As revenues from the anti-aging market — riddled with hope and thousands of supplements — surged past $500 million last year, Emory University researchers identified a compound that actively delays aging in cells and organisms.
A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals’ Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%.
In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice of 19 months, or the equivalent of 60–65 human years. Results indicated that the mice that received an initial low dose of psilocybin of 5 mg/kg, followed by a monthly high dose of 15 mg/kg for 10 months, had a 30% increase in survival compared to mice who hadn’t received any. These mice also displayed healthier physical features, such as improved fur quality, fewer white hairs and hair regrowth.
Emory University researchers identified that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, actively delays aging in cells and organisms.