Ergot Alkaloids

Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist best known for being the first person to synthesize, ingest and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). He attended the University of Zurich graduating in 1929 and later went on to work for Sandoz Laboratories in Basel where he was assigned to develop the methods for synthesizing compounds found in medicinal plants. Once finding the visionary properties of LSD he became an advocate for its use in therapeutic treatment for schizophrenia and other psychiatric patients. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and a number of books, including LSD: My Problem Child: Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism and Science. In 2007, Hofmann was named #1 out of 100 in Telegraph magazine’s ‘Top 100 Living Geniuses’, and in 2022, his pioneering work with LSD was featured in the Netflix documentary series “How to Change Your Mind.”