The psychedelic drug LSD is usually associated with mind-altering experiences and counterculture thinking, with its greatest popularity coinciding with the “psychedelic era” of the mid-1960s and early 1970s.
Yet lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, was first synthesized in the most traditional of places: a Sandoz laboratory in Basel, Switzerland. Its discovery happened entirely by accident, during chemist Albert Hofmann’s research on a fungus known as ergot, which grows on rotting rye. Historically, when consumed with rye, ergot had been the cause of the illness known as St. Anthony’s fire, which resulted in terrible and even fatal symptoms including burning sensations, hallucinations, spasms, gangrenous limbs, and miscarriages. Yet small doses of ergot had also been used for medicinal purposes, leading researchers to investigate its beneficial effects.
Hofmann was hoping to stabilize lysergic acid, which had previously been isolated from ergot, by adding other compounds to create a drug to improve blood circulation and respiration. One of these compounds was diethylamine, which is derived from ammonia. As it was the 25th combination of compounds that he had tested, Hofmann dubbed it “LSD-25.” Besides making the animal subjects in Hofmann’s lab restless, it didn’t seem to have any physiological benefits and was temporarily forgotten.
Five years later, though, Hofmann decided to synthesize LSD-25 again, clearly still intrigued by the reaction of the original test subjects. On April 16, 1943, he accidentally ingested a small amount through his fingertips, sending him on the world’s first “acid trip.” Feeling restless and somewhat intoxicated, Hofmann had to go home, where he lay down and for the next two hours experienced an “extremely stimulated imagination,” including “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures.”
This psychedelic experience led Hofmann to continue experimenting with LSD, not only on lab animals but also on himself and his interested peers. In the 1950s, other scientists began researching LSD for its potential to treat conditions ranging from schizophrenia to alcoholism. However, LSD also became popular as a recreational drug, and its mind-altering effects would have a major impact on the art, music, and culture of the 1960s.
However, since the mid-1970s, LSD has been widely associated with its negative effects and potential for abuse, leading to a ban by the United Nations and its categorization in the U.S. as a Schedule 1 Drug. This frustrated Hofmann, who saw great therapeutic potential in LSD when administered in appropriate doses with supervision. Nevertheless, emerging research on LSD continues to suggest that it could have potential for new psychiatric therapies.
More about Albert Hofmann and his discoveries:
- Later in his career, Hofmann also led a team of Sandoz researchers who discovered psilocybin and psilocin, the active agents in so-called “magic” mushrooms.
- April 19 is known as “Bicycle Day,” in recognition of the memorable bike ride that Hofmann took on April 19, 1943, to get home after intentionally ingesting 250 micrograms of LSD, supported by his undoubtedly bemused lab assistant.
- Hofmann, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 102, shared first place with World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee in a 2007 Daily Telegraph list of the 100 greatest living geniuses.
