Background: Despite increasing clinical and neuroscientific research, pharmacological neuroenhancement literature rarely discusses psychedelic drugs. However, psychedelic microdosing, the ingestion of sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics like psilocybin, has gained increasing public and scientific attention. Published research on the topic is scarce and systematic studies of the digital milieus surrounding psychedelic microdosing are currently non-existent. Methods: In this netnographic study, we explore psychedelic microdosing by focusing on Youtube™ and listing current research projects as a descriptive assemblage. We used the Youtube Data Tool (YDT) for data extraction from the YouTube™ platform. We selected videos that specifically focused on microdosing with a psychoactive substance and descriptively analysed the ecology of practices of the six most viewed videos focusing on definitions, dosages per substance and claimed effects. Results: Our initial data extraction, completed in 2016, resulted in total of 115 Youtube™ videos. Additional data extractions done in 2017 and 2018 showed a 290% increase of “microdosing” videos between 2016 and 2018, indicating that the phenomenon is growing, at least online. The digital milieu of microdosing in 2016 included 48 videos (41,7%) which mentioned a psychoactive substance. The six most viewed videos comprised 92% (N = 934,819) of the total view count and the ecology of practices depicted psychedelic microdosing as beneficial, but the claimed effects and dosing require critical evaluation. Contrary to how typical users of illicit drugs are often portrayed in the media and science, these videos revolved around themes like research, experiments, self-monitoring and the imperative of sharing results. As our descriptive assemblage demonstrates several psychedelic microdosing research projects are under way, potentially influencing user practices and knowledge. Conclusion: This type of online drug research can be used to gather knowledge of under-researched topics, like psychedelic microdosing. However, further digital and non-digital drug research is needed to investigate this potentially rising phenomenon.

Albert Hoffman suggested that low doses of LSD might be an appropriate alternative to Ritalin. Following this possibility, a systematic exploration of the effects of “microdoses,” comprising hundreds of lengthy descriptive reports, was undertaken. Based on these reports, using a psychedelic in the microdose range (10 micrograms) every three days was determined to be safe across a wide variety of individuals and conditions. Over 18 months, more than a thousand individuals from 59 countries did a daily evaluation of negative and positive emotional state using the PANAS checklist plus written reports for between one week and four months. Participant reports suggested that spaced but repeated microdoses were followed by improvements in negative moods, especially depression, and increases in positive moods. Increased energy, improved work effectiveness, and improved health habits were observed in clinical and non-clinical populations. Smaller samples described alleviation of symptoms in migraine headaches, pre-menstrual syndromes, traumatic brain injury, shingles, and other conditions not previously associated with psychedelic use.