How to Microdose Amanita Muscaria

Journal Contents:

• Intro
• Right Product
• How much to Take
• What time of day
• With or Without Food?
• How Often?
  
• For how long?
• What to Expect in First Month
• What are the long term benefits?
• Tips
• FAQs

Last updated: May 2025

Looking for the full deep-dive? Read the Complete Guide to Microdosing Amanita Muscaria →

Intro

Like psychedelics, Amanita muscaria (Amanita for short) can also be microdosed. In fact, it may be the best way to consume Amanita as the side effects with taking large, "trip" doses can be unpleasant. In contrast, microdosing Amanita gives people confidence, an uplift in mood, focus, and better sleep, all with little to no side effects.

For some, Amanita may even be a better teacher (medicine) than psychedelics. Those who tend to have anxiety, trouble sleeping or low self esteem may prefer microdosing Amanita. Plus Amanita seems to uplift people with a gentle, warm energy over the more "buzzy" or "swimmy" energy that comes with psychedelics.  

Though you may think microdosing is the same no matter the substance, this is not the case when we look at Amanita. The amount, time of day, and frequency are all unique to microdosing Amanita muscaria.

So to help you on your journey, I've written out a short guide below. 

Step 1: Make Sure You Have the Right Product

Before anything else, the form of Amanita you’re working with matters enormously.

Decarboxylated capsules or extract: The safest and most consistent starting point. The ibotenic acid has already been converted to muscimol, so the effects are predictable and the mushroom is easy on your stomach. This is what Luminita makes, and it’s where I recommend everyone begin.

Dried whole mushroom caps: Can work, but potency varies wildly between caps (sometimes by up to 5x) so you much grind and then mix together different mushrooms. They are also more likely to cause nausea and irritability if not fully decarboxylated, so it's not recommended for beginners.

Raw mushroom: Never consume raw. Ibotenic acid at raw-mushroom concentrations can cause nausea, confusion, and disorientation. Always work with dried and decarboxylated Amanita.

Read: What is decarboxylation and why does it matter?

Step 2: How Much to Take

Generally, people see benefits when they microdose 0.25g - 1.0g* of decarboxylated Amanita mushroom daily. 

This is the sweet spot where you won’t feel any major psychoactive effects, but will notice subtle changes in your day to day life that will add up to huge improvements in your mood and outlook on life.

Amanita works by quieting the ego mind and connecting you with your true self, your inner spirit. This allows you to hear the wisdom and guidance of your soul, in the form of intuition. Your "I am presence" always knows the best possible decision to make and is always in a state of peace and acceptance of the universe. 

Read: "How Does Amanita Work in the Mind?"

Because of this understanding, you can see that microdosing amanita is like a dial.

• Take too much and you would disconnect yourself from your human, ego form. This is why hero doses of this mushroom send you into the astral realm (the place your soul goes during rest).
• Take too little and your ego is still in control of the ship and you won't have any shift in consciousness.
• Take just the right amount, and you feel present, at peace and connected to your intuition while still being able to interact with physical reality.

Keep in mind that everyone's perfect dose is different. Some people are more sensitive to substances than others. Your best bet is to try a low dose for a few days and then increase the amount if you aren't noticing effects.

*Note: When Amanita muscaria is decarboxylated into a tea or extract, the final weight is often different from the original dried weight. To stay consistent, the Amanita community uses the original dried mushroom weight to determine dosing.

Also Note: Some people microdose non-decarboxylated Amanita, and though it's a slight risk due to the ibotenic acid present in the mushroom, many people have done so successfully. If you decide to do this, you may need to increase your dose to 0.5-2g daily to see the same benefits as decarboxylated products.

Read: "Why decarboxylate Amanita muscaria"

How do I know if I am taking the correct dose?

You know you have found your perfect dose when you feel an uplift in mood but do not notice any psychoactive effects.

• Mood feels lighter and more stable
• Easier to focus or to let go of anxious thoughts
• Mental chatterbox quiets down
• Social ease, warmth, or sense of humor shows up more naturally
• Sleep is deeper (if taken in the evening)

• Changes in visual perception
• Brain fog the next morning
• Insomnia
• Irritability or emotional flatness
• Fatigue or lack of motivation

• No noticeable shift after 5–7 days
• Mental chatterbox unchanged
• No change in mood or sleep

Step 3: What Time of Day

What's unique about Amanita is the effects are totally polar, depending on when you consume it in the day.

Morning (recommended for most beginners)

Evening

Taken 30–60 minutes before you want to wind down:

• Relaxation and a natural pull toward sleep
• Vivid, realistic, and sometimes fantastical dreams
• Waking feeling well-rested and more alive

Evening dosing is especially valuable if sleep is your primary goal. Some people do both, a smaller morning dose for mood and an evening dose for sleep, though it’s best to establish your response to one timing before adding the other.

The general recommendation: Start with morning doses. You’ll feel the full character of what she has to offer and be better able to notice and track how Amanita affects you

Read: Benefits of Microdosing Amanita Muscaria

Step 4: With or Without Food?

Most people have no issue with taking a decarboxylated Amanita microdose on either a full or empty stomach. However, if you tend to have a sensitive stomach, you may do better with taking your microdose post meal, such as 30 min after breakfast or an evening snack.

More stomach issues occur when consuming straight dried amanita caps,in which case, there are two factors that can cause stomach issues.

1) The first is caused by the chitin in the mushrooms. Chitin is the main structural component in mushrooms and is very tough and hard to break down by the intestine. In fact, since we as humans have largely removed mushrooms from our daily diet, our bodies have adapted by downgrading it's production of chininase, the enzyme that breaks down chitin.

The best solution is to only microdose with an amanita extract (either in tincture or capsule form), where the muscimol and other beneficial molecules have been extracted out of the mushroom walls and the chitin is thrown out. 

 2) The second is due to ibotenic acid, a pro-drug of muscimol. When picked fresh, Amanita mushrooms contain mostly ibotenic acid, and very little muscimol (the main beneficial molecule in Amanita). After drying the mushrooms at low heat, some of the ibotenic acid converts to muscimol (from 20-40%), however most still remains in the dried caps. Ibotenic acid on its own is known to cause stomach issues, and in high amounts vomiting.

The best solution to avoid issues with ibotenic acid is to only microdose with a decarboxylated form of Amanita Muscaria. This would be products that have been boiled in a low pH tea or fermented with glutamate decarboxylase (which breaks down ibotenic acid).

Ultimately, you won't know if Amanita causes you stomach issues until you try it for yourself. But by working with a decarboxylated and extracted form of Amanita, along with consuming it after a meal, you can almost entirely eliminate this issue. 

Step 5: How Often?

A good starting place is to take Luminita for at least 1 week, and then see how you feel. If you enjoy the effects and see a benefit, continue microdosing for a month or two.

What would a microdosing protocol look like?

You may have heard of or followed some microdosing protocols for psychedelics. The most popular being the Fadiman or the Stamets protocol.

However, Amanita is a VERY different mushroom from psilocybin. With psilocybin, people build a tolerance to it quickly, meaning they need to take breaks or else they won't feel the effects after a bit. 

On the other hand, Amanita muscaria seems to have a reverse tolerance, meaning you will need less of the mushroom over time to have the same effects. If you tried taking it everyday for a month, you would probably feel the need to pull back a bit because you feel the benefits and will start to get irritable.

Thus, protocols are a bit different:

Microdose for 3 weeks straight, and then take 1 week off

You are your best Guide

Ultimately, I believe you are your best guide. If you feel aligned with your intuition, then follow your inner guidance and take Amanita on days it feels right.

Do you need a boost to feel more aligned with yourself? If yes, take it. Alternatively, Do you feel quick to irritability or does taking amanita feel feel wrong? If yes, skip microdosing for the day. 

Just be sure to keep your ego in check. It may convince you to not take Amanita when you do in fact need to. This seems to happen with all forms of true healing modalities as your ego fights to maintain control. Keep this in mind to avoid your ego's lies. 

Overall, Amanita muscaria is a unique mushroom. The protocols and consistency you may be accustomed to from other mushrooms or medications don't translate well to Amanita.

Step 6: For How long?

One of the best part of using Amanita muscaria is the benefits often persist even after stopping microdosing. Meaning you won't need to continue to take Amanita forever to continue seeing benefits, and you won't likely return to the way you felt before starting your microdosing journey.

What to Expect in the First Few Weeks

Week 1: Effects are often subtle or hard to identify. You may notice nothing at all on day one. This is normal, Amanita’s benefits are cumulative. Some people report a slight sleepiness in the first few days as their nervous system acclimates; this typically passes, especially if you allow your body to rest.

Week 2: Most people start to notice an uplifted mood, quieter mental landscape and better sleep. The changes often feel like a return to a more balanced and stable version of yourself rather than something added.

Week 3–4: The cumulative effect becomes clearer. People often describe this phase as: “I didn’t realize how much calmer I was until something that would have stressed me out last month just… didn’t.” This was the time period that I realized how much anxiety was running my life and how much better I felt without it.

Important Tip: Keep a journal. Amanita’s shifts are subtle or unique enough that they’re easy to miss in the moment and only recognizable in retrospect. Even a few notes a day, ie: mood, sleep quality, anxiety level, one thing you noticed, will help you calibrate and give you a record to look back on. 

What are the long term benefits? 🍄

Consistently work with Amanita and you may notice some profound changes in your mood and outlook in life. 

What would a year of microdosing Amanita look?

After being consistent with Amanita for a few months, and following a protocol, like one outlined above, you may only need to take it occasionally, or in phases to continue to see benefits. 

Here's some examples of what others do after they are happy with how they feel after microdosing with Amanita for a bit:

• Work: Take it only on Mondays and Tuesdays, when it's more of a struggle to stay happy and motivated at work
• Mood Boost: Continue to take it a few times a week when you are feeling down
• Social: For those who struggle with social anxiety, you may only need to take it before social gatherings so you can be confident and social with others.
• Learner: Take it in 2 month phases once or twice a year.
• Free: Never take Amanita again and continue to feel balanced and happy throughout your life

Tips

1. Use a calendar: Track which days you take Amanita by marking it in a journal. That way you can keep tabs on what protocol works best for you
2. Drink Plenty of Water: Amanita muscaria can be a bit dehydrating. Counteract this side effect by drinking two extra glasses of water a day.
3. Stay Consistent: For one, Amanita's effects are cumulative, and it often take a few weeks for people to understand how the ego quieting effects of Amanita benefit them in their ability to take action and change the course of their life.
4. Follow the Coincidences: Amanita helps reveal the threads of connection between different events in your life. Be open to this magic and follow it, they will lead you down the right path.
5. Keep a Journal: This can help you stay mindful of the changes that happen in your day to day life that we often forget with time.
6. Avoid alcohol & pharmaceuticals: This is especially the case with red wine and pharmaceuticals that act on the GABA and opioid receptors. Read the article on Contraindications with Amanita here. 
7. Do the Work: Amanita helps reduce fears and mental barriers, but you still need to take action to create the life you desire.

Overall, stay mindful of what your mind and body need during your journey and your experience with Amanita will go smoothly.

Conclusion

Amanita muscaria is a unique mushroom with its own energy and benefits. Though microdosing is most commonly associated with psychedelics, Amanita can also be microdosed. Just keep in mind that Amanita is not a psychedelic and needs to be treated differently when microdosed.

But don’t fret. Stay consistent and listen to your body and you will be on your way to mastering the art of microdosing Amanita.

And if you'd like to learn more about the benefits of microdosing Amanita muscaria or why someone would want to microdose over macrodose, read "Why Microdose Amanita Muscaria" 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to feel effects from a microdose?

Effects typically start within 45–90 minutes. At a true microdose, they will be subtle, but typically noticeable. If you feel nothing at all after 1-2 weeks at the same dose, increase by 250mg.

Can I microdose Amanita every day?

Yes. Daily use is the most common protocol and what most of the research (including the Baba Masha study) is based on. Give yourself a break every 4–8 weeks to assess how you feel and reset your baseline.

Will I fail a drug test?

Muscimol is not a scheduled substance and is not included in standard drug screenings. It does not contain the same compounds as psilocybin or THC.

Can I take Amanita with my other supplements or medications?

Read my [Drug Interactions & Contraindications Guide] before starting, especially if you take medications that affect GABA, sleep, or the nervous system (ie: benzodiazepines, alcohol, sedatives, sleep aids). If you are working with a doctor or naturopath, don't be afraid to talk to them about Amanita.

What if I take too much by accident?

If you accidentally take more than intended and feel uncomfortable, there's nothing to worry about. Just stay hydrated and if you feel called to it, rest. The effects will pass within 4 hours. Avoid combining it with anything else. If you are very unwell, contact a close friend to keep an eye on you or talk to a medical professional.

Does Amanita muscaria cause a “trip”?

At a true microdose (0.25–1g decarboxylated), no, you should not experience altered perception, hallucinations, or significant dissociation. If you do, your dose is too high and you should reduce it at the next session.

Will I build tolerance?

Amanita appears to work in the opposite direction from psychedelics, and many people report that effects become more noticeable and stable over time with consistent use. This is called reverse tolerance. Take breaks periodically to keep your baseline sensitivity.