Adrenochrome, Schizophrenia & Niacin: The Forgotten Orthomolecular Hypothesis

In the 1950s, Dr. Abram Hoffer and Dr. Humphry Osmond proposed a bold idea: that a hallucinogenic compound produced inside the body could mimic LSD and drive schizophrenia. They called it adrenochrome — an oxidized product of adrenaline that appears during stress.

This video revisits their pioneering work and the birth of orthomolecular psychiatry:
• How adrenochrome was discovered and why it was linked to hallucinations, delusions, and “LSD-like” psychosis in genetically susceptible people.
• Why the mainstream still lacks a clear biochemical model for schizophrenia, despite decades of drug development.
• The role of niacin (vitamin B3) as a cheap, safe way to protect cells from adrenochrome’s effects — and why combining vitamins with temporary drug therapy became Hoffer’s signature approach.
• Patient stories of recovery, dietary triggers like sugar, and the forgotten roots of nutritional psychiatry.

If you’ve ever wondered about the connection between stress hormones, mental illness, and vitamins, this is a lost chapter of medical history worth knowing.