How Microdosing Mushrooms Became Trendy ...Middle East

Maggie* tried mushrooms for the first time when she was 19 or 20. She was in her college dorm room with friends, and everyone was inexperienced. "I took too much and thought that my hands had turned into spiders and were going to attack me," she tells PS, admitting she didn't try mushrooms again for 10 years.

Then, on a trip to Maryland with a few friends and new acquaintances who had done mushrooms more regularly, she had a very small dose and saw colors. Everything was vivid and beautiful, Maggie says.

Since then, she's tried smaller doses and found enjoyment and relief. "It's delightful nowadays; smaller doses are relaxing," she says. "You can plan what to do around that experience - music, film, nature, etc." The gallerist is now one of many people who are microdosing mushrooms. They contain a hallucinogen called psilocybin, which is currently illegal in most of the US.

According to a 2024 RAND Corporation report, about three percent of American adults, or roughly 8 million people, reported using psilocybin in the past year, making it the most popular hallucinogen in 2023. Notably, nearly half of these users indicated they had microdosed during their last use. A study published in JAMA Health Forum also revealed that internet searches related to microdosing have increased by approximately 1,250 percent since 2015, highlighting a substantial rise in public interest.

But what's behind the fungi frenzy? We asked Maggie and a few other shroom savants to weigh in.

So, Why Are So Many People Microdosing Mushrooms?

Microdosing psilocybin mushrooms - taking sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics - has become increasingly popular as people seek alternative approaches to managing mental health, enhancing creativity, and improving overall well-being. Research suggests that many individuals today are turning to microdosing to alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. But its usage actually goes back decades.

"Mushrooms have been used for healing, spiritual, and psychedelic properties by global indigenous cultures for thousands of years," says Mallory Huron, director of beauty and wellness at Future Snoops, a trend forecasting company. Whether to commune with higher powers, receive visions, experience spiritual cleaning, prepare for battle, or many other sacred rituals, psilocybin's psychedelic properties have been consistently enjoyed throughout human history.

Huron's point is echoed by Rob Grover and Gary Logan, founders of The Journeymen Collective, a luxury guided magic mushroom retreat. According to them, there are hundreds of different types of psychedelic mushrooms, with the most popular containing psilocybin.

That said, 37 percent of modern microdosing users primarily do so for performance enhancement - such as improving focus, energy, and productivity, according to a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. This study surveyed 1,116 individuals with experience in microdosing psychedelics, revealing that performance enhancement was the most common motivation among respondents.

Microdosing is still a very green area of research. According to Peter Grinspoon, MD, there's so far not a ton of research on the benefits of microdosing psilocybin, specifically. There is good data that the macrodosing of psychedelics can positively impact mood and creativity, though. While Dr. Grinspoon says the drug may be helpful with treatment-resistant depression and increasingly there's data suggesting that it might help with cluster headaches, OCD, alcoholism, and trauma-related disorders, research is ultimately pretty limited.

Microdosing is not without its risks, either. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, microdosing psilocybin can lead to insomnia, increased anxiety and depression, poor mood, low energy, physical discomfort, poor focus and cognitive functioning, and impaired social skills. Sometimes consumers can also experience "bad trips," involving extreme fear, confusion, or panic. Psilocybin, in any amount, is considered unsafe for people with certain conditions like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or severe forms of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.

What Does the Future of Microdosing Look Like?

As psilocybin therapy becomes more accepted and proves successful, Huron says it could open up the potential for other once-controversial healing methods to be studied and carefully incorporated into treatment plans. "We've seen ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA all gain attention for their powerful properties in a controlled setting, and we expect to see other controlled substances experimented with as well by the medical community," Huron says.

While it's hard to see a path where psilocybin has the same trajectory as THC-infused products simply due to its powerful effects, it's possible that one day microdosed psilocybin treatments could be more common. "A lot of these mushrooms are sourced from tropical and subtropical regions across South America, Mexico, and the United States," says Taryn Hoffman, senior strategist, beauty + wellness at Future Snoops. "Because more research is being done on their wellness benefits, they're becoming more accessible in some countries through medical prescriptions and wellness clinics."

Nowadays, Maggie enjoys mushrooms at least once a month; mushroom chocolates are her favorite farmer's market find. In a world burned out by stress, she finds the psychedelic outlet provides a deeper sense of focus, healing, and connection. With time, she hopes everyone can experience this euphoria in a calm, safe, and legal environment.

*We have altered the source's name to protect their identity.

Sara Radin is a writer and publicist based in Philadelphia. Her writing on internet trends, style, youth culture, mental health, wellness culture, and identity has been published by The New York Times, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Allure, PS, and many others.

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