Both compounds are primarily converted to LSD, with a few secondary metabolites — none of which have been found to have harmful effects. In Germany, ALD-52 is illegal under the NpSG (New Psychoactive Substances Act). The same situation is found in Austria, Latvia, Poland, and other European countries. However, despite these findings, there have not been any human trials with this substance, so the safety of ALD-52 remains theoretical at the present moment. There hasn’t been much research on ALD-52, despite how long it’s been around. From the available research, this compound appears to share the same safety profile as LSD.
LSD Analogues – The Ultimate Guide

Also known as mellow yellow, windowpane, and good ol’ Orange Sunshine. What you call this psychedelic likely depends more on your location and age than any other factor. As a former underground psychedelic chemist, Casey was arrested in 2004 for producing LSD, DMT, and 2C-B.
The Legacy Of Nick Sand, The Counterculture’s Chemist
LSD is currently a Class A controlled drug in the UK, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a fine for possession, while supply or production can lead to a life sentence. He was a laid-back, loved-up, long-haired prototype of Breaking Bad’s Walter White. He fuelled the Summer of Love in 1967 and dreamed of taking the whole world on an acid trip to peace.
The Life Of Tim Scully
Accurate dosing, sourcing from reliable vendors, and utilizing substance testing kits can minimize uncertainties. The presence of a trusted trip sitter and a comfortable environment can provide a safety net during the experience. Variability in potency, potential for unexpected reactions, and lack of standardization necessitate careful consideration. Yet, when approached responsibly, these compounds can offer users a heightened sense of connection, creativity, and expanded awareness. LSD analogues present a new and exciting avenue for individuals seeking novel perceptual states. These compounds share structural similarities with LSD but can offer distinct variations in effects, duration, and intensity.
Orange Sunshine LSD & The Brotherhood Of Eternal Love
Jimi Hendrix was enticed to make an incoherent film, and even the famously stoned guitar god found the Brothers too weird. Leary was busted in Laguna Beach, but broken out of jail using Brotherhood of Eternal Love money funneled to the Weather Underground and Black Panthers. However, lysergamides, including ALD-52 and LSD, don’t remain in the body for very long. LSD is detectable in blood for up to 24 hours and urine for up to 72 hours.
By 1995, Sand had set up a lab in Port Coquitlam near Vancouver to produce LSD, DMT, MDMA, and MDA on a large scale. In India, he lived in an ashram and learned hydroponic gardening. Eventually, Nick, Judy, and Rajneesh left India and settled at a ranch 120 miles southeast of Portland, which became a Rajanshee community. In 1972, Nick Sand, Tim Scully, and other Brotherhood members were arrested and charged with drug manufacturing and distribution following a California-based investigation called Operation BEL, which specifically targeted the Brotherhood. For an in-depth exploration of this story and a firsthand account of what was happening during that time, we strongly recommend watching “The Sunshine Makers,” a documentary released in 2015 that features interviews with both Sand and Scully. Members of The Brotherhood had connections to other prominent counterculture figures at the time, including Timothy Leary and the Grateful Dead, which helped to establish the group’s influence.

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- (It was first made in the late ‘30s by Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann).
- The application of harm reduction strategies, encompassing accurate dosing, reliable sourcing, and set and setting.
- However, ALD-52 is converted to LSD by the liver anyway, so the active ingredient exerting its effect on your consciousness is still the same compound.
- But as the years went by, it became slowly — little by little — harder to believe that LSD could save the world.
- Most of the lysergamides share the same general set of effects and have comparable potency and safety profiles.
- Several speakers blew during what he describes as an intense energy spike that he and others felt.
I’m glad that the film makes our story accessible to everyone, so they can have some sense of what we were up to. We were trying to do something good — it may not have worked out, but we had good intentions. I turned to making biofeedback instruments because I was very interested in altering consciousness, biofeedback, and self-control. I did that for a number of years but then my karma caught up with me.
His lab assistants were arrested there when they returned a few days later. The search was eventually ruled illegal and the case was dropped,4 but the lab had cost approximately $25,000 to set up and now Scully was looking for a new lab in addition to precursor chemicals. The allure of LSD analogues of course extends beyond laboratories and clinical settings into the realm of recreational use. Enthusiasts and curious explorers alike are drawn to the unique and often profound experiences offered by these compounds. However, treading this path demands a comprehensive understanding of the substances, their effects, and the importance of responsible use.

They were tried from October 1973 through to January 1974, convicted at the end of January, and about a month later, Scully was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He continued designing increasingly sophisticated (and eventually computerized) biofeedback and physiological monitoring instruments for the next 15 years, even in prison. Scully eventually worked out a deal with Nick Sand where he would teach him the process for making LSD if he financed a new lab. Scully also insisted Sand stop selling to the Hells Angels and instead sell his LSD to the Brotherhood of Eternal Love (a group that didn’t have a business model revolving around the use of violence).
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President Lyndon B. Johnson, then President Nixon and Gov. Reagan, prioritized fighting a “drug scourge” that no longer affected just society’s fringe, but also middle-of-the-road taxpayers’ own children. A shadowy organization that kept the hippies dosed at the height of the ’60s counterculture is brought to the light of day in this entertaining documentary. Interestingly, Scully established his philosophy before he ever took LSD. His experience with psychedelics confirmed the beliefs he already had, and he describes the feeling of oneness from taking LSD as reinforcing his ideas about quantum mechanics. His combination of physics insight and transcendental experiences on LSD make him convinced that everything is interconnected on a fundamental level.


That hidden chapter of history had its start in late 1968 when the lab was set up in Windsor. Within a few months it produced roughly 3 pounds of LSD, or enough to make 4.5 million hits of “Orange Sunshine,” a nickname for the orange-colored, barrel-shaped pill that produced an especially powerful psychedelic trip. Orange Sunshine became ubiquitous thanks primarily to psychedelic evangelist Tim Scully, who spent hours in the lab creating the drug at the heart of the 1960s counter-culture movement. His story is told in the new documentary The Sunshine Makers, which is set for wide release on January 27. Inverse recently spoke with Scully about his experience, the future of LSD, and how he no longer thinks acid can turn on the entire world. Commonly available LSD analogues can change quite regularly due to continued regulatory attempts to control these substances.
- The Brotherhood’s name and actions have been sensationalized ever since, and over 50 years later, William A. Kirkley tells their story in the feature documentary film, Orange Sunshine.
- The blotter art pictured here is nod to the original Orange Sunshine LSD that became synonymous within the California psychedelic scene of the 1960s.
- Psymposia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization that offers leftist perspectives on drugs, politics, and culture.
- One of the core tenets of Scully’s philosophy is that everything in the universe, living or not, is connected.
“They call me Mellow Yellow,” sings soft-spoken Donovan as he strums his acoustic guitar. Exactly what the song’s “mellow yellow” is referencing, however, is ambiguous—and a very good story. Before you go… Psymposia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization that offers critical perspectives on drugs, politics, and culture. We strive to ask challenging questions, and we’re committed to independent reporting, critical analysis, and holding those who wield power accountable. Support Psymposia’s independent journalism on Patreon and help us drive the Mystery Machine!

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It has been shepherded across generations, binding an expansive, wiggly community of artists, chemists, criminals, rock stars, researchers, and good ol’ fashioned heads. In December 1962, Sand had his first psychedelic experience with mescaline sulfate. He credits this moment for giving him a profound sense of purpose and clarity.
The federal Analog Act empowers authorities to oversee structurally akin compounds to controlled substances. Some analogues, such as ALD-52 and ETH-LAD, reside in ambiguous legal terrain, while others like 1P-LSD have faced legal ramifications. While the United States’ Analog Act raises questions about similarity and control, the European Union navigates a diverse array of regulations. Meanwhile, other regions like Australia and New Zealand employ tailored legislation.
There are very few physiological effects, even with very large doses of the drug. Although this is personal and everyone’s experiences will differ, some early study results show that LSD usage can make us kinder, calmer and better at home and in the workplace. LSD can help us solve problems with more creativity and make us more open-minded by “thinking outside the box” and stepping away from our ingrained habits. It is not uncommon for people to report greater sense or gratitude towards life and being more generous after an LSD trip.