What is microdosing?
MINNEAPOLIS — Microdosing — it's a term that's being thrown around a lot these days. Some think it's a social thing, others, a medical thing.
So what is it?
Mushrooms are largely associated with the food, but some associate the word with Woodstock.
"People have been taking psychedelics a really long time. They became popular in the West in the 60s in the hippie counterculture movement and I think people were taking larger doses of LSD and magic mushrooms," said Jessica Nielson said.
Nielson is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota and a neuroscientist who chairs the state's new Psychedelic Medicine Task Force. She says one industry term is getting a lot of buzz: microdosing.
"It means you are just taking a much smaller version than what the intended dose would be," Nielson said.
Microdosing is also commonly associated with psychedelics like LSD and Psilocybin, which is in mushrooms.
"I think people should understand microdosing is probably similar to taking an SSRI," Nielson said. "Or medication you may take every day to help dampen symptoms — an antidepressant. An anti-depressant, I think, helps people function."
The research is inconclusive.
A study in Scientific Reports says microdosing psychedelics can show "small to medium-sized improvements in mood and mental health."
However a study from Translational Psychiatry notes no objective evidence of improvements in creativity, well-being and cognitive function.
"I think, scientifically, it has not been shown to be any better than a placebo effect. People who generally want to have some sort of healing experience generally do so with a macro dose," Nielson said.
She says the research on macrodosing shows potential for rewiring the brain in cases of PTSD and depression. But no matter the dose, all of these psychedelic drugs are technically illegal at the federal level.
There is a push in several states to allow psychedelics in a research setting. Nielson says the Psychedelic Medicine Task Force is hoping to create a bill this session.
