Are magic mushrooms a longevity therapy?

A few months ago my science team and I stumbled across something very interesting: magic mushrooms may be beneficial for health. 

The science indicated:

• effect on telomeres
• reduced systemic inflammation
• increased brain flexibility
• neuroprotection via 5-HT2A activation
• improved sexual satisfaction
• potential gut microbiome modulation

We decided to test it.

Three doses of magic mushrooms over 3 months.

We measured 249 biomarkers to determine the effect on longevity. This is the most quantified psychedelic experiment in history.

In this blog post:

• what are magic mushrooms
• the science
• our testing protocol
• what we’re measuring

What we discovered surprised all of us: we think psilocybin is a longevity therapy.

What are magic mushrooms?

“Magic mushrooms” are fungi that contain psilocybin, which the body converts into psilocin. Psilocin primarily acts on serotonin receptors (most notably 5‑HT2A) and this is believed to be central to its effects on perception, mood, cognition, and plasticity.

It is worth noting that I took magic mushrooms under medical supervision, in a legal setting, and with a professional facilitator. This blog post is for educational purposes, so speak with your doctor if you have questions.

What does the science on magic mushrooms say?

Here is an overview of the current scientific evidence that led us to this experiment:

• longevity: Psilocybin extended lifespan in mice and preserved telomeres in lab-grown human cells, first evidence linking psychedelics to longevity.
• inflammation: A single psilocybin dose reduced TNF-α, CRP, and IL-6, all systemic inflammation markers tied to aging.
• neuroplasticity: Psilocybin increases brain entropy, breaks rigid patterns, and boosts long-term cognition and flexibility.
• neuroprotection: Psilocybin activates 5‑HT2A receptors to reduce neuroinflammation, protect neurons, and may slow neurodegeneration.
• gut-brain axis: Psilocybin may reshape the gut microbiome, potentially influencing serotonin, immunity, and mood.
• sexual health: Two studies show psilocybin improved sexual satisfaction and communication in people with depression.

Magic mushrooms may rewire the brain.

Why this could matter for longevity:

• In people aged 65-85, higher happiness was linked to a 22% reduced risk of all-cause mortality over 15 years.
• A meta-analysis showed that optimism correlated with a 35% decrease in heart attacks and a 16% decrease in all-cause mortality.
• Having a strong purpose in life is associated with a 17% reduction in both heart attacks and all-cause mortality.
• In psychedelic medicine, treating depression with ketamine has been shown to reverse biological age by up to 3 years.

Together, these findings suggest a plausible mechanism by which psychedelics, including psilocybin, can prolong both health and lifespan by improving mental well-being and rewiring the brain to a more positive, creative, and curious state.

My team and I hypothesized that neuroplasticity (the loosening of rigid inhibitory patterns that makes the brain more flexible, creative, and relaxed) and even the subjective psychedelic state itself may be as meaningful for longevity as methylation shifts, senescence reversal, or telomere biology.

My testing protocol

If you missed it on X, here’s what we’re doing.

We’re testing 3 doses of magic mushrooms over 3 months.

Dose 1:

• 4.67 g of mushrooms, dried
• 24.98 mg of active psilocybin
• 3.5 mg psilocin
• strain B+ (psilocybe cubensis)

Dose 2:

• 5.35 g of mushrooms, dried
• 28 mg of active psilocybin
• 4 mg psilocin
• strain B+ (psilocybe cubensis)

How I took the doses:

• I dissolved the first dose in orange juice but used lemon juice for the second, for the following reasons…
• Lemon is more sour, which delays the conversion of psilocybin to psilocin in solution, thus preserving more total psilocybin to be activated to psilocin after ingestion.
• Lemon juice has, on average, 70% less sugar and 45% fewer calories, making it less disruptive to my otherwise fasted state throughout the journey, and leading to a much lower glucose peak. 

What we’re measuring…

This was the most quantified psychedelic experiment ever completed:

• 249 independent biomarkers
• 29 vials of blood
• brain scans urine, stool, saliva, fertility
• multi-omics profiling (DNA, epigenetics, metabolism, hormones, microbiome, proteins, cognition)

This image below shows everything we’re measuring. You can see the full list here.

Final thoughts

We knew there could be longevity benefits, but we found an unexpected potential world-first breakthrough.

It's noteworthy that even though many of my biomarkers are already in the 99th percentile optimal, psilocybin still showed multi-system improvements. Something other therapies have not been able to accomplish.

Next blog post I’ll share:

• early results
• my subjective experience

Note: I took magic mushrooms under medical supervision, in a legal setting, and with a professional facilitator. This blog post reflects my personal experience and interpretation of early-stage research. The information shared is exploratory and educational in nature, not medical advice, and not intended as guidance or recommendations for others. If you're curious for yourself, speak with your doctor.