Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist, first synthesized LSD by accident in 1938. He didn’t discover its effects until 5 years later, in 1943, when he was synthesizing it again and accidentally spilled some on his hand and began to hallucinate.

A standard LSD microdose is 10-20 micrograms, which is about 10-20% of a full dose of LSD. It’s difficult to microdose LSD accurately because it’s so potent. Most people who microdose buy LSD-infused blotter paper and cut one square into 5-10 tiny pieces, each of which is one microdose.

LSD binds to a special type of serotonin receptor called a 5HT2A receptor, increasing serotonin levels in several areas of your brain. Increased serotonin activity is what causes most of LSD’s most well-known effects, including hallucinations and a distorted sense of time and space.

LSD is a synthetic psychedelic compound, meaning it was created in a lab and does not occur in nature. It’s derived from ergot, a type of fungus that grows on rye. Ergot produces toxins that cause hallucinations, but can be fatal; LSD causes hallucinations without any physiologically toxic effects.

LSD is federally illegal in the United States. Possessing, ingesting, buying, or selling LSD is a felony, punishable by fines and at least a year in prison. If you’re going to buy LSD, be sure you trust the person selling it and be aware that you’re breaking the law.