The surprising new treatment for mental illness

Dig into the science of how psychedelic drugs affect your brain, and how they could be used for psychiatric treatment.

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In 1943, chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally exposed himself to a drug he derived from ergot fungus and recorded its unexpected, mind-altering effects. The drug, lysergic acid diethylamide— or LSD— was soon heralded for its psychiatric potential. But how do LSD and other psychedelic drugs affect the body? And can they actually be medicinal? Anees Bahji explores the science of psychedelics.