4-HO-DET

(Ethocin, CZ-74)

TrippyWiki score: 9.1/10

What is 4-HO-DET?

4-HO-DET is a psychedelic substance of the tryptamine class. The drug’s effects are almost identical to those of psilocybin mushrooms.

Why choose 4-HO-DET over other psychedelics?

4-HO-DET…

Is almost identical to magic mushrooms, therefore we know a lot about the drugs effects and safety profile from a huge amount of studies and trip reports
Is easier to dose than magic mushrooms
Doesn’t cause as much nausea as magic mushrooms
Is legal in some places of the world
Doesn’t cause any damage to your organs and there is no lethal dose
Will make you trip for 4-8 hours, which allows you to discover many lessons but the trip isn’t too long either
Is, along with other psilocybin alikes, the most effective and reliable psychedelic we know of for treating depression
Is one of the best psychedelics for connecting with nature
Isn’t as stigmatized as synthetic psychedelics, such as LSD
Won’t make you addicted unless you take the drug purely for recreational purposes
Is (along with shrooms or synthetic shrooms) probably the best psychedelic for beginner psychonauts
Tends to be purer than other synthetic psychedelics (although testing the drug is still highly recommended)

Long-term benefits & side effects

Many of the benefits will only occur if you follow the tips below.
Most (if not all) of the side effects are preventable and they will not happen if you follow the Safety checklist.

4-HO-DET…

Makes you appreciate nature more
Is one of the most effective ways to treat depression (after a single psilocybin mushrooms session, depression stays below 50% for at least 6 months and the same likely applies to 4-HO-DET as well)
Can be used to cure addictions (3 psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy sessions lower the rates of tobacco addictions by 80%)
Can lower your levels of stress and anxiety, including social anxiety
Helps you form positive habits, such as meditation and exercise
Increase neuroplasticity
Makes you more creative and open-minded
Helps you look at your life from a different perspective
Allows you to heal your childhood trauma and forgive people who’ve hurt you
Makes you more conscious and loving
Can help you transcend the fear of death
Gives you insights into the nature of reality
Can be used for treating autism
Is an effective way to treat cluster headaches
Can be used as a treatment for PTSD
…

Might not be actual 4-HO-DET and can instead be a physically dangerous substance
Can lead to self-harm for those who take the drug in an unsafe environment
May speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Can cause HPPD and physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Could cause you trauma due to bad set and setting
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis if you’re predisposed to it
Can be psychologically addictive (but only if you take it recreationally)
Can cause seizures in rare cases
Is illegal in some places and you might get arrested for possessing the drug
…

How to take 4-HO-DET

Administration

The best way to take the drug is to swallow it.

Mix the powder with water and drink it.

Ginger helps prepare your stomach and makes the drug less nauseating but it is not necessary.

Dosage

5 mg = Microdose
Best if you’re afraid of tripping and you still want to reap the benefits
10-15 mg = Light dose
Best if you take the drug in nature or for or for solving human problems (business, relationships, …)
15-30 mg = Regular dose
The insights you’ll learn are easier to retain and incorporate than if you were to take higher doses
30-45 mg = Strong dose
This dose is shown to be as effective as the heroic dose in psilocybin therapies while the chance of getting an extremely challenging experience is much lower.
45+ mg = Heroic dose
The mental benefits of a heroic dose are more profound than if you were to take lower doses but a heroic dose is also more likely to cause a bad trip. It is easier to let go on a heroic dose but the intensity can still be difficult to handle. If you are taking psilocybin for spiritual exploration, heroic doses are more effective.

Many psychonauts recommend starting with a light dose.

However, it is not wrong to start at higher doses.

Starting with a regular or a strong dose is usually a better strategy because your ego will have it easier to surrender to the experience, which is extremely important.

You will also not get as many benefits from low doses as if you were to start with higher doses.

It’s been shown that mystical experiences can deeply change your identity and the higher the dose you take, the more intense they will be.

Do not, however, start with a strong dose if you don’t have a trip sitter nearby.

And don’t take super-high doses in nature. The last thing you want is to be lying on the ground for hours outside.

So keep in mind that the higher the dose you take, the more important it is to be in a safe environment.

Some people are more sensitive than others. There are people who can take a strong and feel nothing. This mainly happens to people with autism. Otherwise, it is rare.

Different species also have different amounts of psilocin and psilocybin but don’t worry about this too much.

Equivalents for 1g of shrooms

Dry Mushrooms	1 gram
Fresh Mushrooms	10 grams
Fresh Truffles	7 grams
Dry Truffles	5 grams
Psilocybin	7 mg
4-AcO MiPT	9 mg
4-AcO DIPT	9 mg
4-AcO DMT	9 mg
4-AcO DET	7 mg
4-AcO DPT	13 mg
4-AcO MET	10 mg
4-HO DET	9 mg
4-HO DiPT	8 mg
4-HO DMT	8 mg
4-HO DPT	28 mg
4-HO EPT	25 mg
4-HO MET	9 mg
4-HO MiPT	8 mg
4-HO MPT	10 mg

Safety checklist

Maximize the benefits

Keep in mind that integration is even more important than the trip itself. Taking psychedelics would be almost useless if you didn’t retain any lessons in your day-to-day life.

What will help you the most is contemplating about the experience – be it by journaling, thinking about the trip, or sharing your memories with a trusted friend.

Distracting thoughts can get in the way, which is why you want to spend the day after your trip without TV, social media, and other distractions.

If you can, spend time in silence and solitude. Meditate, go for a walk, contemplate the experience.

Should you listen to music on 4-HO-DET?

Music can make the trip more pleasant and greatly increase the benefits. That is why it is used in most psychotherapy sessions.

However, not all music is created equal. Listening to N.W.A. and 2Pac wouldn’t be so helpful. Even positive, relaxing music with lyrics can be a distraction.

If you decide to listen to music on 4-HO-DET, choose calm, classical music with little to no lyrics.

This playlist used in Johns Hopkins psilocybin studies is proven to be extremely effective:

The author of the playlist, Roland Griffiths, went over hundreds of songs and only chose the best of the best based on how his patients responded to the music.

The music should be loud enough so you can hear it clearly but not unpleasantly loud. If you can, play it in headphones.

Duration

Onset = 15-20 minutes
Come up = 30-40 minutes
Peak = 1-3 hours
Come down = 2-4 hours

You should notice the first effects within 30 minutes after you take the substance
You will reach the maximum effect around the 90-minute mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 4-6 hours
At heroic doses, your trip may last for even longer (up to 12 hours in rare cases)
If you eat food before you take the substance, it will take longer to kick in (up to 90 minutes) and your trip will be weaker

What does 4-HO-DET feel like?

The effects of 4-HO-DET are similar to those of magic mushrooms.

Common short-term effects include:

Euphoria
Connectedness to nature
Increased awareness and consciousness
Mindfulness, being present
Music enhancement
Increased creativity and open-mindedness
Pain relief
Higher capability for love and compassion
Seeing life from a different perspective
Appreciating small things
Expanded sense of self
Feeling one with all that is
Higher energy
Stamina enhancement
Feeling your emotions more intensely
Memory suppression
Inability to sleep
Time distortion
Visual effects (enhanced colors, seeing patterns in everything, distortions, …)
Nausea, vomiting
Getting stuck in a thought loop
Inability to focus
Worse thermoregulation
Increased heart rate
Difficulty urinating
Confusion
Headache
Anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability

The higher dose you take, the more intense these effects will be.

With that said, it is impossible to accurately describe the experience through human language.

The psychedelic affects each individual differently and no two trips are the same. Therefore, there is virtually no way to know what your trip will feel like.

The only way to truly know what 4-HO-DET feels like is to take it.

4-HO-DET will most likely give you a pleasant experience. Bad trips can happen but you can prevent them by following the tips below.

Bad trips

Bad trips mostly happen because people take the substance irresponsibly. If you take this psychedelic the right way, there is virtually no chance you’ll get a bad trip.

In case you still do, that’s good! A “bad” trip isn’t always bad, it can actually be the most healing and insightful moment of your life!

During a “bad” trip, negative emotions are coming up from your subconscious mind. They have always been there whether you are aware of it or not. They have been damaging your life and a difficult trip is an opportunity to process these traumas and unpleasant feelings and let go of them.

The more painful the experience, the more you can heal.

So instead of calling bad trips bad, call them challenging.

If you understand that bad trips are awesome in the long run, not only will you feel more comfortable diving into these challenging states, it will actually excite you!

Why they happen

The most common reasons for getting a bad trip are:

Tripping in an unsafe environment (in public, at a party, even nature doesn’t feel safe if you take higher doses)
Facing difficult times in your day-to-day life (a break-up, death of a loved one, …)
Rejecting to let go and trying to hold on to your ego and control the state
Being afraid of the trip (either because of the stigma around psychedelics or because you are not sure how pure your substance is)
Mixing the psychedelic with alcohol, weed, or other drugs
Expecting a bad trip (it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy)

How to cope with a bad trip

Do not perceive this experience as something bad, remember that facing these difficult emotions is extremely healing
Fully surrender to the experience, do not try to feel good
If you’re alone, call a trusted friend to come over and keep you safe

How to end a bad trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons yet, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

In case the trip becomes extremely challenging and there is no one around you to keep you safe, consider ending your trip with a trip killer.

Using a trip killer usually is not the best idea because the bad emotions will stay unresolved and you will get little to no benefits from the experience. With that said, using a trip killer is smarter than harming yourself.

The 2 best options that you have for ending a bad trip are Phenibut and benzodiazepines. Phenibut is generally safer but it can take a few hours to kick in and end your trip.

So to end a trip, use benzodiazepines. But again, only do it if there is no other way.

Interactions

Qualia Mind
This nootropic is comprised of 28 ingredients designed to support and maximize your brain function. These ingredients act synergistically and many of them will protect you from the potential neurotoxic effects of the psychedelic. Qualia will also make your trips more pleasant and help you retain more benefits from them.
Lion’s Mane and Niacin
Taking Lion’s mane and niacin combined with a microdose of psilocybin or other serotonergic psychedelics can result in significant improvements in neuroplasticity. This combination is also called the “Paul Stamets Stack,” as it was developed by Paul Stamets, a leading expert in mycology. Specifically, paul recommends taking a microdose with 1 gram of dry Lion’s mane and 50-100 mg of niacin every 3rd day.
Ginger
Ginger significantly reduces nausea and can prevent you from vomiting.
Herbs
Along with ginger, other herbs can help you reduce nausea as well. They can also help you calm down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
LSD
These substances act synergistically, some people prefer this combination instead of taking the two individually.
Weed
Marijuana will intensify your trip. If you combine these substances, marijuana will also become more psychedelic for you.
MDMA
These drugs have a synergistic effect but tryptamines might increase the neurotoxicity of MDMA. Also, do not combine the two if you suffer from heart problems.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide will multiply the intensity of your trip.
Dissociatives
Combining dissociatives with psychedelics won’t necessarily cause you harm but it can be confusing and lead to bad trips.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
Benzos will end your psychedelic experience within 40 minutes but using this method may cause you side effects in the long run.
Alcohol
Alcohol minimizes all the potential benefits of a psychedelic experience. It also greatly increases your chance of having a bad trip.
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects.
Lithium
Combining psychedelics with lithium significantly increases the risk of seizures and psychosis.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems, even if you’re a healthy individual.
Tramadol
Combining the two can cause seizures.
St. John’s Wort
This combination may lead to serotonin syndrome.

Microdosing

The effects of microdosing 4-HO-DET are not well-known but since the substance is extremely similar to psilocybin mushrooms, microdosing 4-HO-DET should be almost identical to microdosing shrooms.

If you are not ready to take higher doses, microdosing is a way to go because it can bring similar benefits to your life with even fewer side effects.

Experts in the field generally recommend microdosing every 3rd day. Taking a microdose more often is not a good idea because you would become tolerant to psilocybin and the substance would have little to no effect.

Around 80% of people who take microdoses claim that it has profoundly changed their lives.

For some, microdosing has cured their depression and helped them find beauty in small things. Some also say that they experience significantly less anxiety when they microdose.

Many people take tiny doses of mushrooms to become more creative and productive throughout the day. Microdosing has also been shown to increase athletic performance.

What is awesome about microdosing is that you can stop at any time in case you notice some adverse reaction or if you simply don’t see any benefits.

Legality

As of 2022, 4-HO-DET is illegal in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and a few other countries.

While the drug is not scheduled in the US, you may still get in legal trouble for possessing it because of The Federal Analogue Act.

The drug is not scheduled in Canada and some European countries, where you can legally buy it from a research chemical company like Chemical Collective for chemical research purposes.

In some of these countries, you cannot take the substance legally but whether or not anyone would care or find out is a different story.

In some countries, you can legally own a small amount of the substance for personal use.

FAQ

Becoming addicted to the substance is virtually impossible. What you need to know about is tolerance.

If you were to trip 2 days in a row, your 2nd trip would be extremely weak. You will have to wait for several days to refresh your tolerance.

How many days does it take?

This mostly depends on the dose. At regular doses, it takes approximately 7 days to become sensitive again.

So you could technically take the drug every week but if you want to maximize the benefits, do not trip before you integrate all the lessons from your last trip.

Counter-intuitively, you might get more benefits by tripping less often.

That is why you may only want to trip once or twice a month or just a couple of times a year.

As your trips get more and more intense, you will not want to trip nearly as often anyway.

Psilocin’s psychedelic effects are believed to come from its agonist activity on serotonin 5-HT_2A/C and 5-HT_1A receptors.

Unlike LSD, psilocin has no significant effect on dopamine receptors and only affects the noradrenergic system at very high dosages.

Psilocybin has also been shown by fMRI imaging to have a dampening effect on certain brain regions, most notably the Default Mode Network.

With that said, the only way to truly know what this psychedelic does to your brain is to try it yourself.

It is not about your age, it is about how mature you are.

Teenagers (and younger) generally aren’t responsible enough to take psychedelics but it isn’t always the case.

If you are under the age of 21, your brain is evolving at a rapid rate on its own. This means that when you take psychedelics, there is more potential for growth but the risks are also higher.

Most importantly, you need to trip in a safe place where there are no strangers around.

Whether you should take the drug at home or in nature will depend on your priorities.

Tripping at home is safer and probably better for personal growth while taking the substance outside will help you develop a strong connection with nature.

Try both and see which one you like more.

If you are a mentally stable individual who does not suffer from psychosis or have a predisposition to schizophrenia, there is virtually no way you would develop any mental illnesses because of this psychedelic.

4-HO-DET isn’t easy to detect in your saliva or blood.

Some special tests could technically detect that you’ve taken the drug but the policemen don’t use such tests.

Even on these special tests, the drug cannot be detected after 24 hours since you’ve taken it.

Keep the powder in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

If you don’t do this, the drug will lose potency within a few weeks or months.

When you store the substance well, it will last for over a year.

In psilocybin psychotherapy, patients are encouraged to eat a light, low-fat breakfast 1 or 2 hours before taking the substance.

Eating before you trip on psilocybin-like tryptamines has some advantages as well as a few disadvantages.

One reason you’d want to eat before your trip is because people sometimes lose appetite on psychedelics.

Preparing and eating food can also be a distraction.

If you don’t eat anything and become hungry during your trip, it can make you feel fatigued and irritated.

However, eating before taking the psychedelic can cause nausea and even make you vomit.

The substance will also take longer to kick in, sometimes up to 2 hours.

So the best way to go about food is to eat a little bit 1-2 hours before the trip and have some snacks prepared next to you.

Yes.

Watching yourself in the mirror can give you many insights about your life and the self.

Do not, however, stare at yourself when you’re going through a bad trip.

Immature people who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are going through a manic phase of bipolar disorder
If you’re going through extremely challenging times, you can take psychedelics but the trips might be unpleasant, beware of that

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