Many people are turning to microdosing—taking very small amounts of substances like psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms)—to improve their daily lives. Some users report feeling better mentally, more creative, or even less dependent on other substances. This review looked at 3,262 reports from adults who used these tiny doses.
While some studies did suggest improvements in areas like well-being and cognition, the researchers found a lot of hurdles in the data. Most of the evidence was based on people reporting their own feelings rather than strict clinical tests. Because different people used different amounts and methods, it is hard to say for sure what causes these effects.
Safety reports were mostly positive, with few studies noting any problems at all. When issues were reported, they were usually mild. However, because the current evidence is of low certainty, experts say we need more controlled trials with standard dosing before we can know if microdosing truly works for mental health.
