Psychedelic compounds have been used in shamanic medicine for centuries, but psychedelics and their properties were only ‘discovered’ more recently by modern science in the 1940s, before decades without progress. What happened and why are psychedelic breakthroughs emerging now?
It was Albert Hofmann, a pharmaceutical researcher in Switzerland, who first synthesized the substance LSD and subsequently experienced the first LSD trip on his famous bicycle ride home from his lab in 1943. His discovery was the first step in what has been a rollercoaster journey for psychedelics in the 77 years since.
Sandoz, the pharmaceutical company Hoffman worked for, first marketed the new compound to researchers as ‘Delysid’ and quickly generated widespread excitement in the psychiatric community. Thousands of scientific publications about LSD’s potential to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions were produced over the next two decades.
The narrative moved in an unexpected direction when the properties of psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) became more widely recognised in the 1950s, and the likes of the US Government and CIA started experimenting with LSD for ‘mind-control’ interrogation techniques against enemies of the state.
Meanwhile recreational usage of psychedelics began to surge and the hippie movement sprang up in 1960s. Their close association with the counterculture and anti-war movements along with – often sensationalised - reports of the dangers of these drugs, led to psychedelics being outlawed around the world and halted scientific research into their medical potential for decades.
In the late 90s 51³Ô¹ÏÍø cofounder Amanda Feilding established the Beckley Foundation, a non-profit organisation at the forefront of global drug policy reform and scientific research into psychoactive substances. The Foundation has since played an instrume
