Microdosing Edibles: Everything You Need to Know

Microdosing is one of the latest ideas that many people are trying, and you might be wondering, what does microdosing mean? A microdose is just a small fraction of the recommended dose (1). 

If this sounds a little confusing, don’t worry. Everything that you need to know about microdoses will be explained here. 

Edibles

When you’re making homemade edibles, you’re in control of the dose. With cannabis gummies, you get to decide precisely how much CBD or THC oil you add to each batch of your gummies. 

Since the dose is easy to regulate, many people prefer cannabis gummies for this reason alone. 

That aside, these treats are a simple and creative way to enjoy edible cannabis. You aren’t just experimenting with doses, you’re also experimenting with a range of different flavors.

Microdosing has become more popular with edibles since many people have discovered that they can still access many therapeutic benefits at just a fraction of the normal dose.

Therefore, if you want to cut back or save on your main ingredient, then microdosing could be the solution you’re after. 

What is microdosing exactly?

By definition, a microdose is equivalent to 1% of the normal dose, and it doesn’t exceed 100 micrograms.

Micrograms are very tiny units of measurement. For example, 100 micrograms are the equivalent of 0.1 milligrams. 

Therefore, a microdose is a small fraction of the dose that’s typically given. 

However, when it comes to edibles, 0.1 milligrams or less is an insanely small quantity to measure. You would need lab equipment such as a pipette to accurately measure that amount of THC or CBD oil. 

Because of this, a microdose has a much broader definition when it comes to homemade goods, and it doesn’t need to be precisely 100 micrograms or less. 

Let’s say you usually add three drops of oil to your batch of gummies, and you decide to add half a drop instead. In that case, your altered dose would be a microdose because it’s a small fraction of the original dose. 

The concept of microdosing has been around for a long time. For example, if a particular medicine is too strong for someone, doctors might consider microdosing so that their patient can tolerate the treatment. 

However, that isn’t the only medical use for microdosing. Another example is when a new treatment is being tested for the first time in a clinical trial. 

Clinicians start with microdoses first and gradually increase the dose to ensure the treatment is safe. 

Many people have picked up on these concepts and realized that microdosing can help refine their homemade edibles. 

For instance, if you’ve noticed that the therapeutic benefits of your gummies are great, except the oil you’re using is a little strong, then you can add a fraction of what you usually would so that you can tolerate it better. 

Sometimes the recommended dose is not perfect for everyone, and you can still get all of the therapeutic benefits you need from a smaller dose. 

Another example of when microdosing your gummies is helpful is when you experiment with these edibles for the first time. 

Like those clinical trials mentioned earlier, you can start with a microdose and gradually increase it until you find the one that works best for you. 

Doing so is a very safe option and can put your mind at ease if you’re a little worried about trying something new. 

It’s important to note that edibles are one of the safest ways of consuming cannabis. Reactions from edibles are pretty rare. 

What are the benefits of microdosing?

The main benefits of microdosing include the following:

• You can cut back and save on your main ingredients.
• You can save money. 
• You can find the exact quantity that’s right for you.
• You don’t have to worry about how you might respond to edibles for the first time.
• You can potentially prevent intoxication while enjoying the therapeutic benefits that edibles offer.
• You can monitor your doses more closely.

Does microdosing work?

Because microdoses are tiny, some people are sensitive to these doses while others are not. 

If you try microdosing, you’ll have to experiment a little until you find the perfect dose for you. 

Unfortunately, microdosing doesn’t work for everyone as some people aren’t sensitive to smaller doses. 

If you use edibles frequently or have taken considerably high doses in the past, then you may have built up a tolerance. As a result, microdoses might have no effect on you. 

That aside, many people have reported success from microdosing, so it might be worth trying. 

How to microdose

You have two ways to try microdosing.

1. The first involves adding a small fraction of the dose that you would typically add to your cannabis gummies. For example, you can start with an amount that’s 10 % of the original dose. From here, you can add slightly more or less if you think it needs further refinement. 
2. The second method involves adding your usual dose and chopping your gummies into halves or quarters. Then you can have one half or quarter at a time, instead of an entire gummy. 

Is microdosing the same as a placebo?

A placebo is a mock treatment that has no biological effect on the person taking it. However, researchers have discovered that placebos can still produce an effect to some extent because people receiving a placebo treatment have claimed that they feel better (2). 

Because of this, placebos have baffled some researchers since this suggests that the mind can trick the body into thinking that it’s feeling better.  

A microdose isn’t considered a placebo because it contains a dose of a medicine or a substance that’s known to produce a biological effect. 

Despite this, some people claim that microdoses are placebos because the dose is too small; how could it possibly have an effect? Whether this is true or not is debatable. 

Regardless of whether a placebo effect or a minor biological effect is at play, other people aren’t so worried about the mechanism. If it works, it works. 

Again, this comes back to finding a dose that works for you and everyone responds differently to edibles.

You’re in control of how much CBD or THC is added to your edibles, so the dose you add is ultimately your choice. 

Is microdosing safe?

For edibles like cannabis gummies, microdosing is very safe as long as you can keep track of your dose. 

If you add smaller doses to your gummies, you might be tempted to eat more. In this case, you need to keep track of how many you’ve eaten as several microdoses could lead to one big dose. 

Other than that, you have nothing else to worry about in terms of safety for your cannabis gummies. 

In fact, microdosing can improve the safety of your edibles, especially when they’re taken with alcohol. 

Alcohol can make the effects of edible cannabis hit harder and faster. Therefore, microdosing could potentially prevent this from happening or reduce the severity (3). 

However, it might be worth noting that while microdosing is safe for edibles, it might not be safe to microdose other medications you’re on as your doctor would have prescribed that particular dose for a reason. 

Summary

Many people have tried microdosing their edibles and have reported excellent results. If you’ve thought about cutting back your dose, then microdosing is worth trying.