Scientists just found that the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, could help you live longer. That is in addition to painting the cosmos with your consciousness after blowing your brain out the back of your skull.
Researchers at Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine have shown for the first time that psilocybin may slow down the aging process. We already knew the stuff could help with depression and anxiety, but the researchers found that it’s making cells in old mice and human skin stay fresh for longer.
In a lab experiment, researchers treated human skin and lung fibroblasts with psilocin, a compound our bodies convert from psilocybin. These cells lasted 50 percent longer than untreated cells.
How Does Psilocybin Work?
Then came the mice experiments. Elderly lady mice, roughly equivalent to 60-something-year-old humans, were given monthly doses of psilocybin. After 10 months, 80 percent of the psilocybin mice were still kicking, compared to just 50 percent of the control group. Not only did they outlive their sober sisters, but they also showed fewer visible signs of aging.
The study didn’t delve deeply into whether the mice were living longer and healthier, but they seemed to be doing well. The researchers say this is strong preclinical evidence that psilocybin might lengthen our lifespans while improving quality of life in those extra years.
This is still very early research, but don’t run out and start dropping tabs thinking you’re automatically adding extra hearts to your health gauge. The team cautions that more work is needed to figure out ideal dosing, timing, and whether we’re talking about longer lives or just delayed deterioration.
Sounds alright either way.
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