History of Lysergic-Acid-Diethylamide

There are numerous names on the street for lysergic-acid-diethylamide: acid, trips, cid,  blotter, doses, dots and many others.

It was in 1938 that the Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann discovered this potent psychoactive agent LSD-25 (a hallucinogen) . It was not until 1948 however that he ingested the compound, which had been sitting in a jar on the shelf for five years.

Hofmann lived to the ripe old age of 102 when he died of a heart attack in April of 2008. He did not realize LSD’s psycho-pharmacological effects until five years after its synthesis. What a surprise it must have been when he accidentally ingested the drug and was sent on a potent mind altering trip. Apparently (though it is known in some people to create scary and dangerous reactions) it was a pleasant experience for Hofmann, since he subsequently took LSD on hundreds of occasions. New York Times

The compound was found by Hofmann in the ergot fungus, which grows in rye kernels.