys, which Syed notes are subjective because people can self report outcomes. Surveys report overwhelmingly positive findings on microdosing, but few clinical trials have been conducted.When double-blind clinical trials are conducted, where neither the patient or researchers know which substance patients are receiving to reduce bias, there’s a lack of evidence that microdosing affects creativity, concentration or mental health.“A lot of people use microdosing for depression or anxiety or any clinical condition, but there’s not a lot of clinical trials in that area,” Syed said. “The most high value data is coming from double-blind clinical trials and these studies are lacking.” Searching for consensus The first challenge in microdose studies is that researchers haven’t agreed upon what amount officially constitutes a microdose.To Syed, “a […]
Is microdosing psychedelics the secret to better mental health — or is it just placebo?
