Microdosing Mescaline: What You Need To Know

Everyone knows the term "microdosing" these days. Within certain communities, it’s fairly common practice to microdose LSD and psilocybin, but much less so with mescaline. Nevertheless, it seems promising, and we think it beneficial to share what we know.

In this article, we explore how to microdose mescaline.

Note: very little is known about microdosing this drug, and so everything below is taken from anecdotal evidence and assumptions about microdosing other drugs. If you follow this advice, be well aware that it’s not entirely accurate.

What is mescaline?

Mescaline is a psychotropic alkaloid produced in a variety of cacti. These cacti grow naturally throughout Central and South America, with the most famous being peyote and San Pedro. While taking natural mescaline is the most common way to consume it, synthesised mescaline can also be taken. However, this is hard to come by and tends to be very expensive.

Growing your own mescaline can take a very long time, depending on the species of cactus you choose to grow. Peyote, the strongest and most famous of the mescaline cacti, can take up to a decade to develop enough mescaline “buttons” for a single trip. While this may not be very appealing for the casual psychonaut, this cactus has a long history of traditional usage in Central American cultures.

For those who want something a little faster, San Pedro or Peruvian torch can be grown much faster at home, yielding trip-worthy doses of mescaline within a single growing season. Otherwise, it’s quite possible to buy cuttings of these cacti commercially, which are ready to be used immediately. While mescaline is an illegal psychedelic in many locations, the cacti themselves tend to be easy to get a hold of.

Why would you microdose mescaline?

When thinking of microdosing, people usually think of LSD or psilocybin. While it’s less common, it is also possible to successfully microdose mescaline. Understanding how to dose this drug can be a little tricky compared to other psychedelics, but some people report very desirable effects compared to other drugs.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that microdosing mescaline can:

• Increase focus
• Increase your motivation to finish tasks
• Provide clean, long-lasting energy
• Enhance feelings of positivity

What exactly is a mescaline microdose?

While it’s possible to give general guidelines for microdosing, everyone has to ultimately discover their own microdose. This is because, as microdoses are so small (it’s in the name), there is very little leeway before they become regular doses. Finding a microdose is a fine art, because it should enhance how you feel while simultaneously remaining sub-perceptual. This means that while you should notice a slight lift, you should not feel high, and certainly shouldn’t start tripping.

Another issue specific to mescaline is the consumption method. Usually, these days, people cook mescaline cacti and drink the solution. This is great for a macrodose, but makes it basically impossible to accurately measure a microdose. Therefore, it’s recommended to dry and grind your cactus, and then consume the dried powder. This way, the powder can be weighed, making the dose much more accurate.

So, given this, we would advise microdosing about 0.5 grams of dried powder. A macrodose is about 20 grams, so a microdose is about 2.5% of a normal dose. This highlights just how small it should be.

As the next section will cover, there are other factors to consider that will determine what a microdose could be.

Different types of mescaline

As mentioned, there are many different mescaline cacti. Each cactus contains varying levels of mescaline, which makes it hard to dose. Moreover, mescaline levels not only vary across species, but between individual cacti too.

Age, growing environment, stress, and nutrients in the soil all affect how potent a mescaline cactus will turn out. So unless you’re an experienced grower, you won’t really be able to know how potent your specimens will be prior to trying them.

For the average person buying mescaline commercially, there’s only so much you can do to remedy this. The main factor you can control is species. Generally, San Pedro is easy to find, as is information regarding its usage. Therefore, if you want to have some idea of what you’re in for, then stick to San Pedro.

After that, a “normal” macrodose is usually between 25 and 30cm of cactus. So if you dry and grind this, you’ll know it contains (very roughly) 20 grams of mescaline.

How to microdose mescaline

Having said all that, we’ll now try to give a very rough estimate for microdosing various species of mescaline cacti so we don’t leave anyone lacking information. Just be aware that the numbers given below aren’t accurate, and you will need to personally experiment around them to find your comfortable dose.

• Peyote: 0.25–1 gram
• San Pedro: 0.5–1 gram
• Peruvian torch: 2.5–10 grams
• Pure mescaline: 5–40 milligrams

When microdosing, start at the low end and work your way up. This is less about safety and more about functionality. If you can feel the effects, at low doses this tends to mainly cause discomfort and distraction, which is counterproductive. The key to microdosing is finding the minimum amount you can take for the desired outcome, not the maximum.

In terms of how often to take it, there is no true consensus. What appears to be most common is to dose once every third day—this is the case across the board with microdosing. Some people dose every day, while others only do it only occasionally, when the time seems right. The thinking behind doing it once every third day is to prevent the onset of a strong tolerance, and to give the mind and body a break.

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)

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What are the effects of microdosing mescaline?

If you get the dose right, then anecdotal evidence suggests you can hope to experience the following effects:

• Greater creativity
• Flow states
• Improved mood
• Greater empathy
• Self-awareness and insight
• The ability to make and break cognitive habits

If you dose too high, then expect to feel some discomfort. You’re unlikely to have a bad trip; rather, you will probably feel agitated and unable to properly focus—quite the opposite to what you’re hoping to achieve!

What are the side effects of microdosing mescaline?

There are few side effects to microdosing, so long as you actually get the dose low enough. However, studies about microdosing mescaline are basically non-existent, and so it’s hard to say what the side effects might be if you continue to take it long term.

The main side effect to be aware of is increased energy. While this is desirable, it can also disrupt sleep. To avoid this, dose early in the day so that your body has time to clear it by the time you go to bed.

Microdosing mescaline: Should you do it?

All microdosing is somewhat of an experiment, as there is very little hard evidence to say what effects it might have, or how best to do it. This is especially true with mescaline. Psilocybin and LSD are (relatively) common when it comes to microdosing, and there’s a fair amount of information available regarding them. This is not the case for mescaline.

So, if you fancy trying out mescaline, be aware that you’re going to be somewhat of a guinea pig, forging a brighter future for us all. Given that, take care of yourself, listen to your mind and body, and don’t do anything stupid!

Max Sargent

Max has been writing for over a decade, and has come into cannabis and psychedelic journalism in the last few years. Writing for companies such as Zamnesia, Royal Queen Seeds, Cannaconnection, Gorilla Seeds, MushMagic and more, he has experience in a broad spectrum of the industry.

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