The test mice had grown bald patches and silvered fur, signs of an aging body falling into decline. But after several months of treatment with psilocybin (the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms), their hair regrew, some of it darker. And inside their cells, something remarkable was happening.
In a new study published this month in npj Aging, researchers report that psilocybin slowed down key aspects of the aging process. When tested on both isolated human cells and living mice, the drug extended cellular lifespan, preserved DNA structures that typically degrade with age, and increased the survival rate of elderly mice by 60%.
This is the first experimental evidence that psilocybin extends cellular lifespan and promotes increased longevity in mice, the authors wrote in the peer-reviewed study.
A Psychedelic Twist on Aging
Psilocybin has already captured scientific attention for its potential to treat depression, PTSD, and anxiety. But most studies have focused on the brain and is satet. This new research, led by Dr. Louise Hecker at Baylor College of Medicine and Emory University, is among the first to look at how the drug acts on the body as a whole.
“The overwhelming majority of what we know about psilocybin is how it impacts the brain,” Hecker said in a press release. “Our findings suggest that psilocybin has potent effects on the entire body, including antiaging properties”.
To understand those effects, Hecker’s team studied psilocin, the active form of psilocybin that the body produces after ingestion, in two types of human cells: fetal lung and adult skin cells. Treated cells lived up to 57% longer than untreated ones. They showed fewer signs of stress, less DNA damage, and more expression of SIRT1, a protein linked to longevity.
One key finding involved telomeres. These are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that get shorter each time a cell divides. Shortened telomeres are a hallmark of aging and age-related diseases. In the treated cells, telomere length was preserved.
The results were consistent across multiple cell types and doses. “I was floored by the data,” Hecker told Live Science.
The Mouse that Lived
Testing something in the lab, however, is a very different thing from testing it on living organisms.
To see how the drug works in a real context, the researchers gave monthly doses of psilocybin to 19-month-old female mice (roughly equivalent to a 60-year-old human). Over ten months, 80% of the treated mice survived, compared to just 50% in the control group. Their fur also showed visible improvement: bald spots filled in, and gray patches darkened.
“This is a very exciting and clinically relevant finding that suggests that even when intervention is initiated late in life, it can have dramatic impacts,” said Dr. Kosuke Kato, co-author of the study.
The team based their dosage model on previous human trials that showed no serious side effects even in older adults. Mice received a lower initial dose (5 mg/kg), then monthly higher doses (15 mg/kg) adjusted for their faster metabolism. Notably, even these relatively high doses remained well below known toxicity thresholds in mice.
Importantly, the psilocybin didn’t transform the cells into anything dangerous. The treated cells still reached the natural end of their life cycle—just later. “[There was] no evidence of oncogenic transformation,” the researchers wrote. In other words, no tumors or cancerous growh.
Not Just in Your Head
It’s not clear at all why a psychedelic compound would have this effect on the body, but the answer may lie in the drug’s interaction with serotonin receptors, especially 5-HT2A. These are found throughout the body: in the heart, skin, immune cells, and even fibroblasts, the cells responsible for wound healing. Activating these receptors can reduce oxidative stress, improve DNA repair, and boost expression of protective proteins like SIRT1.
Simply put, psilocybin may represent a new pharmacotherapy that protects against some of the effects of aging.
This is not entirely surprising. Previous studies have hinted at broader health benefits. People who occasionally used psychedelics like psilocybin or LSD were found to have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Still, those correlations left open the question of causation.
Now, this study provides some of the first direct evidence that the drug might actively slow aging.
Scott Thompson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado who was not involved in the study, called it “a unique look at the potential of psychedelics to promote healthy aging,” though he cautioned: “Much additional work will be required to take these findings forward in a way that will reveal whether or not the findings are applicable and adaptable for human health”.
What’s Next?
While the study opens new doors, it also raises major questions. Can these effects be replicated in humans? What are the risks of long-term use? And would the same benefits occur with lower, non-hallucinogenic doses?
Regulatory hurdles also remain. Psilocybin is still a Schedule I drug in the United States, meaning it is classified as having “no currently accepted medical use.” But that view is beginning to shift. The FDA has granted psilocybin “breakthrough therapy” status for treating depression, and multiple clinical trials are ongoing.
The researchers hope that their findings will spark more investigation into psilocybin’s systemic effects.
“There is still a lot to understand,” Kato said. “Including optimal dosing protocols that will lead to maximal efficacy.”
For now, the idea that a psychedelic mushroom might do more than change our minds—that it might slow the ticking clock of aging itself—remains an enticing and cautiously hopeful prospect.
