Once in capsules, controlling the dosage for microdosing is easy and ensures a consistent potency throughout the batch. You also avoid any bad taste when swallowing the capsules - no longer having to chew on dried mushrooms. Here is how to about about making mushroom capsules...
Before you can start making mushroom capsules you will need to dry and grind the mushrooms that you have. The goal of drying mushrooms is to remove all moisture from the fruit without breaking down any medicinal compounds. Prolonged exposure to light and high temperatures during the drying process can break down these medicinal compounds, like psilocybin and other tryptamine derivatives.. The chart below shows that drying at 77F (25C) is best, however, there is not a large decrease in the stability of tryptamines until the temperature goes above 212F (100C). For best results, keep the mushrooms in the dark as much as possible.
Food Dehydrator: (Our personal choice) Using a food dehydrator will dry the mushrooms using a combination of heat and airflow. We like to dry at ~120F (~50C) for 8hrs or longer until they are cracker dry. Cracker dry means the stems will not just bend, but will break when bent. If not fully dry, the mushrooms will not grind as well and will develop mold when stored. Drying time may vary depending on mushroom size. Slicing large mushrooms can decrease drying time.
Box Fan: Place mushrooms on a paper towel and point the fan to blow over the mushrooms. This method will take a lot longer since it will be drying at room temperature. You can run into the problem that as moisture evaporates, the mushrooms will be lighter and may be blown away during the drying time.
Oven: Set the oven to the lowest setting. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and separate mushrooms a few centimeters apart. Place the sheet on the lowest rack in the oven. It is important to leave the oven door open so it doesn’t get too hot. Check periodically and take them out once fully dry to avoid keeping them in high heat for longer than is necessary.
Once dried the mushrooms need to be ground. Mortar and pestle are the most basic way to grind. It takes some work to grind everything manually, and not ideal if you are grinding a lot of mushrooms. A coffee or spice grinder is the best option because it’s low cost and you can easily grind a lot of mushrooms. Food processors or blenders can also work, and most people already have them in their kitchen. No matter what option you choose, you want to get the mushrooms ground into a fine dust. This way, you can pack the capsules fully and more consistently.
We recommend getting a capsule filler for making mushroom capsules. These devices allow you to make a lot of capsules at once and give better consistency when it comes to the dose in each capsule. Before buying a capsule filler, you will have to decide what size capsules you want to make. For microdosing, we recommend using size 0 or 00; they will hold up to 600mg and 900mg respectively when fully packed.
If you don't have a capsule filler, you will have to fill the capsules by hand. To do this, repeatedly press the longer capsule bottom into the loose mushroom powder until it is full. Then take a tamping tool and press the powder into the capsule tube. Repeat this enough times to completely fill the capsule with tamped mushroom powder. You then press the capsule top until you hear or feel a click.
Here is a step by step protocol of how we make our capsules using a 100 hole “00” size capsule filler. This process for making mushroom capsules, however, should be the same for most capsules fillers on the market. You can refer to Figure 1. below for a visual aid.
3. Put the Spill Guard over the Body Plate containing the bodies of the capsules, and pour the powder over them. Use the Powder Spreader to fill all the capsules.
4. Use the Pressing Plate to tamp down the powder in the capsules.
5. Repeat pouring powder and tamping until the capsules are full.
