Just about everyone alive knows about LSD, but it tends to only be psychedelic enthusiasts who know about its lesser cousin LSA The two substances are very closely related, although they don’t produce the exact same experience.
This article will explore the differences between LSD & LSA for those who aren’t already aware. Once you’re finished with the article, you’ll be able to decide for yourself whether or not LSA is something worth your time to pursue.
LSD, Acid, and Rye Bread
LSD, short for lysergic acid diethylamide and most commonly known as acid, is a very powerful psychedelic drug. It’s arguably the most popular psychedelic drug that the world has ever known. Considering the fact that it’s only been around for about a century, compared to some natural psychedelics that have existed for millions and have been used for thousands, this is a testament to the power and importance of LSD.
The widespread availability of LSD in the sixties brought the psychedelic experience into the mainstream. No longer were long, heady trips restricted to shamans and medicine men existing either in far-off lands or in the outer rings of fringe culture.
This rapid proliferation of transformative and consciousness-expanding experiences was almost entirely attributed to acid, although during the latter half of the sixties people tended to engage in all sorts of other fun, wall-breathing, hearing-texture type experiences. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Acid History
Acid was discovered about 30 years earlier, in 1938 precisely. It was discovered by the Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, who was working to find a new chemical that could be used as a drug to treat blood disorders.
Hoffman had been looking at a series of chemicals that are called ergolines. Ergolines are a class of chemicals that grow on a particular type of fungus, called ergot, which itself grows on rye bread (among other things).
After isolating lysergic acid and synthesizing, from it, LSD, Hoffman deemed the drug to be fairly useless and put it back on the shelf for a few years. He synthesized a large number of ergolie compounds. LSD-25 is named as such because, according to Hofmann himself, it was “the twenty-fifth substance in a series of lysergic acid derivatives.”
As if to precede the drug’s reputation as a psychedelic, Hoffman later recalled that, some years later, in 1942, he was called back to his lab by the chemical itself. It “spoke to me,” he said, and it then encouraged him to continue experimenting with it. So, he did what any self-respecting chemist would do when hearing the voice of their chemical children. He took a dose of acid.
His first trip didn’t amount to much and his second trip amounted to way too much. He got so high that he had to leave work, grabbing his assistant and bicycling home like a madman while the world around him rapidly disintegrated. Hoffman got so blasted off this dosage (which was, fortunately, only several times stronger than the average dose of LSD today – and, amounting to the drug’s ridiculous potency, still far less than a single milligram) that even today, a century later, we still commemorate the date of his experience (April 21st) as Bicycle Day.
During his experience, Hoffman had a number of profound insights and immediately recognized the potential for acid to be used as a therapeutic substance. He planned to employ it specifically for the purpose of providing people with an avenue for radical transformation and self-improvement.
He wasn’t overjoyed when it made its way into public circulation and immediately occupied a niche among potheads and dirty hippies. He found the association with hippies and drug culture to be insulting to the integrity of the drug. It’s a shame that Hofmann, who passed away roughly a decade ago – still fighting vehemently in defense of LSD as a therapeutic aid – never got to see the rapid shift in psychedelic stigma that we’ve enjoyed in the last few years. Nowadays, LSD is the subject of a large number of studies and its use is being considered for all manner of ailments by scientists across the world.
Nonetheless, we can rest assured that without Hoffman, the psychedelic boom of the 60s probably would have never happened and our world would look a lot different today.
LSA – Morning Glory & Hawaiian Baby Woodrose
Since LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide, you’d be forgiven for assuming that LSA thus stood for lysergic acid. Pretty close: LSA refers to D-lysergic acid amide: regular old LySergic acid Diethylamide, missing its diethyl but with some extra D to take its place.
LSA is also known as ergine. That’s right – it’s also an ergoline alkaloid and can be found in the same fungus as lysergic acid. It’s also found in a number of other different plants.
LSA was also discovered by Albert Hoffman. (He also discovered most of the other ergolines that grow in the natural world). However, LSA was actually created in the lab long before it was known to be a naturally-occurring compound.
The LSD and LSA molecules look just about the same, aside from the diethyl aspect, and function very similarly in the body. Instead of being found in the ergot fungus, LSA can be isolated from a couple of different plants. The two most popular sources for LSA are Hawaiian
Baby Woodrose seeds and morning glory seeds. Neither of which are very willing to yield their psychedelic innards. If you’ve ever spent a half-hour smashing apart a handful of morning glory seeds with a hammer in hopes of uncovering the psychedelic secrets inside then you’ll know what I’m talking about.
As far as Morning Glory goes, there is a specific species of the plant that you will need to seek out. Morning Glory is a pretty broad genus with more than a thousand flowering plants within.
The one that people seek out for its LSA content is called Ipomoea corymbosa, a climbing vine that finds its roots in Central and South America (as if they didn’t already have enough psychedelic plants twining their way through the jungles).
Fortunately, the actual hard labor of locating and growing the plant has already been done by hundreds of groups around the world. It’s not hard to find lysergamides like LSA available in their natural form online.
LSA History
The seeds of the corymbosa vine have an extensive traditional history in the regions where they grow. They were used for ritual purposes in both Mayan and Aztec cultures. The seeds were called Ololiuqui in the Nahuatl tongue; the name still persists today among some tribes and psychonauts fond of either offering respect to plant spirits or appropriating cultures in the name of seeming worldly.
The Zapotecs of Mexico also used these same seeds. They were sometimes combined with the seeds of R. corymbosa, a similar species that also contains ergolines. The vine contains ergometrine, among others, whereas R. corymbosa contains lysergol instead of ergometrine.
Mazatec tribes preferred the morning glory seeds. First documented by Richard Schultes in 1941, the culture’s rituals – which date back eons longer – allowed them to “commune with their gods.” The same traditional practices are still followed today.
The compound was first synthesized and brought to the attention of the American scientific institutions by way of Albert Hofmann in 1947. At this time he and his coworkers were undergoing extensive synthesis of lysergamides.
His experiments included an intramuscular dosage in which he felt relaxed and dreamy.
LSA was also used by the CIA during the illegal experimental project called MKULTRA. Declassified documents show that the CIA aimed to evaluate the intoxicating and psychedelic properties of the compounds found in the R. Corymbosa vine, which include LSA.
The study aimed to make it easier to produce large quantities of seed that themselves produced a higher concentration of LSA.
LSA vs. LSD – Similarities and Differences
LSA and LSD certainly share more similarities than differences. The two compounds are nearly identical in structure and thus their effects are also nearly indistinguishable. The main difference is the potency (a full dose of LSD will barely feel like a microdose of LSD) and their sources.
Source
As mentioned before, LSD has its origins as an ergoline, a class of chemicals that are known to exist within the ergot fungus. As yet that’s the only place that LSD has been sourced from naturally.
That said, the extraction process that allows for the isolation of LSD is fairly complex and requires a lot of equipment. The process itself also involves the significant alteration of the natural ergoline compounds. As such, LSD is considered a synthetic compound.
LSA on the other hand has been identified in a fair number of different plants including ergot. Although its extraction is generally tedious and frustrating, it is effective when taken naturally and therefore is considered a natural substance. It can be produced synthetically, and any bulk LSA purchased was likely made this way.
Chemistry
LSD is a synthetic compound. It’s not found naturally and must be synthesized from lysergic acid. It’s highly potent in its action as a 5-HT-2a serotonin agonist, much like most of the other lysergamides.
LSA is less potent than LSD. Dosages are generally around 500 mcg. Its epimer isoergine, and related compound ergine, are both found in the Morning Glory seed. Albert Hofmann experimented with isolated, synthetic versions of these compounds and found that, on their own, they produced only apathy and a sensation of emptiness.
Effects
The effects of LSD and LSA are extremely similar, although LSA lacks the intensity of LSD. In fact, even large doses of LSA fail to produce a full-strength psychedelic trip – at least not in the same way that acid does.
Acid produces the full spectrum of lysergamide effects. It’s a powerful hallucinogen and profoundly affects both the mind and body as well. In addition to causing sensory distortions, LSD has a significant body load (characterized by numerous, and generally unpleasant, physical symptoms).
LSA is not without its own body load, either. Users have reported that physical symptoms seem lessened if the LSA is extracted from the plant material first. When consuming the seeds in their entirety, many agree that LSA causes a significantly stronger body load than LSD on its own. Part of this is pure discomfort; another part leads to some of LSA’s unique benefits: its sedative and dream-promoting effects.
This suggests that either other ergolines or perhaps unknown phytochemicals may contribute to the body load, although realistically, body load is something common among many different ergolines and lysergamides.
Its influence on the mind is quite strong. This is one of LSD’s most promising effects. These effects can be beneficial both recreationally and therapeutically
Recreationally users tend to enjoy the shift in consciousness to the psychedelic mindset. Objects, experiences and individuals take on qualities that users may have never noticed before. Or, just as within deep states of meditation, one may find themselves overwhelmed by the sense that they are seeing something for the first time. In doing this, one becomes more aware of the subtleties and qualities of a thing.
The same sort of increased appreciation and enhanced observation can also be applied to our mental processes as well. Acid not only changes the way that we think but it also increases our ability to observe and contemplate the nature of thought itself. We may also become significantly more introspective and aware of the subtleties and interactions – textures, if you will – of different types of thoughts and emotions. Rather than remaining quantitative, like it generally is in Western daily life, the mind becomes a qualitative objective of interest.
This qualitative change allows people to process and look at the workings of their mind as if it were a great tapestry or a sprawling natural vista. This is fascinating on both a therapeutic and recreational level.
Recreationally people may delve deeply into questions of philosophy or spirituality. Acid loosens the bonds between the material world and those realms that cannot generally be observed with the five senses. The psychedelic mindstate allows deep introspection and contemplation to emerge naturally. Users can speculate, contemplate, inquire, evaluate, and observe profound and powerful ideas in a short time.
LSD can also change the mood significantly. Throughout a trip, people often experience a wide range of emotions. Many become giddy with laughter and silliness. Others became withdrawn and curious. Many people will experience both extremes, as well as everything in between, multiple times throughout their trip.
Interestingly enough, many of the visual hallucinations that we experience while under the influence of LSD are not actually hallucinations. When LSD interacts with the serotonin system, one of its chief influences is to cause the brain’s self-limiting input block to slow down or shut down. This system is employed by the brain so that we are not constantly overwhelmed by the bombardment of energy and stimuli that can be found surrounding us at all times. It separates information deemed necessary from information deemed unnecessary.
In other words, most of what we’re seeing isn’t a hallucination: it’s real. We’re simply seeing the world as it exists without our brain arbitrarily deciding for us what is worth seeing and what isn’t. The fluidity, enhanced color and other visual distortions give us a more precise image of the chaotic nature of reality when compared to the more structural solidity that we experience on a daily basis.
LSA’s effects are not so intense. Many people report that the hallucinatory aspects of LSA are somewhat lacking. On the other hand, the substance excels at introducing people to the psychedelic mindstate. Mid to low doses have been described as “acid without hallucinations,” which makes this a great study for contemplative people who want to enjoy the enhanced cognitive abilities offered by psychedelics without having to commit to a full trip.
Both substances could thus be considered therapeutic. They allow one to observe, analyze and understand thoughts and emotions in a much deeper way than they can in a normal headspace. More than that, the psychedelic mindstate is one characterized by openness, expression, flexibility, and the ability to explore topics and emotions that one might normally avoid by default.
Potency
One obvious difference between LSD and LSA is the potency.
Acid is by far the more potent of the two substances. Its dosage range is generally between 75-150 micrograms; roughly a tenth of a milligram. This dose produces medium-to-strong effects that last between eight and twelve hours.
Therapeutic Use
As far as lysergamides go – in fact, as far as psychedelics in general go – the majority of the research has been focused on acid. LSD was a pivotal drug in the development of North American and, ultimately, global culture. It is a prominent substance and therefore one of the most interesting to study.
That said, our understanding of both LSD and LSA has been severely stunted thanks to the anti-drug laws that were passed after the sixties. Because of these arbitrary rules, chemists, scientists, mental health professionals, and doctors have been unable to evaluate the efficacy of LSD (Nowadays, fortunately, things are changing for the better. Companies dedicated to psychedelic research have gone public and numerous clinical trials are underway right now to observe the effect of drugs like acid, MDMA, and ketamine on various phenomena.)
But, back to our favorite lysergamides. One study that evaluated LSA observed its use for treating cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are one of the most painful conditions in the world. Andrew Seawall, head author of the study, believes that LSA might be useful.
The study simply involved the interviewing of 66 patients diagnosed with cluster headaches who had chosen to self-medicate with morning glory. 38% of them said that LSA could completely stop a cluster headache in its tracks within 20 minutes. 43% further affirmed the LSA to be effective, though not quite as quickly.
That’s just a single study, though. There are hundreds of studies that have been done on LSD. There’s no question about its medicinal value, although some do question the validity of many of the studies.
This is because a huge number of these studies were performed before LSD was made illegal, between 1950 and the early 1970s. LSD’s impact on symptoms of a huge number of psychiatric conditions was repeatedly assessed and proven to be helpful. Unfortunately, modern science uses more rigorous and demanding study guidelines, so researchers have had to comb through the prior studies to provide the rest of the community with the studies that adhere to our modern-day standards.
Around this time, LSD was actually marketed as a pharmaceutical by Sandoz laboratories, who gave it the brand name of Delysid. The military used LSD to enhance soldier ability. The CIA utilized it in illegal projects like MK-Ultra and also considered using it as a truth serum.
Nowadays, groups like the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies are employing researchers around the globe to take a deep look at hallucinogens like LSD. Their pioneering research is helping to establish psychedelics not only as novel therapeutic compounds but as unique and promising areas of study.
