MDMA was first synthesized by Anton Köllisch at the pharmaceutical company Merck in Germany. The young German chemist developed 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in his quest for an alternative chemical method to synthesize hydrastinine. The molecule was patented on December 24, 1912, but was never tested on humans. With the outbreak of World War I, Köllisch was recruited as a soldier and died in September 1916.
History of MDMA
Little could the young chemist have imagined the enormous impact that molecule would have, first on dance floors under the name “ecstasy,” and later in therapy rooms worldwide from the 1980s to the present. Currently, it is on the verge of being approved (or perhaps not) by the FDA as a medication for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
MDMA at Fuertedélica
MDMA will play a prominent role at the upcoming Fuertedélica event, to be held in Corralejo (Fuerteventura) on November 22 and 23. On Friday, November 22, there will be a roundtable discussion titled “MDMA: From the Party to the Couch,” featuring Raúl del Pino discussing “Sex, Tantra, and MDMA;” Fernando Caudevilla, known as Doctor X, with his talk “Medicine and Culture of MDMA”; and José Carlos Bouso, a pioneer in therapeutic research with MDMA, who will conclude the roundtable with a discussion on “Medical Uses of MDMA: What’s Next?.”
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Journalist, director of the documentary series Voices of Ayahuasca, member of the Plantaforma for the Defense of Ayahuasca (www.plantaforma.org), co-organizer of Fuertedélica, and black belt in karaoke.