Preparing your dose

This page covers how to actually obtain, measure, and prepare a dose of each substance. The good news is that for all three, the preparation is much simpler than for DMT. For LSD you mostly just cut a piece of paper. For 5-MeO-DALT you weigh some powder and put it in a capsule. Psilocybin needs a little more care, but it is also the substance you can most easily produce yourself, by growing mushrooms at home.

Psilocybin

What you need

• Dried psilocybin mushrooms (most commonly Psilocybe cubensis).
• A digital scale that reads to 0.01 g.
• Empty gelatin capsules (size 0 or 00) if you want to avoid the taste, plus a small funnel or capsule-filler.
• Time and a quiet place. Allow about 4–6 hours per dose, with no driving or work.

Sourcing

In most countries, buying ready-made psilocybin mushrooms is illegal and quality can vary. Many patients grow their own at home. It is straightforward, low-cost ($60–80 for the quickest and easiest option), and gives you full control over freshness and potency. Spore syringes (which you need to start a grow) and grow kits are legal in many places where the mushrooms themselves are not, because spores do not contain psilocybin. Spores can be bought online from various vendors such as Lord of Spore, Inoculate the World, and SporesMD.

By far the simplest way, once you have the spore syringe, is acquiring an already sterilized block of substrate that you can inject the spores into. A good example is this one. From there, all you need to do is wipe things down with 70% isopropyl alcohol, inject the spores, and wait.

For long-term use, it can be financially beneficial to learn how to make your own substrate block. For a complete beginner, the following YouTube playlist walks through the entire process.

Psilocybin is best stored in an airtight jar in a dark room, slightly below room temperature.

Dose

A typical preventive dose is 0.5 grams. The goal is to feel only mild effects: some body warmth, a little relaxation, perhaps slightly altered perception. You should not be having a strong "trip". If 0.5 g feels too mild and the cycle is not breaking, you can go up to 0.75 g or 1 g on subsequent doses.

Potency varies between strains, between batches, and even between caps and stems of the same mushroom. Start at the lower end and adjust upward, not the other way around.

If you are using fresh psilocybin truffles (common in the Netherlands, where they are legal), the equivalent dose is roughly 10 grams of fresh truffles per 1 gram of dried mushrooms, since truffles contain less psilocybin by weight and are about 70% water. So a typical preventive starting dose is around 5 grams of fresh truffles, increasing to 7 to 10 grams if needed. Truffle potency varies between batches, so weigh carefully and start low.

How to take it

There are several common methods. They are roughly equally effective, so pick whichever you find easiest to swallow.

• Eaten whole. The simplest method. Chew thoroughly. The taste is unpleasant. Take on a near-empty stomach for best absorption.

• Tea. Finely chop or grind the mushrooms, soak in hot (not boiling) water for about 10 minutes, strain, drink. You can repeat the steep with fresh hot water and combine the liquids. Tea is sometimes gentler on the stomach. You can add ginger, lemon, or honey to mask the taste.

• Capsules. Grind the dried mushrooms into a powder and pack into capsules. The most discreet method, and useful if the taste makes you nauseous. Effects come on a little slower than tea.

• Lemon tek. Optional. Grind the mushrooms and soak them in fresh lemon juice for 20 minutes before drinking. The acid converts psilocybin to psilocin in advance, so the effects come on quicker, are stronger, and end sooner.

Take on a near-empty stomach. A heavy or fatty meal can blunt absorption.

LSD

What you need

• A blotter, liquid LSD, or microdots from a trusted source.
• An LSD testing kit (Ehrlich's reagent).
• Sharp scissors or a clean razor blade if you need to cut a blotter.
• Time and a quiet place. Allow about 6 to 8 hours per dose.

Sourcing

LSD is harder to source reliably than psilocybin. It cannot be grown at home. The main forms patients encounter are blotter paper (small printed squares soaked in LSD), liquid LSD (a dropper bottle), and microdots (tiny pressed pellets, less common today). Whichever form you obtain, you need to know the dose per unit, ideally from a source that has been independently tested. LSD blotter paper and microdots are best stored in the freezer to prevent degradation, and LSD liquid should be stored in the fridge if the bottle is made from glass to prevent it from breaking.

Testing

Occasionally, things sold as LSD are not actually LSD but other compounds that may or may not have the same safety profile. It is therefore highly recommended that you test your LSD. This is a very simple procedure. LSD testing kits usually consist of a bottle of a liquid substance called Ehrlich's reagent. Ehrlich's turns purple in the presence of a class of drugs called "indoles," which includes substances like LSD, psilocybin, DMT, and more. Simply cut off a small corner of your LSD tab and put a drop of Ehrlich's reagent on top (the provider will have more detailed instructions). If Ehrlich's does not turn purple, it means no LSD is present. Patients sometimes use mail-order testing services that confirm both purity and dose.

Dose

A typical preventive dose is 25 to 50 micrograms. To put that in perspective, a standard recreational dose is around 100 micrograms, and many blotter tabs are sold as 100 mcg. So one quarter to one half of a 100 mcg tab is a typical preventive dose. Always ask your provider for how much LSD is in your blotter paper, liquid, or microdot.

How to prepare it

• Blotter paper. Use a sharp kitchen knife, scissors, or a clean razor blade. Cut the tab into equal pieces. For a 100 mcg tab cut into quarters, each quarter is roughly 25 mcg. Place the piece on or under your tongue and hold it there for 10 to 20 minutes; the LSD absorbs through the lining of your mouth. You can swallow the paper or spit it out.

• Liquid LSD. Liquid is sold by drop, with a known number of micrograms per drop (e.g., 100 mcg per drop). To take a 25 mcg dose from a 100 mcg drop, you would need to dilute it. Many patients dilute liquid LSD into a known volume of distilled water in advance, allowing more precise small doses by drop or by dropper.

• Microdots. Hard to split and less common. If you can find them, treat them like a tab and try to break them as evenly as possible.

Once you have your dose, simply place it in your mouth and let it dissolve, or swallow with water. Effects start in 30 to 90 minutes. Resist the urge to take more in the first hour; LSD ramps up slowly.

5-MeO-DALT

What you need

• 5-MeO-DALT powder (freebase or HCl salt form), from a reputable supplier with published purity assays of >98%.
• A milligram scale that reads to 0.001 g (1 mg). Standard kitchen scales are not precise enough.
• Empty gelatin or vegetable capsules, size 4 or 5.
• A small spatula or weighing dish.

Sourcing

5-MeO-DALT is sold as a "research chemical" by various online suppliers. Quality varies widely. Stick to suppliers that publish independent lab assays for each batch, with purity above 98%. Many reputable suppliers ship internationally to countries where DALT is legal. (See the legality chapter.)

It comes in two forms: freebase (the pure compound, slightly off-white powder) and HCl salt (a hydrochloride form that dissolves in water). Both work the same. The HCl form is slightly easier to store and dissolve. The freebase form has a numbing taste if it touches your tongue, which is why patients put it in capsules.

Dose

The standard preventive dose is 15 mg orally. This is the dose used in the original 2014 case study and used by 74% of patients in the 2015 follow-up survey.^[1] Most patients do not need to go higher. Some have used 25 mg or even 50 mg, but side effects (mostly cold extremities and dizziness) increase with little additional benefit.

If 15 mg feels too strong, you can start at 10 mg and work up. Do not start above 15 mg.

How to prepare it

Preparation is simple:

• Place an empty capsule on your scale and tare (zero) it.
• Carefully spoon 15 mg of powder into the capsule using a small spatula.
• Cap the capsule and swallow with water.
• If using the HCl form, you can alternatively dissolve 15 mg in a small amount of water and drink it. The numb taste is brief.

Effects begin within about 10 minutes and resolve within about 2 hours.

General tips

• Storage. Keep all three substances cool, dry, and dark. Psilocybin and LSD both degrade over time when exposed to heat or light. Long-term storage for LSD is best in the freezer, in an airtight container. Do not put psilocybin mushrooms in the freezer as this will greatly decrease their potency — a study has found that dried mushrooms stored in a dark, airtight container at room temperature is the best way to keep the potency.^[2]

• Source verification. Whatever you obtain, knowing the dose matters a lot. With mushrooms, weigh dried material on a calibrated scale. With LSD, use tested products. With DALT, use suppliers that publish lab assays.

• Set up your space in advance. Whichever substance you choose, prepare your space before taking the dose. A comfortable chair, water, a snack for later, your headache log, and a phone within reach. You should not have to do anything complicated once the dose has kicked in. Listening to music is an excellent way to pass the time while you wait for the effects to be over.

References

1. ↩ Post M (2015). Cluster headache patient survey: 5-MeO-DALT. Self-published.
2. ↩ Gotvaldová K, Hájková K, Borovička J, Jurok R, Cihlářová P, Kuchař M (2021). Stability of psilocybin and its four analogs in the biomass of the psychotropic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis. Drug Testing and Analysis, 13(2), 439–446. doi:10.1002/dta.2950