One supervised dose of this mushroom compound shifts mood and behavior for weeks to months. Evidence is strongest for depression symptoms; thinner for heavy drinking, tobacco, cocaine, and serious-illness distress. Common harms fade within a day or two. Participants can tell what they took, and funders often have a stake. The slowed-aging claim rests on cells and mice. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Resting blood pressure | Below 120/80 mmHg | Psilocybin transiently raises it; a high baseline matters |
| Corrected QT interval (QTc) | Below 440 ms (men), below 460 ms (women) | Arrhythmia vulnerability during the sympathetic surge |
| hs-CRP | Below 1.0 mg/L | Systemic inflammation psilocybin is proposed but not shown to lower |
| ALT | Below 25 U/L (men), below 20 U/L (women) | Hepatic clearance of psilocin; impairment raises exposure |
| eGFR | Above 90 mL/min/1.73 m² | Metabolites renally excreted; reduced clearance prolongs exposure |
| PHQ-9 score | 4 or below | Primary success criterion where depression was the reason for dosing |
| GAD-7 score | 4 or below | Anxiety component, which often moves independently of mood |
| Trait openness | No established target; track change from own pre-session score | Most reproducible personality change after high-dose exposure |
| Epigenetic age | No established target; track change from own baseline, one provider | Only human-measurable proxy for the geroprotection hypothesis |
Cadence: Baseline 2–4 weeks before a session; blood pressure and pulse before dosing and at 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes; symptom scales at day 2, day 8, week 3, week 6, then quarterly through year 1; blood pressure, liver enzymes, and inflammatory markers annually with repeated exposure; echocardiogram only after frequent sustained low-dose exposure.