Coffee may be your mind-sharpening tool of choice, but some of Silicon Valley's brightest brains are relying on something substantially stronger for their morning pick-me-up.
Young professionals in the technological hub are microdosing on lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and magic mushrooms to help them to concentrate, increase productivity and enhance creativity, according to Rolling Stone.
By routinely taking a minuscule amount – about 10 micrograms of LSD, or 0.2-0.5 grams of mushrooms, a tenth of a normal dose – users are said to benefit from the illegal drugs' "subperceptual" effects.
Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies told the magazine that the dose, usually taken in the morning before starting work, is enough "to feel a little bit of energy lift, a little bit of insight, but not so much that you are tripping."
Microdosing is said to be a worldwide trend, though author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide James Fadiman has reportedly observed a "steady, consistent stream" of users who originate in the San Francisco area.
"What people say is that whatever they're doing, they seem to be doing it a little better," Fadiman told Live Science. "They're a little kinder, a little bit nicer with their kids."
The psychologist and researcher at Sofia University in Palo Alto said the innovation-boosting strategy has not only been seen to alleviate depression, migraines and chronic-fatigue syndrome, but is also "an extremely healthy alternative to [amphetamine] Adderall."
Though negative accounts of microdosing are not uncommon, one regular user told the site that he has had positive results from taking small amounts of mushrooms when working creatively.
"It's like the coffee to wake up the mind-body connection. When I notice it is working, depending on the dosage, time seems to be slowing down a bit, everything seems covered with a layer of extra significance," said Amsterdam-based Martijn Schirp, adding that the experience gave him the positives of using hallucinogens (magic mushrooms are legal to purchase in Amsterdam) without feeling overwhelmed.
Matt Johnson, a psychologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told Live Science the scientific grounds and long-term effects of microdosing were still under-researched and that its perceptibility may be no more than a placebo effect, given the dose of the drug is so minute.
As with all illegal drug use, experts warn that the composition of such substances is impossible to guarantee. Hallucinogenics can cause psychotic reactions, intense hallucinations and paranoia, while LSD was this year blamed for the death of 15-year-old Arthur Cave, son of singer Nick Cave, who fell from a cliff after taking the drug.
