Alex Garcia

I think magic mushrooms are a longevity therapy. After seeing the data from two doses, psilocybin offers unique longevity effects that complement the best performing therapies I’ve done to date including sauna, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sleep, nutrition and exercise. This was the most quantified psychedelic experiment ever done. 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. Of course, my data will need to be replicated and the magnitude and duration of benefits needs further assessment. Here is what we learned: 0. We observed broad benefits across mental, hormonal, metabolic, and anti-inflammatory systems. Since these are the primary drivers of biological aging, this multi-system signal offers a compelling case for longevity potential. 1. Psilocybin may be a metabolic reset button for the brain. We expected brain changes, but not a potential metabolic breakthrough. My blood sugar control improved from the top 2% of the population to 0.2%, better than 99.75% of 18-25 year olds. 2. Psilocybin reduced my inflammation (hsCRP) to below detectable levels one week post dose. 3. Psilocybin calmed my body and mind.  Lower cortisol, and an inhibited HPA-axis in the days following the dose. Both my cortisol and DHEA (another product of the adrenal cortex) dropped 42% and 45% respectively, indicating an overall adrenal reset associated with rest and recovery. 4. Psilocybin increased brain plasticity, desynchronized default networks, resulting in enhanced creativity, playfulness, and openness, with reduced mental rigidity. 5. A second psilocybin dose built on the first and pushed sensory integration even further, increasing primary sensory-motor integration beyond the peak of the first dose. 6. Psilocybin induced an intense blend of joy, deep insight, and a subtle hint of melancholy,  also detectable by thermal biometrics. We had two significant firsts in this experiment: 0. First documented human CGM-based observation of improved post-psilocybin glucose control. 1. First-ever thermal profile of an intense psilocybin dose. Pending data: + Telomere length and relative telomerase activity (telomere regeneration capacity). + Epigenetic measurements + Microbiome Experiment details Here are more details about my two magic mushrooms trips, doses, and the results of my measurements up to date. I had two doses of dried and powdered Psilocybe Cubensis (Variety  B+) mushrooms, three weeks apart. First dose Nov 9th: 4.67g (24.98 mg psilocybin and 3.5 mg psilocin). Setting: relatively private, only with @_katetolo and the accompanying guide. Second dose Nov 30th: 5.35 g (28 mg psilocybin and 4 mg psilocin). Setting: relatively open, with friends and family joining virtually, and live streaming. 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 to psilocin and breakdown in solution, thus preserving more total psilocybin to be activated to psilocin after ingestion. + Lemon juice has, on average, 70% less sugar and 45% less calories, making it less disruptive to my otherwise faster state throughout the journey, and leading to a much lower glucose peak. Rewired brain connectivity Kernel Flow measurements after the first dose showed shifts in my brain connectivity mirroring my subjective experience, and the mapping of 5-HT2A receptors. These included the inhibition of my default networks and command centers including prefrontal context and a shift towards increased functional connectivity and hyperintegration between primary motor, sensory, auditory, and speech integration. This coincided with an entropic brain pattern, more open, flexible, exploratory, and creative, indicating a shift from aged and rigid to open youthful brain state. The baseline measurement before the 2nd dose indicated a strong lasting effect from the first dose 3 weeks earlier, post-peak measurement after the 2nd dose indicated an additive effect of the 2nd dose, with a brain entropic and increased primary sensory-motor integration beyond the peak of the first dose. Most notable was the increased intensity of integration and activation of the auditory, speech, and language networks, coinciding with the second dose being joined by family, friends, where I enjoyed expressing and describing my feelings. Face and body thermal biometrics We produced the first ever face and upper body thermal map of a magic mushroom journey. A core temperature increase of 1.5–2°F suggests an intense psychedelic experience, likely due to a large psilocybin dose (28 mg psilocybin, 32 mg combined psychoactive content). Heat was redistributed to the core, consistent with 5HT2A–mediated autonomic activation, which can include increased sympathetic tone, lasting through the peak and early post-peak of the experience. Facial and body thermal shifts indicate a potential blend of intense joy, insight, and subtle sadness or melancholy. First documented human CGM-based observation of improved post-psilocybin glucose control Psilocybin appears to have triggered a previously unknown metabolic reset in my brain, an unexpected breakthrough.  Comparing the 3-day periods before and after the psilocybin dose: My blood glucose control dramatically improved, moving from the top 2% to the top 0.2% of the entire population, including healthy 18-25 year olds. + 8% reduction in mean blood glucose, reaching 80.84 mg/dL, a new personal best. + 11% reduction in fluctuation, indicating smoother glucose peaks and improved control. + This single session reduced my estimated HbA1c 0.3 6.8% from 4.7% to 4.4%, (a relative reduction of 6.8%). + Durability: The positive effect was still as strong on Day 3 post-dose as it was on Day 1. Note: A long trip to China on Day 4 interrupted this streak. We plan to explore the full durability of this effect with the next dose. This matters because we treat diabetes and metabolic dysfunction with chronic daily medication (Metformin, Insulin, GLP-1s). This data suggests that a neuroplastic event might have downstream effects on the liver and pancreas that mimic or exceed these drugs. Systemic inflammation was below detectable levels Five days after the first dose, my hsCRP dropped to an undetectable level (below 0.15 mg/dL), representing a 35-100% decrease from the pre-dose level of 0.23 mg/dL. Three days post-second dose, hsCRP was barely detectable at 0.18 mg/dL, which is still a 22% drop from the initial baseline. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) remained unchanged between baseline and post-second dose. It was not measured after the first dose. For the next dose, we will measure a wider panel of inflammatory markers, including IL-6 and IL-10, and cover several time points post-dose. High cortisol at Peak, low cortisol and stress the following week Cortisol spiked at the peak of the acute phase, followed by a decline in morning cortisol levels and HPA-axis inhibition, consistent with a relaxed "after-glow" phase in the week following the trip. My cortisol spiked to 3x morning spike levels four hours after taking the mushroom dose. Levels returned to normal nightly baseline before bedtime. Five days post-dose, my morning cortisol levels had dropped by 42%, and DHEA-S (a marker of adrenal activity) also dropped by 45%, aligning with inhibited HPA-axis and adrenal activity. Estradiol levels increased by 200%, consistent with preliminary published evidence that peripheral 5HT2A activation increases cortisol by driving aromatase expression.