How much psilocybin is the right amount? A research-grounded breakdown of dose tiers, strain potency variance, body weight adjustments, and how to use the shroomDOSAGE calculator.
The most common mistake in psilocybin use is a dosing error — and not always in the direction people assume. Both undershooting and overshooting have consequences: an underwhelming dose at the wrong moment can produce anxiety without depth; an unexpected high-potency response can overwhelm even experienced users. Getting dose right is the single most controllable variable in the experience.
This guide covers what the research says about dose thresholds, how to adjust for body weight and experience level, why strain potency matters more than most guides acknowledge, and how to use the shroomDOSAGE dosage calculator to pull those variables together into a number you can trust.
Most harm reduction guides publish a simple table: microdose 0.1–0.3g, low 1–1.5g, moderate 2–3.5g, high 4–5g. That table assumes a standardized product with a known potency — and dried psilocybin mushrooms are neither.
Tryptamine content in Psilocybe cubensis cultivars — the most widely available species — ranges from roughly 0.3% to over 2.0% by dry weight across published analyses. That is nearly a 7× range between the mildest and most potent strains. A "3.5g dose" of Albino Treasure Coast delivers substantially more psilocybin than 3.5g of a mid-range Golden Teacher, which in turn delivers more than the same weight of a low-potency cubensis cultivar.
The Oakland Hyphae Psilocybin Cup — the most rigorous public tryptamine assay database for cultivated mushrooms — has analyzed hundreds of samples since 2021. The data are clear: strain identity is a meaningful predictor of potency, and assuming all cubensis are equivalent is a significant source of unexpected outcomes.
These ranges assume a mid-potency cubensis (approximately 0.65% total tryptamines — the Golden Teacher benchmark). Adjust proportionally for higher or lower potency strains using the guidance below.
Sub-perceptual. The intent is no acute psychedelic effect. Users report subtle shifts in mood, focus, and sensory sensitivity. The Fadiman protocol (one dose every three days) and the Stamets Stack (four days on, three days off, with Lion's Mane and niacin) are the two most widely cited microdosing frameworks.
At this range, the primary risk is accidental threshold effects if the dose creeps above 0.3g or if the product is more potent than expected. Capsule formats (pre-weighed, consistent) meaningfully reduce this risk compared to eyeballing dried material.
Research note: A 2021 Imperial College London observational study (Szigeti et al., eLife) found self-blinded microdosing participants reported small but measurable improvements in depression and anxiety scores. Effect sizes were modest and expectancy effects cannot be ruled out — but the safety profile at these doses was excellent.
Noticeable effects begin. Mild perceptual enhancement, emotional openness, heightened sensitivity to music and light. Most people can function normally. Duration approximately 3–4 hours. This range is useful for first-time experiences where the priority is orientation rather than depth.
Clear psychedelic onset. Colour and pattern enhancement, mild geometric visuals, pronounced mood shift. Most people report this as manageable and social. Duration 4–5 hours. A reasonable starting dose for someone with no prior experience with a new strain.
This is the range studied in most published clinical trials. The 2016 Griffiths et al. study used 30mg/70kg synthetic psilocybin — roughly equivalent to 3–3.5g of mid-potency dried mushrooms. At this level, set and setting matter significantly, ego dissolution is possible at the higher end, and solo use is not recommended for inexperienced users.
This is not a casual dose. Onset begins 20–40 minutes after ingestion. The peak arrives 90–120 minutes in and can last 2–3 hours. Total duration 5–6 hours. Nausea on the come-up is common; having a calm, safe environment and a trusted presence is important.
Recommended only for experienced users with established set and setting protocols. Deep ego dissolution, visual and conceptual intensity well beyond what most people are prepared for at their first or second encounter. The 5g "heroic dose" popularized by Terence McKenna is at the extreme end of what clinical protocols use.
At this level, individual variation in response is enormous. Body weight and prior experience are less predictive than state of mind, physical health, and environment. Plan for 6–8 hours.
Psilocybin is primarily metabolized by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase in the gastrointestinal tract, then distributed via plasma. While the pharmacokinetics are not as cleanly weight-linear as some compounds, body weight is a meaningful factor — particularly in the moderate to high range where the difference between 60kg and 100kg can produce noticeably different responses from the same gram weight.
A rough adjustment factor: for every 10kg above 70kg, add approximately 0.15g to a moderate dose. For every 10kg below 70kg, subtract approximately 0.15g.
The shroomDOSAGE calculator applies this adjustment automatically by strain, so you can enter your weight and select your strain and experience tier rather than doing the math manually.
Strain-level potency data comes primarily from the Oakland Hyphae Cup analyses and a growing body of academic assay work. Here is how the strains in the shroomDOSAGE catalog compare, based on published tryptamine content data:
The benchmark strain. Most published trial protocols reference cubensis potency in this range. If you have used psilocybin before and know your response to "a 2g dose," it was probably based on something close to Golden Teacher potency. Use standard dose tier guidance without adjustment.
Albino variants of Treasure Coast have consistently tested higher than the standard phenotype in cup analyses. At this potency, a 2.5g dose delivers more active compound than a 3g Golden Teacher dose. First-timers using ATC should start at the low end of their target tier — not the middle.
Penis Envy is the highest-testing cubensis cultivar in multiple independent analyses. The potency range is wide — and the upper end is nearly twice the Golden Teacher baseline. If you are accustomed to a 3g moderate experience with GT, a 3g PE dose may produce a significantly more intense experience. A 30–40% dose reduction is standard guidance when switching from a mid-potency cubensis to PE.
Important: The variance within the PE category is large. Different cultivators and growing conditions produce meaningfully different results. This is the primary reason precise strain-level data matters more than a generic "magic mushrooms" dose table.
Microdose capsules remove the strain variance problem at the low end. A 150mg Golden Teacher capsule contains a pre-weighed, consistent dose. The Scooby Snacks formulation (200mg psilocybin + 5mg CBD + 5mg CBG per capsule) is a specific stacking protocol — CBD and CBG are added for their purported anxiolytic properties, which some users find moderates the edge of psilocybin come-up anxiety.
The tradeoff with capsules vs dried material is onset timing: capsule dissolution adds 30–60 minutes to the typical 20–40 minute dried-mushroom onset.
The calculator on our homepage was designed around three inputs that produce meaningfully different answers: strain, body weight, and experience tier.
Step 1 — Select your strain. Each strain in the calculator is assigned a potency coefficient based on published tryptamine data. Penis Envy has a higher coefficient than Golden Teacher. This means the same experience-tier output will recommend a lower gram weight for PE than for GT.
Step 2 — Enter your body weight. The calculator applies the weight adjustment described above. A 90kg user will get a higher gram recommendation than a 60kg user for the same strain and experience tier.
Step 3 — Select your experience tier. First time, some experience, or experienced. This maps to the dose tiers described above. "First time" targets the threshold-to-low range; "experienced" targets the moderate range.
The calculator output is a gram weight of dried mushroom for your selected strain, or a capsule count for capsule-format products.
What the calculator does not do: It does not account for tolerance (regular use raises the effective dose threshold substantially), drug interactions (SSRIs in particular blunt psilocybin response), or individual neurobiological variation. These factors are real and meaningful — the calculator is a starting point, not a prescription.
These are not new recommendations — they reflect the set-and-setting guidance that appears in every peer-reviewed trial protocol, from the 2016 Griffiths et al. study to the current MAPS Phase 3 work.
Start lower than you think you need. Especially with a new strain or source. You can always repeat the experience at a higher dose; you cannot take it back.
Have a trusted presence. Solo sessions at moderate-to-high doses are not advisable for inexperienced users. The clinical literature consistently shows that having a calm, knowledgeable companion ("sitter") is one of the strongest predictors of a positive experience.
Set aside the full duration. Psilocybin experiences last 5–6 hours at moderate doses. Planning any commitment, driving, or complex task within that window is a failure of preparation.
Screen for contraindications. A personal or family history of schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, or psychotic episodes is the most consistently cited contraindication in the clinical literature. SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, and lithium interact with psilocybin — some blunt the response, some pose safety concerns. Consult a healthcare provider if you are on any psychiatric medication.
Integration matters. The research on lasting benefits from psilocybin sessions — particularly for depression and addiction — consistently finds that post-session integration work (journaling, therapy, intentional reflection) is part of what produces durable change. The dose is not the whole protocol.
Psilocybin remains Schedule III under Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Possession, trafficking, and production are prohibited without Health Canada authorization. The information in this guide is provided for harm reduction and educational purposes. Nothing here constitutes encouragement to break the law.
For updates on the Canadian regulatory landscape, Canada.ca's psilocybin page is the authoritative source.
Potency data sourced from published Oakland Hyphae Cup analyses and peer-reviewed tryptamine assay literature. Dose guidance reflects the ranges used in published clinical trial protocols. This is not medical advice.