NEW ORLEANS —
The controversial trend of microdosing magic mushrooms is helping some local moms deal with anxiety, stress and depression. Psilocybin is illegal on the federal level, but some states are beginning to allow the legal and recreational use of it.
A local mom who doesn’t want to be identified said it has changed her life. She became a new mom four years ago and felt overwhelmed, stressed and depressed. So, she turned to a therapist who recommended microdosing. She takes 0.1 grams in capsule form, a dose so small it doesn’t get you high, but she says it makes you happy.
"I feel more relaxed you know. I was crying every day for, like, a month. But now I’m calmer and happier," she said.
Her husband is a doctor and is against the practice. He says there’s not enough research on the topic and the lack of data concerns him. But he is being supportive of his wife because he has a noticed a shift in her mood.
"Absolutely, she’s happy. But at the same time, I’m concerned because of the lack of knowledge on these types of things," he said.
Dr. Josh Woolley is the director of the Translational Psychedelic Research Program at the University of California San Francisco. He says that the few studies that have been conducted show that people who claim to feel happy may be experiencing a placebo effect.
"There are some risks though and keep in mind that you’re experiment on yourself a little bit. It hasn’t been studied much in what I would say in clinical trials," Woolley said.
Colorado and Oregon have decriminalized the use of magic mushrooms, and four other states have decriminalized it at the local level.
The controversial trend of microdosing is growing among young mothers
