LSD was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert
Hofmann in Sandoz Laboratories in Basle, Switzerland. However, it was a
few years before Albert Hofmann realized what he had invented. LSD known
as LSD-25 or Lysergic Acid Diathylamide is a psychoactive
hallucinogenic drug.
LSD-25 was the twenty-fifth compound developed during Albert Hofmann's
study of amides of Lysergic acid, hence the name. LSD is considered a
semi-synthetic chemical, the natural component of LSD-25 is lysergic
acid, a type of ergot alkaloid that is naturally made by the ergot
fungus, a synthesizing process is necessary to create the drug.
LSD was being developed by Sandoz Laboratories as a possible circulatory
and respiratory stimulant. Other ergot alkaloids had been studied for
medicinal purposes, for example, one ergot was used to induce
childbirth.
LSD - Discovery as a Hallucinogen
It was not until 1943 that Albert Hofmann discovered the hallucinogenic
properties of LSD. LSD has a chemical structure that is very similar to
the neurotransmitter called serotonin. However, it is still not clear
what produces all the effects of LSD.
According to a Road Junky writers, "Albert Hoffman deliberately dosed
himself [after a milder accidental dose] with just 25 mg, an amount he
didn't imagine would produce any effect. Hoffman got on his bicycle and
rode home [from the Lab] and arrived in a state of panic. He felt he was
losing his grip on sanity and could only think to ask for milk from the
neighbors to counter the poisoning."
Albert Hoffman's Trip
Albert Hoffman wrote this about his LSD experience, "Everything in the
room spun around, and the familiar objects and pieces of furniture
assumed grotesque, threatening forms. The lady next door, whom I
scarcely recognized, brought me milk… She was no longer Mrs. R., but
rather a malevolent, insidious witch with a colored mask.”
Sandoz Laboratories, the only company to manufacture and sell LSD. first marketed the drug in 1947 under the trade name Delysid.
