Ergometrine, to prevent post-childbirth bleeding
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Active ingredients: Ergometrine.
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Historically used to induce uterine contractions
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Currently used to prevent bleeding after childbirth (postpartum haemorrhage) [15]
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During the 1930s, ergot pills containing ergometrine were marketed for abortion, although the composition, safety and efficacy of these were largely unknown
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Hydergine, a nootropic
for mental enhancement and dementia [10]
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Acfive ingredients: dihydroergotoxine mesylate.
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Clinically, Hydergine is used for age-related mental conditions such as dementia and stroke recovery
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Has been reported to improve mental capacity, including mood, increase oxygen and blood supply to the brain
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Antioxidant properties, although evidence for this is not strong
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Currently marketed as a nootropic supplement
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Mechanism of action not well known
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From toxin
to therapeutic
Historically, compounds derived from EAs have been used for a range of applications, with its earliest documented use as an aide in childbirth in 1582. Along with the psychotropic effects that associate Claviceps with LSD, EAs have pharmaceutical significance as analgesics (painkillers) and vasoconstrictors (blood vessel contraction).
Cafergot, a painkiller for migraines
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Active ingredients: Caffeine, ergotamine or ergoline.
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First suggested in 1926 by Swiss psychiatrist Hans Maier
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Treatment of vascular headaches (outdated), most commonly migraines
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Originally thought to be caused by swelling of blood vessels, but this has been disputed
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Enhances the activity of serotonin receptors responsible for reducing blood flow in cerebral arteries, as well as several other receptors that stimulate vasoconstriction and prevent the release of pro-inflammatory molecules [18]
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Parlodel, for Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes and more
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Active ingredients: Bromocriptine.
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Bromocriptine first discovered and marketed by Sandoz in the 1960s
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Used to treat Parkinson’s Disease, type 2 diabetes, hyperprolactinemia and other pituitary conditions that may affect pregnancy and menstruation
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Low insulin and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes is also associated with low dopamine levels
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An agonist receptor, bromocriptine strongly inhibits the release of dopamine, serotonin and glutamate [4]
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Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscope play of colors. After some two hours, this condition faded away.
- Albert Hofmann, "My Problem Child"
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Lysergic acid diethylamide, a potent psychotropic
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LSD was first synthesized by Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann (who also founded the discovery of psilocybin) in his lab at Sandoz, Basel in 1938. Five years later, by way of accident he began to suspect that lysergic acid played more than just an intermediary role in ergot alkaloid synthesis.
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The above extract details the self-experiment he performed in 1943. In an effort to fully characterise the psychoactive effects of LSD, he intentionally ingested 250 micrograms of the compound, the estimated threshold dose (it is actually 20 micrograms) [9].
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Psychotherapeutic benefits of LSD that are well-supported by clinical trials include [3]:
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Reducing end-of-life anxiety i.e. in terminal illness
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Reversing drug and alcohol addiction
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Enhancement of mental capacity and creativity
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Receptiveness to other forms of psychotherapy (psychoanalytic approaches in particular)
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Currently, LSD is classified as a Schedule I drug (no safe or therapeutic use, in the same category as cannabis and psilocybin) according to the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. With moderate doses, very little physiological damage has been reported to occur. Adverse or potentially fatal effects can occur from overdose, as a result of acting out particularly intense hallucinations [3, 9].
