LSD is the creator of Albert Hoffman. LSD-25. Psychological effects and consequences of LSD use

In the Swiss Alps, where the air is crystal clear, in an incredible silence, loneliness and the backwoods lived the man who first synthesized LSD.

The creator of the most discussed drug in the world, Professor Hofmann since childhood, sought to understand the essence and structure of matter. Investigating medicinal plants, he drew attention to substances psychoactive, generating hallucinations by the type of visionary. His main invention, made more than 80 years ago, led in the 60s the Western world to a real psychedelic revolution.

On the personality of the scientist

Professor of chemistry was alive among the virgin beauty of the mountains solitary, communicating with neighbors only in the framework of generally accepted politeness. In his family, Albert Hoffman was the only one who lived to see such years. The old man did not use a hearing aid and did not wear glasses. Despite his age, he spoke clearly, had a keen mind, was always smiling and hospitable. His wealth allowed to comfortably equip a cottage with a swimming pool, lawns and terraces.

It is interesting that Albert Hoffman, who survived a hundred-year boundary, himself took LSD. The creator of the substance, recognized as a heavy drug, did this intermittently. And the last time a cheerful scientist swallowed a "miracle pill" three years before his death.

Chemist was confident in the prospects of his discovery, believing that in the XXI century, his offspring will become especially relevant. He believed that the newest psychiatry, solving the riddles of the mind, will necessarily demand the most effective substance that changes the human consciousness, that is, the LSD-25 synthesized by it.

Among scientists, a joke about Hofmann is known: they say, a chemist was looking for a cure for migraine, but he came up with a headache for all mankind - a synthetic heavy drug. However, the accident here was not in sight ...

The Swiss conducted his studies systematically

He was interested in the legendary psychedelic properties used by medieval healers ergot. This is the name of the fungus parasitizing on spikelets of cereals. The chemist saw his task in the synthesis of an analog of ergot substance, which directly affects the nervous system of man.

Albert Hoffmann began his research, relying on earlier developments. Prior to it, British scientists isolated from ergot alkaloid-containing drug ergotoxin. And the researchers of the Rockefeller Institute were able to identify the basis, the nucleus of ergot alkaloids, calling it lysergic acid.

Albert Hoffmann suggested that ergotoxin consists of different alkaloids, and began to dig them one by one. By reacting lysergic acid with derivatives of ammonia (amines), the scientist in 1938 consistently synthesized these substances. The twenty-fifth alkaloid was lysergic acid diethylamide. In German, it was called Lyserg-saure-diaethylamid, or abbreviated LSD. The chemist transferred the obtained substance to the laboratory of the university and began to conduct further research. Laboratory workers determined the molecular formula of LSD, the substance was not examined in detail.

The feeling that the first LSD-25 that he had obtained was unsuccessful made Hofmann search again in five years. However, at the last stage of the synthesis he was forced to stop his experience. The reason for this was the impact of an alkaloid on the body, which caused hallucinations and color images. Always careful in the experiments, the scientist was perplexed: was it really the reason for this being a paltry amount of substance that hit the fingertips?

Day of the bicycle

It was April 19, 1943.

It was II World War II. The initiative in the sky of war in the course of the air battle over the Kuban passed to Soviet pilots. In Warsaw, in the Jewish ghetto, people went to an unequal battle with the SS executioners. American-British troops fought in faraway Tunisia. And at this time in a neutral European country, chemist Albert Hoffman was making an experiment, which so far only a few scientists are interested in.

The professor described in detail the verification of the properties of the amazing alkaloid in his book of memories. It was the world's first psychedelic experiment.

The scientist accepted 250 micrograms of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) synthesized by him. The creator of the psychedelic substance sensed the occurrence of a sense of anxiety, visual distortions, dizziness, and marked symptoms of paralysis.

The effect of the drug on the nervous system gradually increased. Psychological effects were expressed in the suppression of the brain centers of speech. The assistant professors noted his inability to make sentences coherently.

Then Hoffman, accompanied by a colleague, drove home on a bicycle. It seemed to the doctor that he could not move, although he was going fast enough. The surroundings seemed to the experimenter an animated picture of Salvador Dali: he did not notice the pedestrians, the road was shaking and distorted, as if in a distorted mirror, and the houses along it were deformed and covered with ripples.

Depression, followed by euphoria

When he arrived, the professor asked the assistant to call a doctor and take milk from a neighbor who had decided to weaken the effect of the drug. The healer arrived, except for the dilated pupils, did not notice any other physiological signs of the influence of LSD on the organism of Hoffmann. Meanwhile, the visual psychological effects were supplemented by the experimenter's delirium: the woman who brought the milk presented himself to him as an insidious evil witch in a brightly colored mask.

It seemed to him that he himself is possessed by demons, and the revived furniture of his own home threatens his life.

Then Hofmann's delirium and sense of alarm passed. They were replaced by bright multicolored images, which appear in the form of intricate spirals and circles exploding with colored fountains. Even with closed eyes, unusual visualization under the influence of LSD continued. The creator of the drug fell into a blissful sleepy state. Having woken up, the professor has felt some weariness, having noted an interesting circumstance: during the next day his sensory sensitivity has amplified on the order.

Impact on the psyche

The physical properties of the substance synthesized by Hofmann proved to be rather unremarkable: the absence of any taste and smell makes it invisible. With a magnifying glass, you can see that the LSD solution crystallizes as prisms. Here, perhaps, that's all.

As is known, the molecular formula of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) has the form C ₂₀ H ₂₅ N ₃ O.

Its unique pharmacological properties allow, at insignificant doses, to provoke powerful and colorful visual hallucinations. Let us describe the mechanism of their occurrence.

In it, the human brain systems involved in the assimilation of the "hormone of happiness" (serotonin) actively participate. The latter is developed in the brain as needed to overcome stress.

By its structure, the 25th Hofmann alkaloid is classified as indolalkylamine, a substance similar to serotonin. LSD-25, getting into the human body, "deceives" the appropriate receptors of the brain, who take the invention of Hoffman for his own "happiness hormone." Speaking in the language of neurobiologists, there is a stimulating effect of the drug on the brain remuneration system (pleasure receptors that compensate for stress).

Failed medication status

Scientists at the University of Zurich were the first to study the properties of the alkaloid synthesized by Hofmann. As it turned out, he had extremely low toxicity, i.e., a person could not practically die from his overdose. (The latter is confirmed by modern statistics: for 70 years of its existence, such cases have not been recorded). The lethal dose of LSD, determined by the scientists, turned out to be just cosmic, it was hundreds of times higher than usual.

It was determined that the effect of LSD on the body continues from 1/3 to half a day. Three days after the intake, the substance was completely removed from the body, and its traces of presence were not detected.

The researchers noticed that this heavy drug did not cause the person to get used to him, and also did not affect his health. He also did not provoke madness.

In view of the above, LSD was not banned for nearly two decades (until the end of the 1960s). In the 60 years, scientists with his help tried to treat alcoholism, chronic depression. For this purpose, the property of an alkaloid was used to cause powerful emotional reactions, close to catharsis.

LSD in the USSR

In the Soviet Union boom acid came with perestroika. The action of this drug experienced two representatives of artistic bohemia: Barry Alebasov and Boris Grebenshchikov. It is not accidental that the leader of the group "Aquarium" created a clearly psychedelic song "Under the blue sky there is a golden city ..." Listeners in it is struck by the colorfulness of the images transmitted in it.

In the interview, these variety giants told about the colored rings and spirals they saw. They confirmed that being under the influence of LSD, maybe without noticing cars, calmly cross the busy road.

Here is how the former producer of the group "Na-Na" describes his feelings: "Grace disappears, people disappear, objects disappear, and a person can safely go out the window of a multi-storey house, believing that he can fly."

Experiments and Soviet chemists conducted experiments with LSD, which was not advertised. Psychiatrist Vladimir Pshizov announced about them publicly. In the 60s his colleagues did not shun experiments on people. His colleague (we do not mention his name) injected LSD into two groups of patients, which made the psychosis worse. The material obtained in this way became a topic for his thesis.

Taboo on LSD

By the end of the sixties the authorities of the United States, and then of other states, imposed a ban on any use of the twenty-fifth alkaloid Hofmann: medical, recreational, spiritual. Lysergic acid (LSD) has become socially dangerous because of the fashion for it.

At the time of the Beatles, "the gift of Hoffmann" was tried by two million Americans, it became the most controversial drug in the world. The largest manufacturers of LSD, the Americans Picard and Epson provided a whole army of hippies. After their arrest and confiscation of equipment, the turnover of this drug in the world declined by 90%.

In the 60s the main popularizer of LSD was Harvard Professor of Psychology Timothy Leary.

Followers called him "high priest". He really was a charismatic person. The teacher treated the "selected" students to a drug, without notifying them in advance. He was kicked out of Harvard with a scandal, but the hippies stood up for him, considering him a martyr. Timothy Leary turned into a scandalous person: he was repeatedly arrested, he fled.

At the end of life, the "high priest", not wanting that, produced the most powerful anti-advertising of lysergic acid. Timothy Leary made a suicide on the air, willing to be "cut off his head with a brain corroded by LSD." This eerie sight caused tens of millions of people disgust and rejection of the drug.

Contrary to the ban

Tens of years after the boom of the 1960s, the LSD market declined tenfold. However, lysergic acid is also a "commodity" today. It is sold in small doses (75 to 250 mg) in different forms:

• "Brand" or "napkin" (paper impregnated with a solution of LSD);
• Gelatin leaflets;
• Gel (applied to the skin);
• pills.

It is extremely dangerous to take this drug without knowing its properties.

Among drug addicts, it is customary to do this in the society of the "sitter" - a person who is in sanity and corrects the behavior of those who used the 25th Hofmann alkaloid.

Celebrities and LSD

In today's society, there is no single relation to the invention of the Swiss. Supporters of the psychedelic are perplexed: "If there is no addiction, what kind of drug is this?" Moreover, its use as a dope for the intellect is obvious (examples we have already mentioned).

There is an opinion that lysergic acid (LSD) is not actually a drug, but only legally. (This fact is enshrined in the UN Convention of 1971).

For legalization, it was not only Timothy Leary, who was obsessed with reason, who was praised by two Nobel laureates and two gurus of computer hardware and software.

They are Francis Crick and Carey Mullis, as well as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. And, according to the latter, experimenting with LSD in his life "was one of the three most important things."

Conclusion

The apologists of this substance are cunning. It is better to listen to our fellow citizens who have experienced a heavy drug of LSD on their own. What do they say?

According to them, the bright pictures and the pleasure that has taken place fade before the addict "becomes a vegetable" for a long time, falls out of the rhythm of life, "falls through time".

When he comes to his senses after the Friday dose, two days have passed, and Monday is in the yard. At the same time, of course, there can be no question about mental health. The consequences of using drugs are deplorable: people find themselves in a mental hospital.

It is worth to listen to the laconic warning, which is present in many reviews of former drug addicts: "LSD takes out the brain!".