For Shroomers, By Shroomers: The Best Psilocybin Resources Online (2026)
Last updated April 28, 2026
If you’re new to psilocybin, microdosing, or psychedelic medicine — or if you’ve been around for years but want to find the smartest people writing and talking about it — this is the page for you.
We’ve spent the last year following every Substack newsletter, podcast, subreddit, YouTube channel, and research publication that consistently produces good thinking on psychedelics. Some of it is harm reduction. Some of it is research synthesis. Some of it is policy reporting. Some of it is honest, vulnerable personal experience writing.
What this list excludes: pseudo-shaman influencers, multi-level marketing schemes, anyone selling certainty, anyone who can’t acknowledge the placebo problem in microdose research, and people who think Joe Rogan invented the psychedelic renaissance.
This isn’t a complete list — the field is moving too fast for that. But these are the resources we keep coming back to. If you read 5-10 of these regularly, you’ll know more about psilocybin than 99% of the population.
A note on terminology: We use “psychonaut” (the more searched, traditional term) and “shroomer” (the more friendly, colloquial term we’re trying to mainstream). Use whichever feels right.
Substack Newsletters Worth Subscribing To
Tier 1: Essential
The Microdose — Run by UC Berkeley’s Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. Probably the single most reliable source for daily psychedelic news. Newsletter format, free. Editorial voice is journalistic, careful, well-sourced. If you only subscribe to one psychedelic newsletter, make it this one.
Lucid News — Long-form journalism on psychedelics, drug policy, and consciousness. More analysis than news. Good for understanding the deeper currents under headlines.
DoubleBlind Magazine — The premier psychedelic publication. High editorial standards, real investigative reporting, balanced view. Their podcast is also excellent.
Psychedelic Spotlight — Daily news aggregation focused on the business and policy side. Useful for tracking what’s happening in clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies, and state legislation.
Tier 2: Highly Recommended
Psychedelic Alpha — More technical, business-focused. They maintain the most comprehensive psychedelic legislation tracker on the internet. Subscribe if you care about policy details.
Mind Parachutes by Hamilton Morris — Hamilton Morris (of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia) on Substack. Less frequent but always worth reading. Approaches psychoactive substances with serious chemistry knowledge and ethnobotanical depth.
Rachel Nuwer — Science journalist, author of I Feel Love (about MDMA). Excellent reporting on psychedelic clinical research and policy.
Tier 3: Specialty
Drug Reporter — Drug policy reform from a Hungarian/European perspective. Useful counterpoint to American-centric coverage.
Andrew Huberman — Sometimes covers psychedelics. Take the neuroscience confidence with appropriate skepticism but the references are useful.
The Way by Andrew Holecek — Buddhism-adjacent, contemplative perspective on psychedelics.
Podcasts to Add to Your Queue
Most Cited
The Joe Rogan Experience — Like it or not, Rogan has had nearly every major figure in the psychedelic renaissance on. The episodes with Rick Strassman (DMT), Dennis McKenna, Hamilton Morris, Roland Griffiths, Marcus Capone (ibogaine), and Rick Perry are legitimately important historical documents at this point. Skip the political tangents.
Tim Ferriss Show — Tim Ferriss has been instrumental in the psychedelic medicine fundraising and credibility push. His episodes with Michael Pollan, Roland Griffiths, James Fadiman, and Paul Stamets are the gateway drug for many microdosers. Generally less posturing, more substance than Rogan.
The Hamilton Morris Podcast — Hamilton Morris has unmatched chemical and ethnobotanical knowledge. If you want to understand a substance deeply, this is the podcast. Notable for actually correcting himself when he gets something wrong.
Specialist / Deep Dive
The Psychedelic Pharmacist Podcast — Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, on the pharmacology of psychedelics. Drug interactions, mechanisms, contraindications. Best resource if you’re on prescription medication and considering psychedelics.
Plus Three by Beckley Foundation — More academic, focuses on the science.
Psychedelics Today — Long-running podcast, broad guest range, focuses on therapeutic use.
The Psychedelic Conversation — Practical psychedelic-assisted therapy focus. Good if you’re considering supervised use in Oregon/Colorado.
The Way Out — Recovery-focused. Excellent for ibogaine + addiction conversations.
Cultural/Personal
The Tim Dillon Show — Not a psychedelics podcast specifically, but Dillon’s takes on the wellness industrial complex around psychedelics are some of the funniest media criticism happening. Useful corrective to earnest psychedelic podcasts.
Subreddits Worth Following
Active and Useful
r/microdosing (~150K members) — The default community. High noise, but the searchable history is genuinely useful. Best for finding out if specific drug interactions are well-documented.
r/psychonaut — Broader psychedelic community. Long history. Good for trip reports and harm reduction.
r/Psilocybin — More focused on psilocybin specifically. Good cultivation discussions for those in legal jurisdictions.
r/Drugs — Broader, less niche. Useful for cross-substance information and harm reduction.
r/CanadianPsilocybin — Canada-specific market discussion. Particularly useful if you’re navigating the grey market dispensary system.
Specialty
r/RationalPsychonaut — Critical thinking community. Less mystical handwaving, more “let’s actually think about this.” Excellent counterweight to enthusiastic subreddits.
r/PsychedelicTherapy — For people interested in supervised therapeutic use.
r/shrooms — General mushroom community, less focused on psychedelic effects.
r/MushroomGrowers — Cultivation discussion (where legal).
r/MDMA, r/LSD — Adjacent psychedelic communities for cross-substance perspectives.
Avoid
Be cautious of:
- Subreddits selling specific products
- Communities that won’t engage with the placebo question
- Anywhere claiming microdosing universally fixes everything
- Communities mocking people who report no benefit
YouTube Channels Worth Your Time
High Quality
Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia (Vice Documentaries) — The standard for serious psychoactive substance documentary. Watch the whole series.
StonedApe Productions / The Joe Rogan Experience clips — For specific guest appearances when you don’t want full 3-hour episodes.
Andrew Huberman Lab — Occasionally covers psychedelics. Take with grain of salt but well-produced.
Sam Harris (Making Sense Podcast video versions) — His episodes with Roland Griffiths and Michael Pollan are essential.
Specialist
Trip Doctor — Practical harm reduction focus. Honest about risks.
Psyched Substance — Detailed drug information presented soberly. Excellent for understanding pharmacology.
The Modern Mystery School — Less academic, more spiritual/integration focus. Useful balance to clinical content.
Paul Stamets channel — The man himself. Mycology focus, but covers psilocybin extensively.
Rick Strassman — DMT researcher. Specific to DMT but contextualizes psychedelics broadly.
Books That Actually Matter
Modern Essential
“How to Change Your Mind” — Michael Pollan (2018). The book that brought the psychedelic renaissance to mainstream readers. Still the best single introduction.
“This Is Your Mind on Plants” — Michael Pollan (2021). Continues the project, covers caffeine/opium/mescaline alongside psychedelics.
“The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide” — James Fadiman (2011). The book that codified Fadiman protocol microdosing. Older but foundational.
“The Psychedelic Healing Handbook” — Multiple authors. More clinically oriented.
“Acid Test” — Tom Shroder. History of MDMA and psychedelic therapy revival. Essential for understanding why this matters now.
“Trip” — Tao Lin. Honest, weird, personal psychedelic memoir from a writer’s perspective. Recommended particularly for anyone trying to write about their experience.
Historical/Contextual
“The Doors of Perception” — Aldous Huxley (1954). Where the modern conversation arguably begins.
“PiHKAL” and “TiHKAL” — Alexander and Ann Shulgin. Massive autobiographical chemistry texts. Foundational for understanding modern psychedelic chemistry.
“Food of the Gods” — Terence McKenna. The Stoned Ape Hypothesis is wrong but the book is intellectually fertile and historically important.
“Mushrooms, Russia and History” — Wasson & Wasson (1957). The founding text of ethnomycology. Hard to find but worth it.
Critical/Skeptical
“Outside Looking In” — T.C. Boyle. Novel about the Harvard psilocybin years. Better than reading another hagiography.
“My Year of Living Trippily” (Ayelet Waldman, A Really Good Day) — Honest microdose memoir that takes the placebo question seriously.
“Better Living Through Chemistry” — broader perspective on psychiatric medication including psychedelics.
Newsletters/Substacks About Adjacent Topics
If you’re interested in psychedelics, you’re probably also interested in:
Chronic illness / mental health — The Honest Broker (Ted Gioia for music/wellbeing), Slime Mold Time Mold (alternative theories of obesity/metabolism), Selfish Activist (mental health critique)
Consciousness / philosophy of mind — Astral Codex Ten (Scott Alexander, comprehensive coverage of psychedelic clinical literature when it touches his interests)
Drug policy — Harm Reduction Coalition, Drug Policy Alliance updates, Marijuana Moment
Ancient/historical context — Tim Pat Coogan, anything by John Marco Allegro (controversial but interesting)
Research Hubs (For The Serious)
If you want to read actual research, not just secondary coverage:
ClinicalTrials.gov — Search “psilocybin” or “psychedelic” — all registered trials.
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) — maps.org — Research, integration resources, advocacy.
Heffter Research Institute — heffter.org — Funding source for many academic psychedelic studies.
Beckley Foundation — beckleyfoundation.org — Drug policy research and consciousness studies.
Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research — hopkinspsychedelic.org — Top US academic institution.
Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research — imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre — Top European academic institution.
Yale Program for Psychedelic Science — psychedelicscience.yale.edu
UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics — psychedelics.berkeley.edu
Psychedelic Alpha Tracker — psychedelicalpha.com/data — The single most comprehensive data resource for legislation, clinical trials, and industry tracking.
Specifically for Veterans
Veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy resources:
VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions) — vetsolutions.org — Sponsors veteran ibogaine treatments. Started by Marcus Capone (Navy SEAL).
Heroic Hearts Project — heroicheartsproject.org — Veteran-focused psychedelic-assisted therapy retreats.
Project Heal — Veteran ibogaine and ayahuasca treatment.
The Mission Within — Tijuana ibogaine clinic specifically for veterans.
Beond Ibogaine — Cancun clinic, free veteran/first-responder program.
Specifically for Therapists/Healthcare Workers
Psilocybin Provider Certification Programs:
- Synthesis Institute (Netherlands)
- California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
- Naropa University
MAPS MDMA Training Program — Standard credential for MDMA-assisted therapy.
Oregon Psilocybin Services Facilitator Program — Required for licensed practice in Oregon.
Specifically for Canadian Psychonauts
If you’re in Canada navigating the grey market or considering supervised therapy:
TheraPsil — therapsil.ca — Advocacy for legal psilocybin access in Canada.
Psychedelic Association of Canada — National advocacy.
Section 56 Exemption Information — Health Canada — How to apply for legal medical access.
Canadian Journal of Public Health — Recent paper on the grey market psilocybin dispensary system: Spring 2026 issue.
What Not to Trust
A short list of red flags:
- “Mushroom chocolate bars” with no strain or species listed — usually research chemicals or nothing at all
- Multi-level marketing structures — anything that wants you to recruit others
- Anyone selling “guaranteed” outcomes — psychedelics don’t work that way
- Vague “shaman” credentials — real lineage practitioners exist; most aren’t running Instagram ads
- Claims that the placebo finding (Imperial 2021) doesn’t matter — it absolutely matters and anyone dismissing it has an agenda
- Anyone who can’t acknowledge that 1 in 5 microdosers report negative side effects
The Honest Bottom Line
The psychedelic renaissance is real, the research is increasingly compelling, and the policy landscape is changing fast. It’s also a space full of grift, magical thinking, and people projecting their own agendas onto compounds that don’t work the way the marketing claims.
The resources above generally err on the side of intellectual honesty. They acknowledge what we don’t know. They don’t oversell. They cite primary sources.
If you find yourself reading something on psychedelics that makes you feel like you’ve been given the secret answer to everything, slow down. The good information is more cautious, more contradictory, and more interesting than the easy answers.
Found a Resource We Missed?
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