In 1968 and 1969, a famous batch of LSD known as "Orange Sunshine" was synthesized by Nick Sand and Tim Scully and made widely available in California. This "Orange Sunshine" was long held by the hippie generation to be ALD-52 until 2005, when it was revealed by Nick Sand that "Orange Sunshine" was just a particularly well made batch of LSD dosed at 300 micrograms per unit. This was confirmed by Tim Scully in a 2017 Reddit AMA, where Scully explained that the claim that "Orange Sunshine" was technically not LSD arose from an "ill-advised desperate defense strategy that failed miserably" during his trial for LSD manufacture.
ALD-52, or 1-Acetyl-N,N-diethyllysergamide, is a semisynthethic molecule of the lysergamide chemical class. ALD-52 is a substituted derivative of lysergic acid. ALD-52's structure contains four rings, a bicyclic hexahydroindole fused to a bicyclic quinoline group. This core structure of ALD-52 is an ergoline derivative, and has tryptamine and phenethylamine structures embedded within it. ALD-52 contains a N,N-diethylcarboxamide functional group bound to R8 of the chemical structure. It is additionally substituted at carbon 6 with a methyl group.
ALD-52 is homologous to 1P-LSD, which contains a propionyl group bound to CH3CO- instead of the acetyl group bound to the same location. It is unknown how these differences account for differences in the two compound's activity.
ALD-52 through its metabolite LSD acts as a partial agonist at most serotonin receptor subtypes, including the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, 5-HT2C and 5-HT6 receptors. It can also be expected to act as an agonist at dopamine receptors such as D2. The psychedelic effects are believed to come from ALD-52's efficacy at the 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT1A receptor subtypes.
ALD-52, alongside 1P-LSD and 1B-LSD, act as prodrugs for LSD, though it is unclear as to whether it is capable of exerting its own effects as a parent substance. It has been found that ALD-52 metabolizes into two distinct metabolites, N-deethyl ALD-52 and N6-demethyl ALD-52 (nor-ALD-52) in addition to its' primary metabolite LSD. ALD-52 is metabolized by CYP3A4 which does the N6-deallylation. Additionally, CYP2D6 is involved in the hydroxylation process. and this may extend to A and this may extend to ALD-52.
The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational ALD-52toxic dose is unknown. This is because ALD-52 is a research chemical with a very limited history of human use.
Anecdotal evidence from people within the community who have tried ALD-52 suggests that there are no negative health effects attributed to simply trying the drug by itself at low to moderate doses and using it very sparingly (although nothing can be completely guaranteed). Independent research should always be conducted to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption.
As with other psychedelic substances, there are relatively few physical side effects that have been reported associated with acute ALD-52 exposure. Although no formal studies have been conducted, it is likely that as with LSD itself, ALD-52 is able to be considered non-addictive,extremely low toxicity relative to dose. It is also likely that as with LSD, there are little to no negative physical, cognitive, psychiatric or other toxic consequences associated with acute ALD-52 exposure.
However, as with LSD and psychedelics in general, it is possible that ALD-52 can act as a potential trigger for those with underlying psychiatric conditions. It is advised to be extremely cautious if it is known that a family member has bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder as those with a personal or family history of mental illness are generally advised not to use this substance, particularly outside of a supervised medical setting.
It is strongly recommended that one uses harm reduction practices when using this substance.
Although no formal studies have been conducted, it is not unreasonable to assume that like LSD itself, ALD-52not habit-forming and that the desire to use it can actually decrease with use.
Tolerance to the effects of ALD-52almost immediately after ingestion. After that,5-714 days to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). ALD-52 presents cross-tolerance with Cross-all psychedelics, meaning that after the use of ALD-52 all psychedelics will have a reduced effect.
The LD50 of ALD-52 is unknown. Adverse psychological reactions are common especially at higher doses. Some of these include anxiety, delusions, panic attacks and more rarely seizures. Medical attention is usually only needed if suspected of severe psychotic episodes or “fake acid” (such as 25i-NBOMe or DOB). Administration of benzodiazepines or antipsychotics may help to relieve the negative cognitive effects.
ALD-52 is currently a gray area compound within many parts of the world. This means that it is not known to be specifically illegal within most countries, but people may still be charged for its possession under certain circumstances such as under analog laws and with the intent to sell or consume.
Austria: ALD-52 is technically not illegal but it may fall in the NPSG (Neue-Psychoaktive-Substanzen-Gesetz Österreich) as an analogue of LSD.
Denmark: ALD-52 is not listed as an illegal substance in Denmark, and its chemical class 'lysergamide' is not banned under the Analogue Act (Some LSD analogues are, however, prohibited).
Germany: ALD-52 is controlled under the NpSG (New Psychoactive Substances Act) as of July 18, 2019. Production and import with the aim to place it on the market, administration to another person and trading is punishable. Possession is illegal but not penalized.
Latvia: ALD-52 is illegal in Latvia. Although it isn't officially scheduled, it is controlled as an LSD structural analog due to an amendment made on June 1, 2015.
Poland: ALD-52 is a NPS class drug in Poland, making it illegal to possess or distribute.
Singapore: ALD-52 is a Class A controlled substance.
Switzerland: ALD-52 is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis E.
United Kingdom: As of January 7, 2015, ALD-52 is specifically named in the U.K. Misuse of Drugs Act as a Class A controlled substance..
United States: ALD-52 is unscheduled in the United States. It may be considered an analogue of LSD, a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. As such, the sale for human consumption or the use for illicit non-medical or scientific research could be prosecuted as crimes under the Federal Analogue Act.
Responsible use
Research chemical
Psychedelic
Lysergamide
LSD
1P-LSD
AL-LAD
ALD-52 (Wikipedia)
ALD-52 (Erowid Vault)
ALD-52 (TiHKAL / Isomer Design)
Discussion
The ALD-52 Thread (Bluelight)
Nichols, D. E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 68(2), 264-355. https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.115.011478
Passie, T., Halpern, J. H., Stichtenoth, D. O., Emrich, H. M., & Hintzen, A. (2008). The Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: A Review, 14, 295–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00059.x
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Roseman, L., Kaelen, M., Droog, W., Murphy, K., … Nutt, D. J. (2016). Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1518377113
