Hofmann's Potion (2002)

Researchers try to establish the medical benefits of LSD.

Director:

Connie Littlefield

Writer:

Connie Littlefield

Stars:

Duncan Blewett, Ram Dass, Stanislav Grof

Cast

Credited cast:
Duncan Blewett	...	Himself
Ram Dass	...	Himself
Stanislav Grof	...	Himself
Abram Hoffer	...	Himself
Albert Hofmann	...	Himself
Aldous Huxley	...	Himself
Laura Archera Huxley	...	Herself
Timothy Leary	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ralph Metzner	...	Himself (as Dr. Ralph Metzner)
Humphry Osmond	...	Himself
Myron Stolaroff	...	Himself

Storyline

Researchers try to establish the medical benefits of LSD.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 2002 (Canada)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Conceptafilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Albert Hofmann: I think that the possibility to have psychedelic experience is inborn. These psychedelics - very similar compounds are in our brain; of all the compounds which you find in the plant kingdom only the psychedelics are so closely related chemically to these brain factors, which we already have. We speak about the paradise of childhood. When I had this vision and beautiful experience as a child, this is no wonder, because we have these compounds already in our brain.

User Reviews

A history about an immortal man

Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to "tune in, turn on and drop out," D-lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD) was being used by researchers to understand the human mind.

Discovered in 1943 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, LSD was hailed as a powerful tool to treat alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide a window into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Much of that pioneering research was done by the team of Humphry Osmond, Abram Hoffer and Duncan Blewett, all working in Saskatchewan.

While researchers were establishing the medical benefits of LSD, others

• like author Aldous Huxley - promoted the drug as a powerful tool for

mental exploration and self-understanding. At Harvard, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass (then known as Richard Alpert) became popular heroes after the university canceled their research project into psychedelics.

Featuring interviews with many LSD pioneers, Hofmann's Potion is much more than a simple chronicle of the drug's early days. With its thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, it is an invitation to look at LSD - and our world - with a more open, compassionate mind.