Albert Hoffmann, who worked at the Swiss pharmaceutical company Sandoz, was looking for a drug that promoted blood circulation. Then, in 1938, he developed a synthetic substance called Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, which did not have much of the therapeutic effect he had hoped for. However, about five years later, he accidentally discovered the extraordinary efficacy of this synthetic substance. Hoffman, who “accidentally ingested a small amount one day” of the neglected product, “realized that he had created something powerful, and he was both horrified and amazed.”

In Central America, wild Psychedelic mushrooms grow, which the Aztecs called ‘Teonanacatl.’ It means ‘Flesh of the Gods.’ They had “ceremonial use” of “this inconspicuous little brown mushroom.” The Spanish Catholics who conquered this place in the 16th century banned ‘magic mushrooms’, so it took about 400 years for them to become known to the world. “In 1955, Gordon Watson, a Manhattan banker and amateur mycologist, tasted these magic mushrooms in a village in southern Mexico.” Two years later, he published a 15-page account of his experience in the weekly magazine ‘Life’, informing the world of “mushrooms that cause strange illusions.” The substance extracted from this mushroom is called ‘Psilocybin.’

Michael Pollan (66), an American nonfiction writer and journalist, unexpectedly published a book about LSD and psilocybin. The original book was published in the United States in 2018. Pollan is considered a very well-known author in Korea through books such as “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “The Desiring Plant,” and “Second Nature.” He has dealt with a variety of subjects such as nature, gardens, plants, and food. However, the fact that he devoted his writerly attention to drugs that were considered ‘narcotics’ or ‘hallucinogens’ is quite unusual. In his book, he refers to LSD and psilocybin collectively as ‘psychedelics.’ I do not agree with the term ‘hallucinogen’. He explains, “The word ‘psychedelic,’ coined in 1956, is etymologically accurate,” adding, “This word, taken from Greek, means ‘Mind Manifesting.’”

As he confesses, the author is not part of the ‘psychedelic generation.’ He was born in 1955 and entered college in the 1970s, so he admits that he spent his youth “in an era when fear-mongering stories about LSD were rampant.” In his late 20s, he confessed that “the only psychedelic experience I had was two or three times using magic mushrooms,” and that “after enduring nausea for a while, I enjoyed four or five hours of hallucinations that were like a nice italicized version of a familiar reality.” . Of course, it was the ‘timid experience’ of an ordinary young man. Rather than “an experience of complete dissolution of the self,” it was “just a low-volume aesthetic experience.”

The author, who believed that “matter is the fundamental element of the world and that everything can be explained by physical laws,” confesses that it was only when he was approaching 60 that he “seriously thought about trying LSD for the first time.” Of course, there are many reasons for this. One day at a dinner party, a woman sitting at the end of the table was telling her audience about her acid trip (her hallucinatory experience) and said, “My husband and I do LSD regularly to keep her intellectually stimulated. “It helps our work quite a bit,” she said. “It turned out that she was a renowned psychologist.” Of course, what prompted the author to further open his mind to psychedelics was a paper by a research team at Johns Hopkins University. “I was completely fascinated by the paper. “Their study demonstrated that high doses of psilocybin can be safely and reliably used to produce mystical experiences.”

The book describes the history of psychedelics, various controversies, and the medical benefits that have been emerging one after another from various angles. The content and results of research conducted at not only Johns Hopkins, but also Imperial College London, UC Berkeley, and Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine are introduced. Researchers and therapists are also interviewed. However, the most interesting point is the author’s actual experience of “turning the handle and stepping inside.” Although the book appears to be an objective document about psychedelics, the author's experiences and thoughts unfold as expressions such as ‘I,’ ‘in my opinion,’ and ‘from what I have experienced’ appear frequently. He also describes the “overwhelming hallucinations” and “completely open dream-like state” he experienced.

According to the authors, “Most of the notorious hazards are exaggerated or untrue. It is virtually impossible to die from an overdose of LSD or psilocybin, and neither drug is addictive.” Rather, she “treats depression and addiction” and “offers true insight” through “expansion of consciousness.” It could also “improve healthy people” as a kind of “mental gym”. Of course, the author emphasizes that this insight or improvement does not come from the drug itself, but “comes from our mind.” “Psychedelics just opened the door.”

At the end of the book, the author says, “I sincerely hope that psychedelics will one day be more widely available and not limited to sick people.” But there is a clue. “It’s not that I just want it to be legalized,” he said, pointing out, “It’s also true that people who use psychedelics tend to do stupid and dangerous things.” This is a warning against a so-called ‘bad trip’. This is also the reason why “careful clinical screening” and “assistance from experienced guides” are mentioned. The author defines this book as “the story of the renaissance of LSD and psilocybin.”