Learning how to dose

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

The world of psychoactive substances is big and exciting. Where our parents and grandparents sneaked into the library or the bookcase of a (too) crazy uncle or aunt looking for information, nowadays everything you want to know about drugs is just on the internet!

There are a lot of websites, some more reliable than others. That's why you should never take anything for granted, but try to do as much research as possible. Never has it been so easy to experiment with drugs. Research Chemicals are popping up everywhere like mushrooms while nothing is known about how they work. The golden rule is not to use anything of which you can't be sure what the effects might be.
It is always nice if you have a good friend or family member who can give you personal advice. Someone who, together with you, can take the first steps on a voyage of discovery. Let's not forget that people are curious and generally like to try things out. With the help of informative sources and people around you, you can protect yourself from a negative experience. 

Getting to know a new drug

2C-B, MDMA, LSD, DMT, Ketamine, Psilocybin, Mescaline... All these substances and more can produce very different effects. Choosing the right dose can make for a great time, too low a dose can be irritating, too high can be very uncomfortable, frightening and potentially dangerous! 
When you want to test a new substance, choose a quiet, familiar environment with people you know. This new experience can turn out wrong when you start to feel paranoid or anxious, or are too preoccupied with what is going on around you. It can also be risky when you don't know your surroundings.
To prevent you from being confronted with unpleasant situations, it is always wise to test a new substance by taking a small amount of it, smaller than a 'normal (trip) dose'. This way you can test how you react to the substance. Everyone is different, one needs a lot more than the other to achieve the same effect. It is also possible that you show an allergic reaction to a certain substance, with unpleasant consequences. Especially if you are a more sensitive person, or really have very little experience!

Weighing the dose

Weighing Scale

Investing in high quality scales is recommended, especially when quantities below 50mg are involved. 
Tip: Buy a high quality scale together with a group of friends. The Tanita weighing scale indicates very accurately the quantities you need to know!
Always try to weigh the dose at a quiet moment and always when you are sober. Under the influence a mistake is made faster.

With the eye

Dosing without scales also happens and is done in different ways. There are users who believe that they can estimate how much powder is needed for one person.
One technique used is to distribute an amount of powder on a piece of checkered paper. The doses are distributed according to the number of squares.

Boosting

Boosting means taking a second dose, at a later time. When this is, it can be different: before, during or after the peak of the effects of the first quantity. You can also boost with another substance. For example: you take a dose of MDMA and boost it later with a small amount of cannabis with a vaporizer.
With boosting you can intensify, prolong or change the experience. For example, it can become more psychedelic, or more energetic. It is important to realise that you can never 'go back' to the high point of a while ago. Disappointment can be caused when you think the trip will go the same way again, when you catch up with more. It is then recommended not to catch up at all! It can also be smart to agree in advance what the maximum is that you will take and stick to it. Discuss this with yourself and/or with the person you are taking with.

Dosing with psilocybin

Magic Truffles

Sirius offers different doses in its range of Magic Truffles. A standard dosage is 10 grams. However, it gets a bit more complicated: the different truffles vary in strength. This means that with 10 grams you don't always get the same amount of active ingredient.
Fortunately, they are classified in a handy overview, in which you can clearly see what you can expect from the species you have chosen.
For beginners it is wise anyway to start with less than 10 grams. 
Really experienced psychonauts and the occasional person who needs more psilocybin for the same effect, there are doses of 15 grams.

Attention!

Often users divide their dose of Magic Truffles into two servings. I can't recommend this and I'll tell you why. Your body builds a tolerance for the active ingredient very quickly. This means that the second part of the dose is taken much less well than if you would take it all at once. The second portion may prolong the effect a bit, but it will be much less able to express its strength and will therefore make for a less strong experience. Within half an hour your body is already less able to absorb the active substances.

Magic Mushrooms

It is good to know that dosing magic mushrooms is not comparable to dosing magic truffles. For magic mushrooms the dried weight is about 1/10 of the fresh weight. Because mushrooms don't keep as long in the refrigerator (as long as a cup of mushrooms you buy in the supermarket) many growers dry their harvest. Note: drying psilocybin mushrooms is prohibited in the Netherlands!
Usually a standard amount of VERSE mushrooms is seen between 5 grams and 12.5 grams. It's always a good idea to test your tolerance and if necessary increase the dose with a new trip.

Tip: Always keep a good record of the dosages on your trips, so you get an overview of your sensitivity (and that of your friends).

Making Magic Mushroom Tea

When making paddoothee you create an equal amount of active ingredient and so you know that everyone gets the same amount. When eating the dried mushrooms, it is possible that a small mushroom is much more powerful than another larger one. This is because the substances in magic mushrooms are not always equally distributed. Make sure you only use hot water when making tea, with boiling water psilocybin will break down!

Alcohol

Always be vigilant when you know you are going to combine alcohol with other substances. Alcohol causes your judgment to deteriorate sharply. In most cases, alcohol can have a negative impact on your experience. For example, it can cause you to be much less clear, have fewer visual effects and afterwards have no idea what you actually thought of your experience. 

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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