Albert Hofmann's topics - tribe.net

Remembering Albert Hoffman and LSD

chycho — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:33:13 GMT

this is a post i did on my site. it contains some good links and videos ... Enjoy your journey good doctor

chycho

Remembering Albert Hoffman and LSD

http://www.chycho.com/?q=node/1691

“Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD, passed away at 9AM CEST on Tuesday April 29, 2008 at his home in Basel, Switzerland.”

“Hofmann (January 11, 1906 – April 29, 2008) was a Swiss scientist best known for synthesizing Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann authored more than 100 scientific articles and wrote a number of books, including LSD: My Problem Child (online book). On January 11, 2006, Hofmann became a centenarian, and the occasion of his 100th birthday was the focus of an international symposium on LSD.”

“Hofmann always expressed his disappointment with LSD eventually being criminalised, saying the drug had the potential to deal with psychological problems caused by ‘materialism, alienation from nature through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation, lack of satisfaction in professional employment in a mechanised, lifeless working world, ennui and purposelessness in wealthy, saturated society, and lack of a religious, nurturing, and meaningful philosophical foundation of life’.

“Despite the controversy, Hoffman became a celebrated figure in the scientific community, and in his retirement served as a member of the Nobel Prize Committee as well as being a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences.

“In 1988 the Albert Hoffman Foundation was created ‘to assemble and maintain an international library and archive devoted to the study of human consciousness and related fields.’”

The following is some information and a documentary about his life and his discovery:

LSD: Lysergic acid diethylamide - “LSD was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland, as part of a large research program searching for medically useful ergot alkaloid derivatives. Its psychedelic properties were unknown until 5 years later, when Hofmann, acting on what he has called a ‘peculiar presentiment,’ returned to work on the chemical. He attributed the discovery of the compound's psychoactive effects to the accidental absorption of a tiny amount through his skin on April 16, which led to him testing a larger amount (250 µg) on himself for psychoactivity on April 19, the so-called bicycle day.”

LSD is “a white, odorless powder (EROWID NOTE : LSD generally comes in ‘blotter’ form; small squares of paper which have been soaked in liquid LSD. It is also found as a liquid, microdot, sugar cubes, and gelatin squares, but is quite rare as a ‘white, odorless powder’) usually taken orally, its effects are highly variable and begin within one hour and generally last 8-12 hours, gradually tapering off. It has been used experimentally in the treatment of alcoholics and psychiatric patients. [Where it showed some success.] It significantly alters perception, mood, and psychological processes, and can impair motor coordination and skills. During the 1950s and early 1960s, LSD experimentation was legally conducted by psychiatrists and others in the health and mental health professions. Sometimes dramatic, unpleasant psychological reactions occur, including panic, great confusion, and anxiety. Strongly affected by SET and SETTING. Classification: hallucinogens. Slang names: acid, sugar, L. See also appendix B. (RIS 27:211-52 entries)” -- Research Issues 26, Guide to Drug Abuse Research Terminology, available from NIDA or the GPO, page 54.

If you want to watch a documentary on LSD then see: Hofmann's Potion: LSD Documentary (56:26) - “a documentary about LSD and how it was created, what usage it had, and how the early experiments were carried out by Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary and others.”

If you want to know how important this discovery was and its implications on our society see the following story. “Nobel Prize genius Crick was high on LSD when he discovered the secret of life” - “Francis Crick, the Nobel Prize-winning father of modern genetics, was under the influence of LSD when he first deduced the double-helix structure of DNA.”

If you want to know how the government of the United States used LSD to conduct secret experiment on its citizens then read the following story: Mind Control, LSD, the CIA and the American People: What the Government Does Not Want You to Know - “The Army tested LSD on approximately 1500 military personnel in the mid-60's, including many men who took their first trip when acid was given to unwitting GI's at mess parties.”

If you want to know how the British government used LSD to conduct secret experiment on its citizens then see the following story: Secret LSD tests now being compensated - “British secret intelligence service MI6 has agreed to compensate soldiers who were dosed with LSD without their consent during the 1950s, according to an article in The Guardian. Similar experiments were carried out by a number of governments during the 1950s and 60s, in an attempt to create 'mind control programmes' and 'truth drugs'.”

If you want to know how the Canadian government used LSD to conduct secret experiment on its citizens then see the following story: Military funded McGill LSD trial - “The documents, obtained by Southam News and the Ottawa Citizen, are believed to be the first public indication the Canadian military tested brain-altering drugs, albeit on a much smaller scale than the Americans.”

If you want to know the impact of LSD and other Psychedelics on the arts community and how they helped shape our society then see the following story: Psychedelic Fungi and Its Impact on Music and Art - “Inspired by their LSD experienced, musical groups began making their musical compositions more complex, and added more sound effects to their music. Their music was an attempt to recreate their experience while still under LSD.”

If you want to read a book about LSD then check out Albert Hoffman’s LSD: My Problem Child or Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain’s book Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD : the CIA, the Sixties, and beyond. Both are available for free online at the provided links.

If you want to know how people have been treated, how much it has cost our society, and what the police really think about drug laws then see this post and video: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - “To me, this a pretty damned powerful video. The guilt, regret, and introspection apparent in these former cops is striking -- and admirable. LEAP needs more attention. This is an organization of 5,000 current and former law enforcement officials who recognize the failure and the damage effected by the war on drugs. And it has grown to 5,000 from just five founding members a few years ago. Seems to me that that's pretty newsworthy. So pass this video on.”

And if you want to hear a positive “drug” story see the following from Bill Hicks - “Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.”

Enjoy your journey.

posted in Albert Hofmann - 1 reply

albert hofmann receives his acid test diploma -- a reflection by merry prankster mountain girl

shadygrove — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:56:33 GMT

http://blotterati.com/pulpit/2008/04/30/albert-hofmann-receives-his-acid-test-diploma/

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Albert Hofmann has died

ergonaut — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:39:19 GMT

Thank you for EVERYTHING good Doctor. Go now Anita awaits you in eternity. Your work is done, we will take it from here.
-ergonaut

posted in Albert Hofmann - 0 replies

Happy Bicycle day !

soyouth — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:30:43 GMT

That was 64 years ago ;-)

Funny animation here :
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=466646895894513168

Love !

posted in Albert Hofmann - 1 reply

See the best of China

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 06:58:20 GMT

Know more about China and feel the beauty of it to this site. Go http://www.traveltourchina.blogspot.com now.

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A new Tribe - Psychedelic Trip Reports

chycho — Sun, 21 May 2006 16:47:25 GMT

A tribe to report Psychedelic Trips. http://tribes.tribe.net/psychedelic_trip_reports

Formats from www.erowid.org and http://forums.lycaeum.org/ will be followed:

The purpose of these reports is to help others deal, understand and share their journeys. The primary function of this tribe is the exchange of drug experiences in such a way as to help others that find themselves in similar situations. In addition to trip reports, experiences with other forms of mind-altering activities such as yoga, meditation, and substance preparations are also accepted.

Specifically looking for well-written reports that describe more than just a list of activities that you engaged in. Please include description of mindset, physical and mental effects of a substance, intentions, insights, problems, and any other relevant information which you think might help others in their journey.

Subject line of reports to contain at least the name of the substance(s) used. New threads must only be started with a report. For people to get the most out this tribe please included as many of the details listed below as possible:

- Level of experience (first time, very experienced, etc.)
- Description of Mindset (state of mind/body before, during and after)
- Setting – where you were, who you were with, etc.
- Chemical(s) and Dosage
- Method of administration (oral, smoked, intramuscular, etc)
- Details of any preparations made for the experience
- Timing Information (when, how long, etc.)
- Effects both spiritual and/or physical
- Notes on prescription or over-the-counter medications, herbs or supplements you were taking at the time of the experience.
- Intention - tell people why you have tripped (social reasons, problem solving, gaining a spiritual insight into self or universe, etc.)
- Afterthought – did the experience changed you, confirm your belief, remind you of something, etc.
- Something more than a description of how messed up you were or what cool patterns you saw.

VERY IMPORTANT:
- New threads must only be started with a report.
- This is an open forum so please do NOT include any other personal information then your height, weight, and physical condition.
- NO discussion about trading, selling, or obtaining any substance (legal or not) will be discussed on this tribe

Enjoy the Journey

posted in Albert Hofmann - 0 replies

Hoffman and Leary : Same hope for humanity, different approaches

soyouth — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 23:53:53 GMT

This is an interesting mailing discussion from MAPS.org mailing list, i thought it was worht sharing it (email addresses have been removed for author's privacy). I storngly advise you to have a look at maps website and the interesting archive of discussions http://www.maps.org/.

Start reading from the end......

Peace

PS : i hope the authors will not mind that i put this here, but i feel it's interesting talks for humanity and freedom of all beings...

LAST MESSAGE COMES FIRST !
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From "shortfatsteve"

This discussion reminds of something Terence McKenna once said,
speaking on the paradigm-shattering power of psychedelics, about
how:

"...people who yearn for legal psychedelics have not thought...
deeply enough about what is really at stake here. Imagine a
culture so certain of it's primary values, so sure that it
represented
the right way to live, that it would encourage people to take
psychedelic substances and examine it's premises. There ain't
such a one--at least not in the high-tech/industrial democracies,
or the facist states either. Some aboriginal cultures have this
courage, but it has kept them very close to the breast of Nature
and her processes. Cultures that have habitually broken down the
cultural illusion and examined the terrifying reality beyond it
have
not marched off then to pontificate with religions of absolutism or
scientific absolutism or all the rest of it. Why is that? It's
because
cultures are "virtual realities" made of language, and if there is
one
thing psychedelics do--whether you hate 'em or you love 'em,
whether you don't give a hoot--what they do is they dissolve
boundaries.... That is the ultimately subversive behaviour
[because] cultures are boundary-defining engines."

Of course, he's talking about a whole lot more than LSD here. But if
you include it in this bigger picture of psychedelics, as you
inevitably
have to, you can see that it was only a matter of time before the
authorities would have made it illegal, as they to all psychedelic, or
"subversive", drugs. I guess from this perspective you could say that
blaming Leary for making LSD illegal is like blaming the crowing
rooster for making the sun rise. It was inevitable, and pointing
fingers isn't going to do anything better than soothe bruised egos.

That said, I think Hofmann was right to criticize Leary for being too
cavalier in his approach to spreading the message. When the acid
craze got so big that even uninformed teenagers, who are already
generally of a mind-state worst-suited to psychedelics, were
dropping left and right and doing it right in everybody's face, as
teenagers will.. well that cetainly didn't help things.

Best,
Steve

PS-> The excerpt is from a talk McKenna gave in April, 1999 (just a
few months before he passed away), called "Culture and Ideology Are
Not Your Friends." I got it from Lorenzo's wonderful podcast show,
The Psychedelic Salon (available free from the iTunes store).

Leary was naively optimistic, reckless, and self centered, and
sparked a lot of hysteria that identified psychedelics with
revolution, and that has made the current task of integrating
psychedelics into society that much harder. but as Kurt Vonnegut
quipped in his last book: "A war on drugs is better than no drugs at
all." he and frank compared his exploits to the Boston Tea Party,
only in that example of causing a ruckus to ignite a revolution, the
revolution actually happened. Tim just caused a ruckus and the
revolution didn't quite catch on... almost... or did it? maybe i
expect too much, or am impatient.

i think it is important to point out that Tim and Frank Barron were
among many social scientists in the 50's who devoted themselves to
understanding and treating the psychopathology of Nazism,
authoritarianism, etc... They saw it on the rise in this country
after the war in the manufactured anti communist hysteria, rampant
conformity, unquestioning obedience, cruelty... Remember these were
the days of Solomon Asch's Yale studies of conformity: a majority of
students would disagree with their own senses just to conform, or
Stanley Milgram (also Yale, i think ) who found that a majority would
administer severe electric shocks to fellow students if a man in a
uniform told them to, or Phil Zimbardo at Stanford who found if you
put people in an authoritarian environment they will become
authoritarians themselves and subject their fellow students to
degrading acts of cruelty. Give that mentality the atomic bomb and
you've got trouble, and that trouble is what frank and tim wanted to
ward off, even before they got hold of the mushroom. Tim didn't
think the institutions of our country were going to heal this kind of
madness in our youth. in fact he thought the institutions
perpetuated it. I think he was right. He had already shown in the
fifties that psychotherapy worked better if you took the
psychotherapist out of it. Education might well be the same, as in
Elliot Aronson's Jig Saw classroom. Surely religion. take the
authorities out of it and the people do better on their own... ...
this sort of blind obedience unquestioning "authority" is rampant
again and look what we've got. i believe this pertains to Aarons
last sentence below: why do republicans who are getting fucked by
the Neocons still vote for them and against own interests?

many interesting parallels between then and now. at the beginning of
the 60s we had JFK's murder in broad day light which brought the
right wing into power. Even though in the Zapruder film we all can
see he was shot from the front, just like the numbskulls in Solomon
Aschs experiment our culture accepted the "official story," which
makes no sense at all. today we have 9/11 and the blind acceptance by
a majority of the "official story" which upon even the most
elementary scrutiny doesn't hold up...

Tim took a big risk that his popularization would overwhelm the
resistance that was already embedded in the culture.

I wonder if having psychedelic experience correlates highly with
tendency to deconstruct "official stories."

would be interesting to redo Asch's work and see if there were such
common experiences in the non-conformers.....

On Jan 27, 2006, at 5:21 PM, Aaron Long wrote:

> If someone gave you an electric lightbulb and you'd never seen one
> before, you'd probably be pretty excited to share it with all the
> other members of your tribe. This is the kind of enthusiasm Leary
> had. He thought LSD was great and wanted to share it. (Remember
> the first time you tripped? Didn't you want all your friends to
> try it?) Leary probably had a little tunnel vision about LSD, but
> if he was guilty of anything it was just excessive optimism about
> the public's receptiveness to things that might help them live
> better lives. As a person who is continually mystified as to why
> financially impoverished moral conservatives keep voting for the
> Republicans who take away their jobs and healthcare, I am
> sympathetic to Leary's blindness to this facet of human nature.
>
> --Aaron
>
>
> From: "**" <
> To: "John Beresford", "ER/RTA"
>
> CC: MAPS Forum
> Subject: Re: MAPS: article on Hofmann's 100th birthday
> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 17:14:47 -0800
>
> I'm not at all into Leary bashing but there is some family
> history. I take strong exception to the implication that were it
> not for Leary none of us would be here. Leary was a late arrival
> on the LSD scene I became connected with...He brought a lot of
> attention to the stuff and that brought popularization and hysteria.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Beresford"
<
> To: "ER/RTA"
> Cc: "MAPS Forum"
> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 6:01 PM
> Subject: Re: MAPS: article on Hofmann's 100th birthday
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> One of the main events at the symposium was Robert Forte's powerful
>> vindication of Tim. Included was his discussion with ALbert, who
>> denied
>> ever having told the Times that what Leary did was *criminal.*
>> Typical
>> media twisting of the truth.
>>
>> ER/RTA wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> I recently went to an event where one of the main speakers
>>> disparaged Leary 3 times in some 45 minutes. Revisionist.
>>> Without Leary, how many would be on this list? Would MAPS
>>> exist? In a perfect world....
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Gwyllm
>>>
>>> > Inspirational and optimistic, until that last little detail
>>> that the > end.
>>> > Surely, LSD doesn't teach us to feed the head by cutting off
>>> the dick. > But
>>> > if that's what Dr. Hoffman has to say on his 100th birthday, I
>>> will
>>> > politely do my time behind bars with Dr. Leary.
>>> >
>>> > Psychedelicists criminalizing each other is "a crime."
>>> >
>>> > Jon Frederick, Ph.D.

posted in Albert Hofmann - 0 replies

LSD therapeutic effects

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:02:34 GMT

his morning I was reading about Albert Hofman who turned 100. He is the inventor of LSD. In the article on him, and others on the subject, I was a bit surprised at the onetime promise of LSD as a cure for certain mental/neuro conditions.

I was also a bit surprised to find the resistence to further research and possible development of LSD was resisted on the basis of "perceived corrosive effects on the values of the western middle class...."

My question is this, are certain drugs that are currently illegal worthy of being revisited on their potential positive effects? I have read that some of the properties of LSD are shown to effectively treat alcoholism, certain types of debilitating headaches, and much more.

Also, can certain drugs such as LSD be engineered to be safe. Technology seems to have advanced so far, yet some substances seem to have been stigmatized possibly due to their perceived threat to the status quo.

I'm not advocating the use of LSD, just using it as an example.

The lab the Hofman developed LSD in was owned by Sandoz, which was eventually acquired by Novartis.

posted in Albert Hofmann - 1 reply

Remember ORKUT

Erico — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:30:23 GMT

Do you believe some people were selling acid through orkut, guess what, they were all busted. What a shame, and how dumb right???

posted in Albert Hofmann - 0 replies

A great idea inside post .

Gregory — Sun, 08 May 2005 22:49:50 GMT

mix liquid lsd with water or fruit juices and then feed it to a fruit seed like cantoluope or watermelon seed let it grow into a mature watermelon or cantaloupe , and then watch , everybody get fucked up off of the fruit ,plus You could sell the fruit at a fruit stand somewhere .

posted in Albert Hofmann - 1 reply

best video ever...

Erico — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 17:38:51 GMT

Do you know rif, in marrocos, so check it out!!!!
http://www.digitalvd.de/dvd/11751.html

posted in Albert Hofmann - 1 reply

Salvia divinatorum

Erico — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 05:12:48 GMT

HERE IS AN INTERVIEW IN WICH Dr. HOFMANN EXPLAIN HOW THE REAL NAME OF THE HALLUCINOGENIC SALVIA GOT MISPELLED FROM THE LATIN (SALVIA DIVINATORUM - priest`s salvia) GOT CHANGED TO THE OPPOSITTE NAME IN LATIN SALVIA DIVINORUM - ghost`s salvia
Grof: ¿Intentó aislar e identificar químicamente el principio activo de la Salvia divinorum?

Hofmann: Me llevé las hojas y realicé extractos extrayendo el jugo. Llevé el extracto a mi laboratorio de Basilea para analizarlo químicamente, pero ya no era activo. Parece ser que el principio activo se destruye muy fácilmente y el problema del análisis químico no está aún resuelto. [En 1984 aún no se habían identificado la Salvinorina A y B; nota mía]. Pero pudimos establecer la identidad botánica de la planta. En el Departamento de Botánica de Harvard determinaron que era una nueva especie de Salvia y le pusieron el nombre de Salvia divinorum. Es un nombre erróneo, latín incorrecto; debería haberse llamado en realidad Salvia divinatorum. Ellos, esos botánicos, no conocían muy bien el latín. Yo no estuve muy contento con el nombre porque Salvia divinorum significa "Salvia de los fantasmas", mientras que Salvia divinatorum, el nombre correcto, significa "Salvia de los sacerdotes". Pero ahora es conocida en la literatura botánica como Salvia divinorum.

posted in Albert Hofmann - 0 replies

PSILOCIBIN

Erico — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 05:04:19 GMT

I didn't know this, but it was also Hofmann, who in 1960 that synthetised in laboratory the psilocibin, wich has only 1/200 of the LSD power. His first experience with psilocibin however wasn't in the lab. In the 50's he got a stack of magic mushrooms from Mexico, and to study its effects took in his first time 32 magic mushrooms, as he said " after 30 minutes everything became to have a mexican caracter.

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