LSD (Ergot Rye)

Facts

• Pure LSD is derived from a fungus that grows on the rye plant (yes, the same rye flour of which is used to bake rye bread).
• However, don’t make the mistake of thinking LSD and this fungus are the same; in fact, rye ergot can be fatal!
• This [ergot] fungus has been known for hundreds of years and was used successfully as a treatment for reducing blood loss during child-birth. In the wrong dose, it could kill the mother; used correctly, save a life.
• It only only when ergot rye is precisely processed can it be turned into LSD which, is not only non-toxic, but has the added health-benefit of increasing communication between different areas of the brain by diversifying overall brain activity.

Lysergic acid diethylamide (also known as Lysergide, LSD-25, LSD, L, Lucy, and Acid) is a psychedelic substance of the lysergamide class. LSD is known as one of the most potent, controversial, and widely used psychedelic substances in history. While research suggests that it produces its psychoactive effects by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain, its precise mechanism is not yet understood.

The psychoactive effects of LSD were first discovered in 1943 by the Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann. In the 1950s, it was marketed under the name Delysid and used in psychotherapy and scientific research. LSD garnered widespread interest from clinicians and researchers and was notably secretly investigated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a potential mind control agent. Use of LSD spread widely in the 1960s counterculture which eventually led to its prohibition in 1971.

Following a 40 year hiatus, research into LSD’s potential therapeutic uses has seen a resurgence. LSD is currently under investigation for the treatment of a number of ailments including alcoholism, addiction, cluster headache, and anxiety associated with terminal illness. LSD remains in widespread illicit use for recreational and spiritual purposes. The lifetime prevalence of LSD use among adults is in the range of 6-8%.

Characteristic effects of LSD include geometric visual hallucinations, time distortion, enhanced introspection, and ego loss. LSD is commonly described by users to evoke entheogenic and mystical-type experiences that can facilitate self-reflection and personal growth. It is considered by some to be the first modern entheogen, a category which had been limited to traditional plant preparations or extracts.

Unlike other highly prohibited substances, LSD is not considered to be addictive or physiologically toxic. Nevertheless, adverse psychological reactions such as severe anxiety, paranoia and psychosis are always possible, particularly among those predisposed to mental illness. It is highly advised to use harm reduction practices if using this substance.  Psychonautwiki

Scientific Evidence of Medicinal Efficacy

1. Promising results [have been] reported for treatment of both end-of-life psychological distress and addiction, and classic psychedelics such as LSD served as tools for studying the neurobiological bases of psychological disorders. – Read More.
2. This study found reductions in both ethanol consumption and preference in the group of mice treated with the LSD dosage of 50 μg/kg. – Read More.
3. Numerous studies have also suggested the possibility that nonmedical naturalistic (non-laboratory) use of classic psychedelics such as LSD is associated with positive mental health and prosocial outcomes. – Read More.
4. LSD produced feelings of happiness, trust, closeness to others, enhanced explicit and implicit emotional empathy on the MET (empathy test), and impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces on the FERT (face emotion recognition test). LSD enhanced the participants’ desire to be with other people and increased their prosocial behavior on the SVO (social value orientation) test. These effects of LSD on emotion processing and sociality may be useful for LSD-assisted psychotherapy. – Read More

Experience from the community