Truffles and microdosing: where to start
Why do truffles, mushrooms and microdosing keep getting mixed up? The same words get used for different products, and most people arrive with half an answer and plenty of curiosity.
Psilocybin is the compound in both magic mushrooms and magic truffles, which the body converts to psilocin. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies and truffles are sclerotia, the underground part, so they are related but not the same product.
This is the home for our guides on both, and on microdosing, for anyone sorting out the terms or weighing up a product.
Where to start
- I am sorting out the vocabulary. Begin with Magic mushrooms and truffles: same conversation, different products, which the other guides build on.
- I am curious about microdosing. Read Microdosing: the idea, the research and the reality, then Microdosing products and protocols explained.
- I want to know what an experience involves. Start with What to expect from magic truffles: effects, variability and cautions, then Truffle safety, difficult experiences and getting support.
The guides, in reading order
- Magic mushrooms and truffles: same conversation, different products: How do they relate, and what did clinical trials test?
- Magic truffle varieties: what changes between the names?: Which truffle names are species, which are trade names, and what is known about strength?
- What to expect from magic truffles: effects, variability and cautions: What happens after eating them, and why does the same pack differ between people?
- Truffle safety, difficult experiences and getting support: Who should avoid psilocybin, what can a difficult experience look like, and where is support?
- Microdosing: the idea, the research and the reality: What did placebo-controlled studies measure, and how does the reality compare with the idea?
- Microdosing products and protocols explained: What is in a microdosing pack, and where did the popular schedules come from?
- Mushroom grow kits: what they are, what the law says and the lawful alternatives: What is a grow kit, and what are the alternatives?
Before you buy anything
The rules depend on the country and the exact product, and Buying in the Netherlands and EU: check the product and the country shows how to check. Supplements, herbs and medication: how to check a combination matters if you take any medicine. The safety guide covers who should check with a professional first.
Related guides and hubs
- Start here: what is a smartshop?: the entry guide, if the whole area is new to you.
- How to read a supplement label (and a lab certificate): from the Buying and rules hub.
- Parent hub: Smartshop. Neighbouring areas: Kratom, and Plants and botanicals.
Last updated: 14 October 2026