Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, has been shown to extend the lifespan of aged mice by 30% and increase the time human lung and skin cells stay alive, according to research published in the journal Nature Ageing.
The study represents the first experimental evidence that psilocybin can combat ageing processes at the cellular level, potentially opening new avenues for anti-ageing therapies in humans.
The research team tested the “psilocybin-telomere hypothesis” – the theory that the compound extends life by protecting telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with age. Despite over 150 recent studies investigating psilocybin’s potential for treating mental health conditions, this was the first to examine its effects on ageing mechanisms.
Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of chromosomes that shorten each time cells divide. When telomeres become too short, cells stop dividing or die, contributing to the ageing process. Once a telomere disappears, the cell it is part of will stop dividing or die completely, a process that contributes towards the end of an organism’s life. Recent studies have increasingly focused on this telomere attrition as a key mechanism in ageing.
19-month-old mice – equivalent in age to 60-65-year-old humans – were split into two groups. A control group which didn’t receive any treatment and a treatment group that was given a small, 5.14 mg/kg initial dose of psilocybin followed by ten monthly doses of 15 mg/kg. A 5.14 mg/kg dose of psilocybin given to mice equates to roughly 25mg in an adult-sized human, a dose that has been safely tested in patients aged 29 to 70.
Researchers also grew human lung and skin cells in vitro and treated them with psilocin, the molecule that psilocybin breaks down to after ingestion, to assess the effect it has on ageing.
After treatment, scientists observed a 50% increase in the lifespan of human skin and lung cells, and a 30% increase in the survival of mice compared to those in the control group. Researchers noted that mice in the treatment group grew bigger and stronger than those in the control group, and had fewer issues of frailty.
“As a palliative care physician-scientist, one of my biggest concerns is prolonging life at the cost of dignity and function. But these mice weren’t just surviving longer—they experienced better ageing,” said John Zarrabi, MD, co-investigator of the study, to Neuroscience News.
Zarrabi stressed the need for further research into the subject and suggested that “we also need to understand psilocybin’s systemic effects in ageing populations”.
The study concludes that there is strong evidence for psilocybin’s potential as an anti-ageing therapy, particularly for older adults seeking to improve quality of life alongside longevity.
“Our study provides the first experimental evidence demonstrating that psilocybin impacts hallmarks of aging, supporting the previously proposed ‘psilocybin-telomere hypothesis’. We demonstrate that psilocin/psilocybin treatment extends both cellular and animal lifespan (even when treatment is initiated late in life). An effective anti-aging treatment that could be administered to adults during late life could have significant clinical potential,” the authors said.
“Beyond its neurological and psychological benefits, our findings suggest that psilocybin influences systemic aging processes, potentially explaining its long-lasting therapeutic effects across multiple disease indications,” they added.
“Although the impact of psilocybin on peripheral organs remains largely unexplored, these studies implicate untapped therapeutic potential for psilocybin’s systemic impacts. Psilocybin may represent a “disruptive” pharmacotherapy as a novel geroprotective agent to promote healthy aging and/or as a potential therapeutic intervention for age-related diseases.”
