The History of Acid or LSD

Acid, or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), is an illegal recreational drug derived from a parasitic fungus that grows on rye, or ergot. Acid is the most well-known hallucinogenic drug. It distorts and alters a person’s perceptions of reality.

LSD is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it is illegal in the U.S. due to its high potential for misuse.

Initially created in the late 1930s, there was an early interest in the substance’s potential psychiatric uses. This abruptly stopped when the drug was made illegal in 1970. However, there has been a resurgence of interest in LSD’s possible therapeutic effects.

Research on the use of LSD in psychedelic-assisted therapy is ongoing and still in the early stages. LDS cannot be legally prescribed and is restricted to limited research settings.

The Discovery of LSD

The psychoactive properties of acid were discovered almost by accident by Dr. Albert Hofmann, a research chemist working for the Sandoz Company, in 1943. Dr. Hofmann had been synthesizing LSD-25, and some crystals made contact with his fingertips and were absorbed through his skin, resulting in symptoms of LSD intoxication.

Hofmann experimented on himself and took a small quantity of the drug.1 Believing that lysergic acid had potential use in neurology and psychiatry, he proceeded with animal experimentation and further human studies. Such early experiments suggested the potential for people with mental health issues.

LSD also appeared to release long-forgotten memories and traumas into consciousness. Some suggest that this could allow such memories to be worked through therapeutically.2