Read Time: 8 minutes
If you're interested in using THC for its potential therapeutic benefits without getting completely stoned, you might want to try microdosing. Microdosing offers a great way to enjoy the positive effects of THC without feeling out of it, and it may prove especially helpful for people who need to stay sharp and focused throughout the day. Read on to learn all about the science behind microdosing, where to start, and how to find your ideal serving.
What is microdosing?
Microdosing is a practice where you take a very small amount of a substance like THC throughout the day to get a mild, sustained effect. While microdosing is a fairly old practice, it recently grew in popularity thanks to broader access to plant medicine, like mushrooms and cannabis, when techies wanted to be more creative and less anxious during their stressful day-to-day lives, so they started taking tiny doses of psychedelic substances like LSD or shrooms throughout the day to gain an edge.
As more states legalize cannabis, some people have started using microdosing techniques with THC. Instead of getting really high all at once, they take a tiny serving throughout the day.
The key with microdosing is that it should only have a minimal effect - if you're feeling super high or tripping out, then you're doing it wrong. The idea of microdosing is to get a little nudge —somewhere above your baseline and below a buzz — that won't feel overwhelming or completely intoxicating.
For example, anecdotal evidence suggests that taking a sub-psychoactive serving of THC may lessen feelings of anxiety or paranoia, reduce nausea, soothe sore muscles, and increase focus. The benefits of microdosing include increased creativity and feeling more relaxed at work.
Why do people microdose?
People might microdose for a few different reasons like managing pain, and anxiety, or for a spark of creativity. With that in mind, it's important to note that after years of being federally illegal, there’s very little existing scientific research on microdosing THC, so take these anecdotal reports with a grain of salt.
The broad commercialization of cannabis in legal states led to a rush for cultivators to produce stronger strains for more intense highs. The trend of high-yielding THC products came at the cost of breeding out therapeutic compounds like terpenes and cannabinoids like CBD. Microdosing is more about getting a functional high that doesn't take away from your focus or productivity, and helps you feel your best. For many, being stoned just isn't practical, but you still want some of the potential effects of THC to get through the day.
THC has been studied extensively and may benefit both the mind and body. Evidence suggests it might help reduce your perception of pain, ease inflammation, boost your appetite, reduce nausea or vomiting, and help you sleep.¹ Plus, the euphoric, uplifting, and relaxing high might do wonders for your overall mood. Many of THC's effects directly stem from the high it causes.
However, microdosing cannabis may boost productivity, creativity, and mental function without making you feel super out of it like regular doses of THC can. THC can have some pretty gnarly side effects for some people.² If you take too much, you might feel panicky, confused, or tired. But if you take just a little bit, you might experience some therapeutic effects without all the side effects.
Instead of just getting high on the weekends, people are also starting to use cannabis to help them during the workweek. Now that there's less stigma around THC, more and more people are interested in incorporating cannabis into their daily routines. By taking a low dose, THC may be able to interact with your body in a physiological sense, providing pain relief and making you feel more relaxed or creative without impairing you.
Some people believe that microdosing makes it harder to build up a tolerance to THC. That's because when you take tiny amounts, you don't overwhelm your body's receptors, so you're less likely to get that dull feeling over time. However, this isn't verified by science, so again, take it with a grain of salt.
Last but not least, microdosing cannabis might save you some serious cash. When you take less, you're spending less money—and using smaller doses can also prevent you from building up a tolerance. Less cannabis needed for effect means more money in your pocket. By microdosing correctly, you may keep your cannabinoid tolerance low while still enjoying the benefits of small doses.
What the science says about microdosing THC
While there hasn't been a lot of scientific research on microdosing THC, many people have explored the concept of microdosing with other drugs, including psychedelics. An international study found that 79% of people who microdose report a more positive outlook on life.³
Evidence suggests that it may be helpful to microdose cannabinoids because cannabinoids like THC are biphasic.⁴ That's just a fancy word meaning THC can have very different effects depending on the serving size. In some cases, microdosing might actually work better than taking higher doses of cannabis.
One study found that microdosing THC was effective for pain but didn’t affect cognitive debilitations.⁵ Certain conditions, like anxiety, depression, PTSD, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting, seem to respond particularly well to microdosing compared to full-sized servings. The cool thing about microdosing is that it might provide long-term relief without making you feel all spacey, which makes it a great option for people who need to stay sharp during the day.
While it's generally recommended to take things slow when it comes to consuming or administering cannabis to minimize the risk of adverse side effects, there may be situations where microdosing isn't enough. For instance, some individuals might require larger doses of THC and gradually build up a tolerance to it to effectively manage chronic pain or the side effects of cancer and chemotherapy.
Finding your microdose
When it comes to microdosing cannabis, there are a bunch of different methods you can try. Since everyone's body is unique, finding the proper serving size may take some experimentation. It's a bit of a balancing act— taking too much can leave you feeling unproductive, while taking too little may not do anything at all.
To figure out your ideal serving regimen, it's a good idea to keep a journal of your consumption.⁶ It helps to use something easy to measure, like a tincture or an edible that you can divide into small pieces. Write down what type of product you're using and how much you take each time. Also, pay attention to how it affects you so that you can fine-tune your dosage over time.
If you're currently using THC or CBD, we recommend not taking it for two days, and on the third day (preferably a weekend), take 1mg of THC. Be sure to take note of how you feel before consuming your serving and an hour after. If you don't feel any difference, you might want to increase the serving by another milligram and repeat the process. Once you feel a slight difference, you've found your minimum effective dose.
Once you've figured out your ideal dose, feel free to increase by 1mg increments until you find your therapeutic range where you start to feel slightly high. Once you find that threshold, you can microdose anywhere between your therapeutic range and your minimum dose. For most people experimenting with microdosing, the average THC microdose is 1 to 2.5 milligrams. Keep in mind that you may need more or less depending on your body's natural state and the effects you're looking to experience with your microdose.
Using our THC gummies for microdosing
You might be wondering, why not just stick to CBD? After all, it's technically psychoactive but doesn't get you high. While steering clear of the unknown may feel safe, cutting out THC means missing out on many of the benefits of cannabis since each cannabinoid uniquely affects the body.⁷ For instance, CBD has a calming effect and may suppress appetite, while THC produces euphoria and may stimulate appetite. CBN is a cannabinoid often used to promote sleep. Moreover, cannabinoids tend to work better when they're combined, thanks to the entourage effect.
If you're interested in microdosing THC, our Passion Fruit CBD + THC Gummies might be just what you're looking for.⁸ Each gummy is infused with 50mg of high-potency CBD and 2mg of THC, making them perfect for dividing in half to achieve a microdose. Each gummy is fully emulsified, so splitting the edible in half would give you a good starting point at 1mg of THC and 25mg of CBD. If you’re new to edibles, CBD, or THC, be sure to document how you feel, so you can work your way up to find the dose that works for your needs.
Our Passion Fruit gummies are discreet, portable, and easy-to-measure, making them an ideal choice for the newbie THC microdoser — perfect for taking the edge off a demanding day, offering maximum relief, and a deeper sense of calm. Since our edibles are made with all-natural fruit flavors and full-spectrum CBD, you'll enjoy the benefits of the entourage effect - meaning that the cannabinoids and terpenes found naturally in hemp may work even better together.
______________________________________________________________________
Sources:
¹ https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/blog/post/5-potential-benefits-of-thc
² https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/blog/post/help-i-m-too-high-a-guide-to-not-freaking-out
⁴ https://findclearchoice.com/biphasic/
⁵ https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2020/7/1/study-finds-microdosing-thc-reduces-pain-levels
⁷ https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/blog/post/full-spectrum-gummies-vs-thc-gummies-what-s-the-difference
⁸ https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/products/edibles/full-spectrum-50mg-passion-fruit-gummies