The Microdosing Dictionary: Terms, Protocols, and Concepts

If you’ve started looking into microdosing, you’ve probably hit a wall of vocabulary. This page is the working glossary — protocols, substances, species, pharmacological terms, and the concepts that come up once you go deeper than the headline. Each definition is short by design. When we have a longer piece on a term, the link is at the end.

Protocols

Fadiman Protocol

The original modern microdosing protocol, developed by Dr. James Fadiman in 2010. The schedule is one day on, two days off — dose on Day 1, no dose on Days 2 and 3, dose on Day 4, and so on. The logic is that three-day gaps prevent tolerance buildup while maintaining a consistent therapeutic effect. Most contemporary microdosing research uses a variation of this protocol as the baseline. Read more in James Fadiman: The Father of the Modern Microdosing Protocol →

Stamets Stack

A protocol developed by mycologist Paul Stamets that combines three ingredients taken together: Lion’s Mane mushroom (for nerve growth factor), niacin (to help the psilocybin cross the blood-brain barrier more efficiently), and a low dose of psilocybin. The stack is typically run on a four-days-on, three-days-off schedule. The Stamets Stack is the protocol most commonly associated with cognitive optimization. Read more in the Neural Farmer Guide →

Intuitive Protocol

An alternative to scheduled protocols in which the practitioner microdoses based on how they feel rather than on a fixed calendar. Used most often by people doing creative work or by those who have been practicing long enough to have a calibrated sense of when the medicine is needed. Less researched than the Fadiman or Stamets approaches but common in practice. Read more in the Dream Spore Guide →

MCRDSE Movement Protocol

A sustained daily-practice protocol designed for practitioners who are integrating microdosing into an existing contemplative practice — meditation, yoga, somatic work, or other daily inner work. The emphasis is on small, regular doses held inside a larger practice rather than on a dose-response cycle. Read more in the Cosmic Spacer Guide →

The Evening Protocol

A variation of the Fadiman protocol with the dose taken in the evening rather than the morning. Often used by parents and caregivers whose days are too unpredictable for morning dosing, and by people whose primary goal is mood regulation rather than cognitive or creative performance. Read more in the Wandering Spore Guide →

Cycling

The practice of running a microdosing protocol for a defined period — typically four to eight weeks — and then taking a break of two weeks or more before starting a new cycle. Cycling is intended to prevent tolerance, preserve efficacy, and create space for integration between active periods.

Substances and compounds

Psilocybin

The prodrug (inactive form) found in psychedelic mushrooms. When you ingest psilocybin, your body converts it to psilocin, which is the compound that actually produces the effects. Psilocybin is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States. Read more in Psilocybin vs Psilocin →

Psilocin

The active compound that psilocybin is converted to in the body. Psilocin is what binds to the serotonin receptors and produces the psychedelic or subperceptual effects. When researchers talk about “psilocybin effects” they are almost always talking about psilocin’s activity, filtered through the conversion process. Read more in Psilocybin vs Psilocin →

5-HT2A receptor

A specific type of serotonin receptor where psilocin (and other classical psychedelics) exerts most of its effects. The 5-HT2A receptor is also the binding site for most antidepressants, which is why SSRIs and psilocybin often interact in unexpected ways. Understanding this receptor is the single most important piece of pharmacology for microdosers. Read more in The 5-HT2A Serotonin Receptor →

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation, sleep, appetite, and many other functions. The relationship between psilocybin and serotonin is the core of most modern psychedelic pharmacology — psilocin mimics serotonin at specific receptor sites, which is why the medicine produces the effects it does and why certain medications can block those effects. Read more in The 5-HT2A Serotonin Receptor →

Niacin

Vitamin B3. In the Stamets Stack specifically, niacin is included because it causes a temporary flushing response that opens capillaries and may help psilocybin cross the blood-brain barrier more efficiently. The dose used in the stack is typically 100-200mg, taken with the psilocybin and Lion’s Mane.

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

A culinary and medicinal mushroom that is not psychedelic. Lion’s Mane is included in the Stamets Stack because it contains compounds (hericenones and erinacines) that stimulate nerve growth factor — a protein involved in the growth and maintenance of neurons. Lion’s Mane is legal and widely available as a supplement.

Mushroom species

Psilocybe cubensis

The most commonly cultivated psilocybin-containing mushroom species in the world. The “Golden Teacher” strain is one of the most well-known cubensis varieties and is associated with the Cosmic Spacer archetype. Cubensis is relatively easy to cultivate and produces a consistent alkaloid profile, which is why it dominates both research and informal use. Read more in the Cosmic Spacer Guide →

Psilocybe semilanceata

The European wild psilocybin mushroom, commonly known as the “Liberty Cap.” Small, slender, and pointed, it grows in pastures across much of Europe and parts of North America. Associated with the Wandering Spore archetype. The name “liberty cap” refers to the Phrygian cap of the French Revolution — a symbol of freedom. Read more in the Wandering Spore Guide →

Amanita muscaria

The iconic red-and-white-spotted “Fly Agaric” mushroom familiar from fairy tales and children’s books. Amanita muscaria is psychoactive but not through psilocybin — its active compounds are muscimol and ibotenic acid, which work on a completely different receptor system than classical psychedelics. Associated with the Dream Spore archetype as a symbol, but the mushroom itself is not used for microdosing.

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi)

A medicinal, non-psychedelic mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than two thousand years. Reishi is associated with immune support, sleep quality, and stress response. Included in the Shadow Root archetype’s symbolic identity because of its deep, slow, grounding qualities, but not part of any psilocybin microdosing protocol.

Inonotus obliquus (Chaga)

A medicinal fungus that grows on birch trees in cold northern forests, traditionally used for longevity and immune support in Siberian and Northern European traditions. Non-psychedelic. Associated with the Grove Keeper archetype because of its role in the traditional longevity practices of the communities that harvested it.

Pharmacology and neuroscience

Default Mode Network

A set of interconnected brain regions that is most active when you are not focused on a specific task — during mind-wandering, rumination, and self-referential thinking. The Default Mode Network is the voice in your head replaying your day and rehearsing future conversations. Research suggests psilocybin quiets this network, which is part of why psychedelic experiences can feel “ego-softening.” Read more in The Default Mode Network →

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s capacity to form new neural connections and reorganize existing ones. Research suggests psilocybin — even at microdose levels — temporarily increases markers of neuroplasticity, opening what researchers sometimes call a “plasticity window” during which the brain is more receptive to change. This is the proposed mechanism for why the practice-and-integration work around a dose may matter more than the dose itself. Read more in Psilocybin and Neuroplasticity →

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor)

A protein that supports the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons in the brain. Higher BDNF levels are associated with learning, memory, and emotional resilience. Research suggests that psilocybin and other 5-HT2A agonists may temporarily increase BDNF levels, which is part of the proposed mechanism for how the medicine supports neuroplasticity. Read more in Psilocybin and Neuroplasticity →

Serotonin syndrome

A rare but serious condition that can occur when too many serotonergic substances are combined in the body at once — typically involving SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tramadol, and certain serotonergic psychedelics. At microdose levels of psilocybin alone the risk is very low, but the risk rises sharply when combining with other serotonergic medications. Know what you are taking. Read more in Serotonin Syndrome and Psychedelics →

Tolerance

The body’s adaptation to a substance over repeated exposure, typically resulting in diminished effects at the same dose. Psilocybin has an unusually steep tolerance curve — effects drop sharply with consecutive daily doses. This is why most microdosing protocols deliberately schedule rest days, and why the Fadiman schedule (one on, two off) was designed the way it was.

Microdose

The technical definition: a dose of a psychedelic substance below the threshold of perceptual effects. For psilocybin mushrooms this usually means 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried material. The point is not to “get a little high” — the point is to stay below the threshold where the medicine becomes a psychedelic at all, while still engaging the subtler neurochemical effects.

Afterglow

The period of elevated mood, openness, and cognitive flexibility that can follow a psychedelic experience or a microdosing session. At microdose levels the afterglow is usually subtle — a slightly lifted day, a softening of anxious patterns — rather than the dramatic afterglow sometimes reported after full-dose experiences.

Practice concepts

Set and setting

A framework coined by psychologist Timothy Leary in the 1960s, referring to the psychological “set” of the person taking the medicine (mindset, intention, expectations) and the physical and social “setting” of where they take it. Set and setting are the two variables most responsible for shaping the experience, regardless of the dose. Even at microdose levels, attention to set and setting matters.

Integration

The work of making meaning from a psychedelic or microdosing experience and translating insights into changes in daily life. Integration includes journaling, therapy, contemplative practice, somatic work, and conversations with trusted friends. Most practitioners and researchers agree that integration is where the real change happens — the medicine opens a door, integration is what you do in the room you walk into.

Stacking

A general term for combining substances intentionally. The Stamets Stack is a specific well-known example, but stacking can also refer to more informal combinations — Lion’s Mane plus morning adaptogens, for instance. Stacking is not inherently safer or more effective; it should be approached with the same care as any single-substance protocol.

Bad trip

A difficult or distressing psychedelic experience. At microdose levels, classical “bad trips” are rare because the dose is deliberately below the threshold where psychedelic experience occurs. What microdosers sometimes describe as a “bad day” on a microdose is usually better understood as amplified existing emotional material rather than a trip in the traditional sense.

Placebo effect

The phenomenon where a treatment produces real effects not because of its active ingredients but because of the person’s belief in it. Placebo is not “fake” — it produces measurable changes in the body and brain. The relationship between microdosing and placebo is an open question in the research: controlled studies have shown smaller-than-expected effects, which some interpret as “microdosing is mostly placebo” and others interpret as “the controlled setting strips away what makes the practice work in real life.”

Contraindication

A condition or factor that makes a particular practice unsafe or inadvisable. For microdosing, the primary contraindications are: a personal or family history of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, current use of SSRIs or MAOIs, pregnancy, and certain cardiovascular conditions. Contraindications are not suggestions — if any of these apply to you, this is not a self-guided decision. Consult a qualified clinician.

Movement-specific

Archetype

In the Movement’s framework, an archetype is one of seven patterns that describes a person’s relationship with the practice. Each archetype has its own protocol, voice, and content path. The quiz sorts visitors into one of the seven based on what they are actually here for — healing, performance, presence, creativity, depth, or longevity. The word is borrowed loosely from depth psychology but used in a specifically movement-native way. Take the quiz to find your archetype →

The Seven Archetypes

Wandering Spore (mood and emotional regulation), Shadow Root (trauma and deep healing), Neural Farmer (cognitive performance), Dream Spore (creative flow), The Connector (presence in relationships), Cosmic Spacer (sustained daily practice), and Grove Keeper (cognitive longevity). Each archetype has a dedicated Practice guide, a result page, and a curated content path across the site.

Spore Squad

A long-arc concept for the Movement’s editorial future: community members who have lived a particular archetype for long enough and write well enough to be invited into the editorial team for that archetype’s content path. A Wandering Spore who has walked the practice for two years might eventually be invited to help write, review, and hold the anti-slop standard for the Wandering Spore section of the site. Not a v1 feature — a direction.

Brand firewall

The editorial principle that the public-facing Movement site does not sell, promote, or financially benefit from any specific product. No product mentions, no purchase CTAs, no links to shop pages. Product recommendations live behind the email gate, in personalized welcome sequences that come after a visitor takes the quiz. The public site is education; the funnel is where products enter the conversation.