In my video so far, we've talked about a protocol for microdosing that is probably
the best known microdosing protocol. This is the Fadiman Protocol of "one day on,
two days off" and the reason why this protocol is the best-known microdosing protocol is because
it is the brainchild of Dr. James Fadiman, who is widely credited for having introduced microdosing
into the mainstream consciousness via the publication of his book The Psychedelic
Explorer's Guide in 2011. I've used Fadiman's Protocol in the past and I think it's a great
protocol for those who are just curious about microdosing or perhaps are interested
in microdosing for gaining a competitive edge in the workplace environment. Fun fact: James
Fadiman originally developed his protocol around microdosing LSD and not necessarily psilocybin,
but it works for psilocybin all the same. Now, here's the thing. I know many of you guys who
watch my videos aren't coming from a neutral slate when it comes to your mental health.
There are numerous reasons why somebody might be interested in microdosing and knowing your
reason why is going to be crucial because it's going to inform what kind of protocol you adopt.
In today's video, I'm going to share with you an alternative microdosing protocol and
a specific psilocybin stack that is formulated for the purpose of enhanced neurogenesis (aka
the growth of new neurons). We have Paul Stamets to thank for both this protocol and this stack
—and on the other side of this transition, I'm going to break it all down for you.
Who is Paul Stamets? Paul Stamets is one of the best-known mycologists of the modern era.
He is a highly sought-after speaker at industry conferences and has written six books, including
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms,
and Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World. If you guys have seen the movie Fantastic Fungi,
Paul Stamets is one of the main people who are featured in that movie. (And by the way, if you
haven't seen it, I just watched it a couple days ago and it was really really interesting.) Let's
just say when it comes to fungi, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody more knowledgeable
than Paul Stamets. The Stamets Stack is one of Stamets' most recent patent applications.
It is a cognitive-enhancing stack that contains psilocybin mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms,
and niacin. The components of the stack are hypothesized to work better together. Stamets
envisions it being made available as a vitamin, which could fuel (quote) "the next quantum leap
in human consciousness" (end quote). According to a lecture given by Stamets at Psychedelic
Science 2017, his specific stacking formula looks like this: 0.1 to 1 gram of psilocybin mushrooms,
5 to 20 grams of lion's mane mushrooms, and 100 to 200 milligrams of niacin (aka Vitamin B3). As
you can see, there's quite a bit of variability in this stack but for the purpose of today's video,
let's keep our focus on the lower end of those ranges. We all know what psilocybin mushrooms
are at this point, right? So lion's mane —it is a functional mushroom of the non-psychedelic kind.
Lion's mane is known for a wide range of health benefits that include reduced inflammation, heart
health, and brain health. There are many studies that have been published on the neuro-regenerative
properties of lion's mane. In a double-blind clinical trial from 2009, half of participants
were given lion's mane powder three times a day for four months, while the other half were given a
placebo. The study found that those who were given lion's mane powder showed significantly increased
scores on the cognitive function scale compared to those who were given a placebo. Lion's mane is
so beneficial that Stamets suggest that it might be the "second smart mushroom." Now what about
niacin? There are three reasons why niacin is in this stack. Number one: it acts as anti-abuse. If
you've ever taken it in large doses, you know that a common side effect is flushing. It's when your
skin gets red, warm, and itchy. While this effect isn't harmful in and of itself, it is enough to
not make you want to take large doses of niacin. Number two: niacin dilates the blood vessels
to improve the deliverability of psilocybin to the endpoints of the peripheral nervous system
and the central nervous system. Niacin also takes GABA, which is an amino acid, across the
blood-brain barrier. Number three: niacin excites the nerve endings. This is important because
according to Stamets, the majority of neurogenesis occurs in the extremities. So there we have it:
the Stamets Stack. Now, what about the microdosing protocol Paul Stamets recommends? I've seen places
online that have said "five days, on two days off" and I've also seen places online that have
said "four days on, three days off," so which is correct? As it turns out, it could be the case
that they both are. Paul Stamets has appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast twice and I listened to both
interviews at least 1.5 times over just to make sure I have my thoughts correct for you guys. In
his first interview with Rogan, Stamets recommends that those who microdose regularly should break
for at least two consecutive days out of the week to allow their tolerance to be restored.
In his second interview with Rogan (which took place in 2019 —two years after the first one),
Stamets specifically mentions (quote) "the Stamets Protocol" as being one of "four days on, three
days off." So if you've seen a discrepancy in this reporting, this could probably be why... Although
to be fair, the last time I checked, "at least two days off" includes "three days off." But let's not
let perfect be the enemy of good (as Stamets says in one of his interviews). Wrapping things up:
why might it be beneficial for you to adopt a more robust microdosing protocol? I feel like you guys
can connect the dots at this point, right? If you are starting from a place where... you need this
medicine to feel better, you're going to want to incorporate as much of it into your life as
possible without going overboard. Why? So you can get as much of the benefits in as little
time as possible while minimizing the costs. I believe that the Stamets Protocol allows you to
achieve this. The two to three days off that you take per week would allow you to restore
your tolerance levels and then after that, you're back to a more robust microdosing practice. If I
could go back in time with the information that I have now, I probably would have started with
the Stamets Protocol —and maybe the Stamets Stack too— but at the very least, the Stamets Protocol.
I think that the Stamets Protocol is more robust than the Fadiman Protocol and it could be really
beneficial if you're looking to microdose for mental health purposes for this exact reason.
The Stamets Stack, for me, would have helped with not going overboard (which was an issue that I ran
into when I first started). I was like, "Oh one a day is great. Let's just do this every day" —to
the point where I was taking upwards of three caps a day. Having some niacin in that would
have helped curb that behavior. That is it for our video today. And if you're still here, I have one
more announcement to make. Over the months, I've gotten a number of emails and messages from people
asking for specific guidance on microdosing. In the beginning, I would pretty much get back to
everybody but now it's gotten to a point where it's no longer feasible for me to give my time
to every single person who asks for it (especially as my channel starts to pick up, which is good).
It's good that the Youtube algorithm is starting to push my videos out to people who need to see
these videos. And it's great that this this niche of psychedelics... psychedelic therapy is growing
online. I love to see it. There's a gap when it comes to microdosing for mental health and
I think that this would be a good opportunity for me to come in and maybe develop something to
help fill that gap. At this point I would just like to know who's interested in this course.
I'm going to provide a link to a landing page that I've made and it's going to have an email form
where you can leave your email so that the moment this course is released, you will be the first to
know. And as a token of my appreciation, you would receive a hefty discount for this as well. But
yeah. If you have any questions about this, I'd be happy to answer them for you but this is just
a development that's happened in my life as of late. I just thought, "Why not? Why not create
something that doesn't currently exist that maybe could help some people?" That's it for our video
today. Thank you guys so much for joining me for another video and I will see you guys next week.