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January 6, 1958

Dr. Harris Isbell
Acdiction Roscarch Center
U. S. Publie Eealth Service Eospital
P. 0. Bax 2000
Lexington,Kentucky

Daar Dr. Isbell:

Thank you very much for your interesting and belpful report on the effects of epinepbrine. Your finiings in this regard agree completely vith otkers that I aa familiar with.

Wo ere at present invoived with the problem of aseaying clinically the poasible psychotoiretic effects of an alcoholic extract of a certain type o fungus. The chemist who ia doing the isolation vork originally used himself as guinea pis, but is ros willing to turn this over to mcre talented hanls. Ee found thst 10 grans of tha dried fungus proluced a stats of rental confusion involving visual illusions and possible hallucinations along with some "tingling on the skia and periodic oreathlessnzss". To Ey knovledge, he has taken the funzus, both fresh eni dried, at least four different timss each fraa a different collection of the same fungus, incluling the sample that he is presently working with snd each time baa experienced the sore efrects. Further, he. has prepared an ethanolic extract of this dried fungus and lyophilized it. 0.15 grems of this extraet is equivalent to l.0 grans of the original dried fungua. Our chemist tried a dose of thia extract equivalent to a l0 gram dose of the fungus and reported effects equal to or Sreater than those he had previously experienced.

I en sending you appraxirataly 20 grans of the extract under separate cover. You will find that the material is very bygroscopic ard scmewhat soluble in vater. We have on hand a sufficient supply of the rav matorial to carry cut extensive isolaticn experirents as scon as we have veririod the activity of this preliminary extract. We intend to follcs the extraction. process routinely by aniral teating backed up with sn ceccsional abbreviated clinical trial. I am enclosinz a copy of the animal work that bas so far been carried out on this matarial alcng vith a report on "unkncwn" LSD-25 frcn the saze labcratory for carpariscn purposes. The large doses required for the "umkmom" LsD-25 arise fras the fact that tu supplied the casay laboratory with a very dilute sarple of solid material. The rethods and prcceduros used in ths laboratory doing thia vork for us and much of the

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actual training of the technicians involved vus directly supervised by Ed Feliknn, vho continues to follor the vork done there on a consultant bagis. I feel that knoving this, you vill be batter able to decide how much confidence that you viah to plece in these results. If I can aupply you with any other informtion about the material vhich vill help you to get it to the point of clinical trial I'll be very glad to do so, as. ve are most anxious to get scre expert evaluation or thess effects.

I am alao sending ycu five grams of synthetic material in which we are interested. This latter substance is the nitrogen analcg or tetrahydrocennabinol (five-carbon side-chein). It is a pue copound and although it exists as the hydrochloride, it is not very soluble in vater. We call the material C-5 ard as you will see by the attached laboratory reports it has scro interesting properties. I an including pharmacological reporta on "unkncwm" C-9 (aizethyl-heptyl) fraa the same laboratory for comparison. As ycu vill note frcm the doses, the "unkmowm" C-9 asacyed was supplied in very dilute form.

A question that cccurs to me in connection with clinical work on these compounds is vhether it vould help you 1f we msda a routine assay of the eardio-vascular effects of such materials prior to sending then to you. I coula probably get Carl to do this if you feel that it vould serve a useful purpose. If you think of any other procedures that we might run, your suggesticns would be eppreciated.

Carl io senling m sors samples of the material that Abood reported as having hallucincgenic effects at about 6-l0 milligrams per dose. Carl feels that be has confirred this effect in his subjects and so I am going to ccpare it vith soze of the stondard materials in animala. If you vould like a sample, I could essily send it along when it arrives here.

Ws hope to be able to visit you in the nesr future.

Sincerely,

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