Microdosing and Physicality: A Comparative Analysis of Three Different Psilocybin Strains

Given the ongoing interest in the topic of using psilocybin as a performance enhancing substance, I’ve decided to coordinate and publish a new self-study that seeks to A) shed more light on the psycholytic (“micro-dosing”) utilization of psilocybin to improve physical performance (via the Constrained-Action Hypothesis) and B) differentiate between three popular strains of psilocybin to note any potential variability.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is thus two-fold: on the one hand, I’ll be supplementing my prior research into how psilocin, in small or ‘micro’ doses (170mg-200mg/0.17g-0.20g), effectuates changes to the thinking patterns that are employed during athletic activity or sportive performance; on the other hand, I’ll be seeking to determine whether differing strains could signify any notable changes amongst this same spectrum of performance. 

Schedule

I plan to take three weeks to complete this study, with one of three strains utilized every week for four consecutive days at increasing dosages. I find it necessary to incrementally increase the dosage to offset the tolerance that is, to me anyway, quickly built up when micro-dosing over the span of consecutive days. 

My schedule, which follows a typical (4 days on / 3 days off) micro-dosing schedule, will look like this:

Week 1 — Mexican Psilocybe Cubensis (“Mexicube”)
- Monday / 170mg
- Tuesday / 180mg
- Wednesday / 190mg
- Thursday / 200mg
- Friday to Sunday / Off / Reset

Week 2 — Amazonian Cubensis (“Amazon”)
- Monday / 170mg
- Tuesday / 180mg
- Wednesday / 190mg
- Thursday / 200mg
- Friday to Sunday / Off / Reset

Week 3 — Golden Teacher 
- Monday / 170mg
- Tuesday / 180mg
- Wednesday / 190mg
- Thursday / 200mg
- Friday to Sunday / Off / Reset

Dosage

It’s from personal experience that I’ve developed this range (180mg–190mg being the most optimal) as I find myself to experience zero symptoms at 150mg or less whilst I experience more intense side-effects (those consisting of mild general fatigue and a lack of motivation) at 220mg or more.

Application & Methodology 

Allow me to reiterate (from my previous work) that this is not academic science — it’s being presented in a media context. Accordingly, I won’t be timing myself to the millisecond or compiling hard data to formally present in a statistical manner. Rather, I’ll record my sentiments and experiences as to how easy a certain exercise or training regiment had been; how quickly I became fatigued or how I judged my performance in retrospect. There’s an added reason for this that I will make clear towards the end of the piece. 

Unlike my prior studies, I won’t seek to record my health statistics, primarily given the fact that I’m not currently equipped with the best tracking mechanisms, though future studies are tentatively being arranged that will, more closely, monitor factors such as heart rate, caloric output, etc. 

With respect to this endeavor, I’ll simply aim to measure myself across a spectrum of physical activities that seek to exemplify whether my ability to focus, as well as my physical performance, is improved or hindered by the psilocin. 

To measure my strength capacity, I’ll rely on weighted pull-ups. 
To measure my motivation, I’ll rely on isometric exercise (planking). 
To measure my cardiovascular stamina, I’ll rely on running. 

These three above-mentioned factors (strength capacity, motivation, cardiovascular stamina) are all ones that I’ve previously noted to have improved when supplementing with psilocybin (which, in my opinion, is due to the Constrained-Action Hypothesis, as also previously concluded). 

It’s worth noting that there are other variables at play in this equation —weather, diet, sleep — that I’ve become accustomed to being weary of. 

Ultimately, it should be confirmed that my performance will be improved due to the changes in focus and perception that are themselves instigated by the miniscule doses of psilocin. To fully appreciate the link between the substance, the mind, and the body, one must first become familiar with the Constrained-Action Hypothesis, or as I will choose to refer to it, the ‘external focus’ hypothesis, as micro-dosing is extremely conducive towards externalizing attention in the midst of any physical activity, away from the discomforts of the body and of the immediate exercise and towards a greater ambition or engagement with any particular activity. 

Week 1 — Mexicube

As I note in my complimentary article, the indigenous people of Oaxaca say that if you take this mushroom during the day, you’ll go mad. While I’m sure they weren’t microdosing, I’m inclined to believe that they felt the context of the experience had been exceptionally important.

And it is a bit of a weird thing — to use a substance that I grew up with consuming recreationally and apply it to efforts of productivity. I still have a strange time accepting this, though it’s definitely a testament to the inherent power of these substances when we cultivate such complex relationships with them and work to fully appreciate their versatility. 

And so my first week of micro-dosing with Mexicube, I got what I had asked for. I noticed an improvement to my overall energy levels about 50 minutes post-consumption, an improvement that fortunately lingered for over an hour after the peak effect (though subtle) had transpired.

I noticed that my cardiovascular ability was improved drastically simply because I didn’t focus on the relative discomforts throughout my body — my breathing and lung discomforts were an afterthought to the attention I was directing towards the activity itself.

My strength capacity remained the same, as I figured it would, and I didn’t notice any change to the quantity of weight as opposed to the quality of my technique or to the amount of repetitions. While it’s exceptionally difficult to transcribe into any linguistic sense, my focus during the weighted pullups seemed to shift towards the cohesive performance of my musculoskeletal system in unison rather than the burn of my trapezius musculature or the strain in my biceps.

I focused more on control than on speed; more on quality than quantity; more on feeling the engagement of my particular muscle groups (and leaning into that effort) rather than on the success or failure of my ability. Sentiments of discomfort, though still there, were less pressing and resigned themselves to the shadows of my expanded interest in the overall effort. 

And this is the crucial bit: I was simply engaged with whatever activity I was participating in. I was having fun — and it’s here that the externalized focus (again, the Constrained-Action Hypothesis) comes into play; rather than perceiving my energy levels, my speeds, my times, my stamina, my focus, I simply (through the externalized focus) became substantially more immersed in the activities to the extent that counting and measuring proved to be a byproduct of the wrong kind of mindset. 

This is a point that I’ll look to reiterate throughout this study — the more I tried to measure my results (in order to present something more scientifically appealing), the more friction I caused between my effort and the mindset that was being prompted by the psilocybin.

In a perfect world, and if I really wanted to overly-commit myself, I could probably find a way to maintain the administrative, data-capturing disposition needed to present hard statistics; but throughout this trial, I was after a feeling more than a number, an experience more than an argument. 

Future studies, pending funding, will allow me to measure test subjects in a more scientifically-convincing manner but, for the time being, I had come to perceive this effort as a pre-requisite to determine whether there’s something more here to be pursued. 

And, like my prior works have ascertained, there certainly is. 

 

This project and article is sponsored exclusively by Blue Goba, visit www.bluegoba.com for a full inventory of 100% organic magic mushrooms, available via mail-order to all of Canada. 

Weeks 2–3 — Amazonian Cubensis

It was during my second week that I noticed something strange.

Until recently, I had never expected to experience a difference between strains of psilocybin on a micro level.

A few days into my second week of microdosing with the popular Amazonian strain of psilocybin (often regarded as being more potent), I noticed that I lacked the motivation I needed to engage with my exercise regimens in the same way I had the week prior, or during prior studies. 

There hadn’t been any external factors that would account for this (say, a heat wave or a change to dietary intake) though I wrote it off anyway as something caused by forces beyond my control and repeated the findings for another week after taking several days off to reset my system.

Again, I experienced a very noticeable lull in motivation accompanied by a lack of physical inspiration, even after resetting my dosage level to 170mg.

Despite this, I pushed through the rest of the second week and noted an inability to exert the same level of effort that I had previously been able to, no improvement (though no real hinderance) to my cardiovascular ability, and a drop in strength capacity (again, due to the motivation element). 

At this stage, I’m left with more questions than answers and seem to attribute it to three possible likelihoods:

a) The strain of Amazonia Cubensis is far more potent than comparable strains, as my experiences mirror those of a dose that was higher than my preferred range (I’ve experienced similar effects when taking dosages higher than 0.22g) b) the substance was defective in some way — they are prone to mold or deterioration over time and it could be that I had mishandled the supply while storing it and/or c) this particular strain itself is just such that it provokes a different set of effects entirely from those typically espoused by common strains. 

Given the attention to detail and care in packaging employed by Blue Goba (who sponsored this study and provided the psilocybin), I’m sure it hadn’t been an issue relating to quality control. 

Fittingly, this is sort of what I had been looking for — a difference in strains, a hint towards a new avenue for investigation. While it wasn’t necessary a good difference, it challenges me to examine this further and warrants a deeper assessment of why one strain can present a differing range of effects in comparison to another. 

Despite some initial surface research into any possible answers, none could be found. And so I’m putting it out there to the community — if you’ve noticed a difference in effects consuming Amazonian Cubensis (especially in a physical context but also in a microdosing context), please write in. 

Week 4 — Golden Teacher

For my last week, I reverted to my go-to strain of Golden Teacher, especially in order to provide a more assured contrast against the Amazonian strain from the previous week. 

I happily noted the same range of motivation, strength capacity, cardiovascular improvement, and endurance as I would normally experience when micro-dosing with this particular strain. 

I was well motivated, properly engaged, and performed well amongst all sets of activities that I had undertaken, noting a similar experience to that of the Mexican Cubensis with no real ability to discern between them apart from, perhaps, the length of the effects. 

During three out of four days, I noticed that the effects of the Golden Teacher had worn off 20–30 minutes sooner than those of the Mexican Cubensis, and that I had less post-workout energy. 

I would have to repeat these results to state them with absolute certainty but I hadn’t been left surprised given the anecdotal evidence (and my own experiences) surrounding the higher potency of Mexican Cubensis. 

Whereas the Mexican Cubensis strain left me feeling energized after a workout (possibly because my focus remained affixed to my development or my performance), the mild effect of the Golden Teacher strain seemed to have dissipated minutes before the end of my actual workout session, even on the higher range of my dose. 

Ultimately, the Golden Teacher (a strain that I had been relying on for quite some time) has proven sufficient for externalizing and expanding focus, though it is certainly worth noting that the Mexican Cubensis strain offers more power and longevity in this regard, without providing an over-potency in the style of the Amazonian stain. 

Summaries and Conclusion

There are a number of findings that I’ve managed to cultivate from this study which, truth be told, I hadn’t at all expected to encounter.

On variability:

More than anything, I figured that a comparative analysis between three strains, on a psycholytic level, would prove fruitless as the levels of psilocin do not range very dramatically from one strain to the next, often being more dependent on growing and harvesting conditions.

Instead, I learned that the strains do vary. While I’m inclined to think that this is moreso due to the strain itself (as my experiences with the Golden Teacher strain always seem to be consistent), it could very well also depend on the production and harvesting process. 

Accordingly, I will plan to re-examine Amazonian Cubensis in particular to see if a different batch will also provide a similar effect to that experienced above. 

On Isometrics:

Prior to this study, I had tested psilocybin as a performance booster through a number of physical activities (everything from swimming to team-based sports) and have found that cardiovascular activities seem to be the most indicative when trying to espouse certain effects from microdosing. 

During this study, isometric holds (i.e. planking) have proven to be even more conducive towards demonstrating the true potential of externalized focus via psilocybin.

Isometric holds seem to be considerably easier when supplementing with psilocybin for the sole reason that focus shifts away from the internal discomforts. 

If anyone is looking to experience the full potential of microdosing as a performance enhancer, I would be quick to recommend taking 0.18g of Mexicube, waiting 40 minutes, and then planking for as long as possible; I’m convinced that an improvement would be noted. 

This is a testament to the fact that it is often our mentality that dictates our level of performance. 

On the mind:

Of course, everything boils down to how the mind works throughout this process and, given the subjectivity of our experiences with psilocybin, all my work on this topic may be completely irrelevant. 

Nevertheless, there are some general points to be extracted from it all, some of which I haven’t been able to fully expand upon in the content above.

For those who haven’t ever tried psilocybin before, there’s really no way to convey the experience by writing. With a larger dose, the mind is pulled through a gambit of perspectives that may range from deeply introspective to radically extrospective. Perceptions are elevated, filters are rearranged, understandings are challenged, self-awareness is propagated to a point of near absurdity. 

Though it’s temporary, in two parts. The first part is when the dose is actually felt but, once this dissipates, we can hold on to various souvenirs brought about by the self-reflection. 

Often, ego is undermined, compassion is disproportionally strengthened, a multitude of inhibitions are loosened. Sometimes paranoia can set in, fear, confusion, anxiety. But, more than anything, the best way for me to sum it all up is that the status quo, in terms of the perspective we carry on a daily, weekly, yearly or even lifelong basis, is momentarily shattered.

To be able to achieve this same end on a micro-sized scale, whereby we need not overwhelm the mind, but simply steer it towards a direction we’d rather have it go — that’s a pretty powerful privilege to have at our disposal.