Magic mushrooms just earned their nickname like never before, alleviating one of medicine’s cruellest afflictions.
An 80-year-old Japanese-American woman, robbed of speech for five full years by advanced Alzheimer’s, suddenly poured out hours of coherent autobiographical memories after consuming five grams of psilocybin mushrooms. She also regained bladder control, walked independently, dressed herself and re-engaged socially with smiles and eye contact.
This striking new case has captivated scientists and the public, offering an intriguing glimpse that some lost functions caused by neurological disorders may lie dormant rather than permanently erased.
Researchers at the Medical Department of Associação Cruz de Ankh in São Paulo, Brazil, published the detailed report about this phenomenon in Frontiers in Neuroscience on May 27. They highlight the return of bladder control as particularly impressive, since it depends on brain networks that are usually badly damaged by Alzheimer’s.
In a supervised session, the woman ingested a large dose of the potent Enigma psilocybin mushroom strain. She was hit hard, sweating heavily before entering a deep, prolonged sleep-like state. Nineteen hours later she awoke and launched into extended spontaneous storytelling about her life. Cognitive improvements continued in the following days and weeks.
One month later, clinicians gave her a second three-gram dose. During this session she remained verbally fluent, recounted positive scenes such as surfing peacefully with her son on a tropical island, laughed, walked with noticeably better agility and said “It is pleasant to come here.”
It should be noted that the authors have emphasised these benefits were temporary and have not definitively reversed the underlying disease.
This Brazilian breakthrough arrives as psychedelics steadily enter mainstream medicine. In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the FDA to accelerate approval pathways for psychedelic therapies in serious mental illnesses, including priority review vouchers for psilocybin. Just this week, prominent American school UC Berkeley launched its PLASTICITY study, which examines psilocybin’s effects on brain plasticity, memory and cognitive resilience in healthy adults aged 60 to 85.
This elderly woman’s interesting case may not have produced a definite cure for Alzheimer’s, but it opens an exciting new chapter in the lengthy quest to harness psychedelics for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
This is the FIRST-EVER published case of an advanced Alzheimer's patient regaining speech, detailed memory, AND bladder control simultaneously within 19 hours.
After a single 5g psilocybin dose, an 80-year-old woman — bedbound, incontinent, and speaking only single syllables for… https://t.co/PAiSVo6yNz pic.twitter.com/sL5AyGOJ4b
— Nicolas Hulscher, MPH (@NicHulscher) June 7, 2026
Read more: Magic mushroom retreat becomes psychedelic nightmare in upcoming film ‘The Guide’
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