M.o.M. - LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classical psychedelic that binds to many serotonin receptors, most notably 5HT2A. It was first synthesized in 1938 from lysergic acid and its psychoactive effects were discovered in 1943, both by Albert Hofmann. Due to its interesting psychedelic properties, it was commercialized by Sandoz Laboratories and marketed to psychiatric practitioners for a variety of indications including alcoholism, schizophrenia, and “sexual perversions”. Unfortunately LSD was soon scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act leading to a devastating freeze in clinical use and active research. More recently LSD is again being actively investigated again for various therapeutic indications and continues to be a useful ligand in research involving serotonergic receptors.