Historical overview
Chase Thompson, Ishrat Husain
March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/med/9780192863607.003.0001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | The renaissance Magic telescope Hallucinogen Indigenous Art history Ethnology Ecology |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelic compounds have a long history of human use, experienced a decline due to prohibition, and have undergone a resurgence in scientific interest since the 1990s. |
Abstract
Abstract Humans have a long and complicated history with psychedelic compounds. Originally discovered as a component of certain plants and fungi, the psychedelics were widely used by ancient and indigenous peoples for millennia. Contemporary Western society had been largely disconnected from psychedelics but was reintroduced when Albert Hofmann first synthesized D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the 1940s, and when American banker Gordon Wasson was introduced to psilocybin by Maria Sabina in the 1950s and spread word of these ‘magic mushrooms’. LSD and psilocybin became objects of scientific and cultural fascination, but their early prominence shifted into abrupt decline in the 1970s because of sweeping international drug laws and regulation. In the 1990s, the psychedelics re-emerged, this time from an era of prohibition. From that point onward, there has been an ongoing renaissance of psychedelic science.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1970 | Historical analysis | |
| LSD: My Problem Child | 1981 | Historical analysis | |
| On the Use and Abuse of LSD | 1968 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Use of Music in Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1972 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Flashbacks: Recurrent Intrusive Images After the Use of LSD | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 57
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
and 52 more in the library