LSD question

[His Divine Shadow]

This is regarding a debate on another, finnish-swedish forum. There was a discussion on LSD(and other drugs) and it's effects and dangers compared to Alcohol.

One persons rather lame argument was to bring up Ergot, mentioning how it was poisonous and made people who ate it sick and try and pin that on LSD.

I spent 4-5 posts repeatedlytelling him that his own source said ergot only contains a chemical similar to LSD, namely Lysergic Acid from which LSD is synthesized, that ergot contains a number of other toxic compounds and thus his attempt to evoke a negative connotation was useless fucking tripe.

He eventually backed down but insisted that LSD does exist in nature.
That is what I need help with. True or false?

As I understand it LSD is synthesized and doesn't exist in nature except as lysergic acid. But I am not that good with chemistry and as I understand it, synthesizing a chemical can either mean:
A) You've made a completely new chemical not existing in nature.
B) You have through artificial means duplicated a chemical existing in nature.
C) Made a new chemical very similar to it's organic precursor.

Am I right in my understanding of what it meansto synthesize a chemical and if so, which one applies to LSD? Does LSD exist in nature?

[Zac Naloen]

As far as im aware, you cannot find LSD in nature, it is completely synthesised.

It was first synthesised by dr albert hoffman in switzerland in the 40's


sources : - http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/basel/lsd.html


hey look his fan club! http://www.hofmann.org/

[TheBlackCat]

C) Made a new chemical very similar to it's organic precursor.

Looks like LSD is simply lyergic acid with a short-chain amide (diethyl amide) attached. However, such seemingly minor changes can have extreme effects on biological activity. I do not know how extreme these changes are, however.

[Enola Straight]

IIRC, LSD has a chemical similarity to dopamine, a naturally occurring neurotransmitter.

Getting high on LSD is basically indistinguishable from Schizophrenia, a disease of the brain producing too much dopamine.



Also, IIRC, the first drugs used to combat the effects of schizophrenia caused a Parkinson's Syndrome-like spacticity on the medicated. (Parkinson's, BTW, is a dopamine deficiency disease.)


Can LSD be used to treat Parkinson's?

[Patrick Degan]

Also, IIRC, the first drugs used to combat the effects of schizophrenia caused a Parkinson's Syndrome-like spacticity on the medicated. (Parkinson's, BTW, is a dopamine deficiency disease.)

Can LSD be used to treat Parkinson's?

If it can, we'll never know since LSD was put on the controlled-substances list and research was made verbotten.

[His Divine Shadow]

Ok but it(LSD-25 to be specific) doesn't exist in nature then. Only socalled precursor chemicals exist.

[RedImperator]

Ok but it(LSD-25 to be specific) doesn't exist in nature then. Only socalled precursor chemicals exist.

Yes. It's stupid to try to call it natural because its precursors are found in nature. By that logic, nylon is found in nature because its precursors exist in natural petroleum deposits.