
Tiny doses of magic mushrooms can boost your problem-solving skills - eplanit
https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/tiny-doses-magic-mushrooms-can-13477405
======
pinusc
Link to the full study:
[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/08/384412](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/08/384412)

I have not read it completely yet, but it seems it lacks any sort of blind
trial and control group; hence, it fails to account for placebo effect. Given
the nature of the experiment, I believe placebo effect could have
significantly altered the results.

~~~
lucozade
Yeah, no blinding, no placebo, in the field, small sample size and at a drug
related event.

At best, this falls into the "quite interesting should probably do a proper
follow up" pile.

One interesting line from the study. It says "that we did not use a control
group (for obvious ethical and practical reasons)". Practical I get, there
were only 38 of them in total. But ethical? What are the ethical concerns with
_not_ giving people a micro dose of hallucinogenic truffles?

~~~
intopieces
The control, in this case, might be giving people micro doses without telling
them.

~~~
benchaney
A properly designed experiment would be to tell everyone that you might give
them the drug, and actually give it to half of them. The control would be the
group of people that did not receive it. GP is right that there is no ethical
issue.

------
fhood
You mean small amounts of psychedelics open you up to new perspectives on
things?!?!? Shocking. Bet nobody ever figured that one out before now.

~~~
swarnie_
Its The Mirror, this is pretty groundbreaking for them and their audience.

------
wufufufu
Amount of people who would truly benefit from microdosing psilocybin: not a
lot

Amount of people who will share clickbait pop science article and use it to
justify a stoner vice: a lot

~~~
stephengillie
The high I felt from taking shrooms was the same high I felt from cannabis.
Quite a disappointment, after all the build up and great expectations.

~~~
empath75
You either have access to amazing weed or crappy mushrooms.

~~~
stephengillie
Why not both?

------
collyw
This isn't really new research its discussed in the Psychedelic Explorers
Guide.

[http://www.psychedelicexplorersguide.com/](http://www.psychedelicexplorersguide.com/)

(I see the account has been suspended for the micro dosing site linked from
the main page).

~~~
vadansky
Unrelated, but sites like these always temper the excitement for me about
psychedelics. If psychedelics could really revolutionize human consciousness
and open new frontiers, you would think they would be able to make a less
crackpot looking site. Same with Terrance Mackena. All these people who preach
psychedelics don't end up accomplishing much besides writing profusely about
psychedelics. However on the other hand we have Cricks and DNA and LSD so who
knows.

~~~
gepi79
> If psychedelics could really revolutionize human consciousness and open new
> frontiers,

Psychedelics are not magic. They typically trigger serotonin receptors.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_drug](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_drug)

This might be useful for interventions by medical experts. Like narcotics are
useful for surgical interventions or antibiotics are useful against bacteria
infections.

[https://www.livescience.com/16287-mushrooms-alter-
personalit...](https://www.livescience.com/16287-mushrooms-alter-personality-
long-term.html)

[https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-
ps...](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-psychedelic-
miracle-128798/)

DO NOT use psychedelics to solve your problems or when you are in a bad mood.
You risk a bad trip causing PTSD and panic disorder or worse.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_trip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_trip)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/36gj2h/can_ptsd_be_c...](https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/36gj2h/can_ptsd_be_caused_by_a_bad_trip/)

[https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Set_and_setting#Mental_State](https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Set_and_setting#Mental_State)

~~~
mruts
I would agree that you probably don't want to do psychedelics when severely
depressed. But they can be quite helpful if you feel you're in a "rut" that
you feel like you can't get out of.

~~~
gepi79
I am no friend of drugs in general and psychedelics in particular.

It might work to get out of a rut but, IMO, the risks (what dosage?) are not
worth it. Certainly not without professional assistance (not a shaman). The
new rut might be much worse than the old rut.

Also: [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/charting-the-
depths/...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/charting-the-
depths/201007/the-serotonin-theory-depression-is-collapsing)

IMO no problem is solved by psychedelics. Unless you sell them to solve your
money problem.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apkbMtkwU2g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apkbMtkwU2g)

~~~
mruts
There are no risks from occasional use of psychedelics. There's tons of
evidence (anecdotal and published) that psychedelics can be extremely helpful.

I hate to say this, but I think you can't really speak coherently about
psychedelics unless you have personal, first-hand experience.

~~~
gepi79
Yes, there is evidence that psychedelics can be useful. I agree that they can
be useful to give a different perspective to quit a rut, as you wrote.

Still, according to experts and many anecdotes on reddit, psychedelics are
very risky (unwanted bad effects) and not safe drugs and not miracle drugs.

The risk of bad short term and long term effects depends highly on the dosage
and the personal mindset and the current environment. Nobody knows in advance
how your brain will react.

[https://www.reddit.com/r/drugs](https://www.reddit.com/r/drugs)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Psychedelics](https://www.reddit.com/r/Psychedelics)

------
eli_gottlieb
Side-effects may include finding yourself in a gas-station bathroom at dawn,
crouched in the fetal position, muttering about "making the world a better
place".

~~~
rubbingalcohol
When you realize that all the third party tracking scripts you pasted onto
your page are _watching you too_.

