Hofmann’s Potion

The Pioneers of LSD

Sign in to add to Watchlist

In the late 1930s, while the world was being ravaged by war, a Swiss chemist by the name of Albert Hofmann developed a substance that had a huge impact on the way science viewed the human mind. About five years later, while searching for a cure for migraine headaches at the Sandoz Pharmaceuticals lab where he worked, Albert Hofmann inadvertently ingested a very small amount of this substance, intoxicating himself. The substance was named Lysergic Acid Diethylamide or LSD-25 for short. The sensation that LSD caused in Hofmann was so positive that he described it as a rebirth. At the time, Dr. Hofmann had absolutely no idea how revolutionary his discovery would become.

After reporting the amazing effects he experienced, tiny vials of LSD were then shipped to hospitals and psychiatric units throughout the industrialized world. Medical professionals were urged to experiment with the substance during treatment. At the time it was being spoken of as an antidote for the atomic bomb. According to some, LSD helps us to understand the enormous potential of our mind. It allows us to experience our existence in a different way; one suddenly becomes aware of textures and colors.

By the mid 1950s LSD studies were showing up in medical journals all over the world. It showed a lot of success in the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction, and other mental illnesses. Some mental health professionals even began taking controlled doses of LSD in order to empathize with their schizophrenic patients and get clues regarding how to better treat them.

A decade later, LSD had become a household word. However, it also became synonymous with the counter-culture and was blamed for the uproar caused by the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Movement, and the Ecology Movement. As a result, LSD was banned in the US and other countries were urged to do the same. This created a situation in which LSD became available for unbridled consumption on the black market while legitimate researchers were, and continue to be, barred from using it for scientific studies.

The documentary features interviews with a few LSD pioneers, beautiful music, and stunning footage that might cause you to ask serious questions regarding all the negative press that this substance has received during the last few decades. Watch this film now.