Historical overview

Psychedelic compounds have been used by humans for millennia, originally derived from plants and fungi by ancient and indigenous peoples. Western society was reintroduced to them in the mid-20th century, first through Albert Hofmann's synthesis of LSD in the 1940s and then through Gordon Wasson's introduction to psilocybin mushrooms by Maria Sabina in the 1950s. These substances became subjects of scientific and cultural interest, but their prominence declined sharply in the 1970s due to international drug laws. A resurgence began in the 1990s, leading to an ongoing renaissance in psychedelic science.

Study at a glance

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.