The same compound that makes you stare at your hands for three hours might also slow down aging.
In a new study published in npj Aging, researchers found that psilocin—the compound your body makes after ingesting psilocybin—helped human cells live longer in the lab and boosted survival rates in older mice. The results suggest that this once-taboo substance might do more than alter your mind. It could literally help you stay alive longer.
“There was overwhelming clinical evidence that it has benefits for multiple disease indications,” said lead researcher Dr. Louise Hecker in an interview with StudyFinds. “But very little was known about how it affects the body outside the brain.”
What is Psilocybin?
In lab tests, human lung cells treated with psilocin lived up to 57 percent longer than untreated cells. They kept dividing, stayed healthy, and aged at a slower pace. The compound appeared to reduce oxidative stress and protect telomeres—the protective caps on chromosomes that naturally erode with age. It also increased levels of a protein called SIRT1, which is associated with DNA repair and cellular longevity.
Then came the mice. Researchers gave monthly doses of psilocybin to 19-month-old female mice, an age equivalent to humans in their 60s. After ten months, 80 percent of the treated mice were still alive. Only half of the control group made it that far. The psilocybin mice also showed less graying and more new hair growth.
That’s not a bad outcome for something better known for melting faces on blacklight posters.
So how is a psychedelic pulling this off? The secret could be serotonin receptors found throughout the body, not just in the brain. When activated, they seem to trigger a cascade of effects that reduce stress, preserve DNA, and promote long-term cell health.
Of course, this isn’t a green light to load up on mushrooms. The study only involved female mice, and no one knows what repeated doses would do to humans over time. Psilocybin remains a controlled substance in most countries, and researchers still need to determine safe dosing for potential anti-aging benefits.
Still, it’s a provocative finding. For decades, the conversation around psilocybin focused on altered states. Now it’s shifting to something much more basic: staying alive longer, and maybe even healthier.
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