Podcast episode 132 (in German)
Psilocybin – from six point six to three point six, and what users experience
November 9, 2026
In Germany, psilocybin is in the same schedule of the Narcotics Act as LSD, and in the US an approval application for the mushroom compound is under way. Alongside this, the microdosing trend is growing — the episode takes both stories seriously and keeps them cleanly apart.
What it is about
In the body, psilocybin is converted into psilocin, which binds to serotonin receptors in the cerebral cortex; the idea for depression is that entrenched patterns loosen. The episode follows the effect in treatment-resistant depression from the first large study to the larger ones, in which it turned out about half as large, and to the German study that missed its primary goal. Then microdosing: many people feel it does them good, but in blinded studies it does no more than the empty capsule. The episode takes seriously what people report: more well-being and creativity, and in the high-dose studies above all connectedness with oneself, others and the world. The experience is real; it just comes more from what you do around the mushroom. At the end stand the people for whom it can tip over.
Key points
- In the phase 2 study with 233 people with treatment-resistant depression, the highest dose level was 6.6 points ahead of the comparison after 3 weeks, on a scale up to 60 with a starting value of 32.
- In the larger phase 3 studies, the lead shrank to 3.6 points in 258 people and 3.8 in 581 people, both statistically clear, so far known only from company announcements.
- The German EPIsoDE study with 144 people missed its primary goal: response after 6 weeks in 17 versus 12.5 and 10.6 percent; the secondary goals pointed to a marked reduction in symptoms.
- In the follow-up of the same group, the depression scale after 6 and after 12 months was on average almost 8 points below baseline — albeit without a comparison group.
- In the largest microdosing study, 191 people blinded themselves for 4 weeks with filled and empty capsules; well-being, mood and creativity improved equally in both groups.
- A 2026 review of 11 studies with just over 3,000 people who take mushrooms in small amounts found many reported improvements; around 86 percent had started without any medical reason behind it.
- Among around 3,500 study participants, there were no serious incidents in healthy people, but in around 4 percent of those with a pre-existing mental illness there was worsening, suicidal behavior, psychoses or seizures.
Where the data stop
An effect of the high dose level in treatment-resistant depression is probably real, but about half as large as the first finding, and 3 to 4 points is a size that would be debated for any drug. All the studies include hours of conversations, and the relationship with the therapist helps determine the result; how much is due to the substance and how much to the attention has not been separated by anyone. With long-term intake of small amounts, a risk to the heart valves is considered unresolved.
In studies, the risks are shielded by selection and supervision; at home they are not. An analysis of 354 Reddit comments from people with bipolar disorder shows both sides: less depression as well as mania and psychosis. Anyone considering it because of depression should ask a psychiatrist, not a dealer, and should not stop antidepressants on their own. In Germany, psilocybin is prohibited outside of studies and, since summer 2025, a compassionate use program, and at the end of September 2026 it was not approved as a medicine anywhere.
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Published on November 9, 2026.
The topic in the database
- Active compound of certain mushrooms that is converted into psilocin in the body and binds to serotonin receptors.Psilocybin
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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-10-09.