Psycholytic dosing or 'microdosing' of Amanita muscaria (red fly agaric) mushrooms—A retrospective case study
PsyArXiv November 7, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/dve46 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A woman in her early thirties with depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders from childhood trauma |
| Duration | 3.5-month period |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Microdosing Amanita muscaria led to significant symptom reduction in a woman with complex trauma-related depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. |
Abstract
Following advice received in a dream, a woman in her early thirties, suffering from depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders caused by complex trauma in her childhood, experimented with 'microdosing' or psycholytic dosing of Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushrooms. During a 3.5-month period with an intuition-based, gradually declining dosing scheme, her symptoms significantly decreased. No adverse effects were observed. Hematological tests revealed no abnormalities but indicated a slight improvement in liver function, possibly due to the remission of addictive behavioral patterns related to sugar consumption and the hepatoprotective effect of muscimol. All findings were consistent with the current literature on this method.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microdosing psilocybin for chronic pain: a case series Individuals with chronic neuropathic pain | 2022 | Case series | n = 3 |
| Microdosing of Psychoactive Substances in Business Practice Business managers and creative professionals | 2021 | Case study | |
| Treatment of neuropathic pain with repeated low-dose MDMA: a case report. 64-year-old male with neuropathic pain after chemotherapy and traumatic life experiences | 2025 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Clinical improvement following an integrative iboga microdosing protocol in post-concussive and hypoxic brain injury syndromes: a case series Three individuals with persistent neurologic symptoms after traumatic brain injury or... | 2026 | Case series | n = 3 |
| The use of drug checking legislation to facilitate illicit drug consumption research: psychedelic microdosing as a case example People who microdose (PWM) in New Zealand | 2026 | Case study |
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- Optogenetic stimulation of infralimbic PFC reproduces ketamine’s rapid and sustained antidepressant actions Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 8, 2015
- Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing. Elife March 2, 2021
- Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) poisoning, case report and review. Toxicon June 1, 2005
- Fungal Hallucinogens Psilocin, Ibotenic Acid, and Muscimol Therapeutic Drug Monitoring July 12, 2013
- Lower-dose psycholytic therapy – A neglected approach Frontiers in Psychiatry December 2, 2022
and 12 more in the library