---
name: MDA
molecule: C10H13NO2
compound: "3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine"
era: Modern
origin: Germany
archetype: Milady
ancestor: Native American
swag_score: 2
image: "https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/milady_nativeAmerican_MDA.webp"
date_added: "2025-01-12"
---

<div align="center">
  <img src="https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/milady_nativeAmerican_MDA.webp" alt="Mda" width="320" />
</div>


# MDA

## Effects & Properties

**Effects:** Euphoria, increased empathy, heightened sensory perception,
mild to moderate hallucinations, and increased energy. Physically, it can increase heart rate,
elevate blood pressure, pupil dilation, jaw clenching, sweating, and in some cases nausea.
Potential risks include anxiety, paranoia, dehydration, and hyperthermia.

**Natural Occurrence:** MDA does not occur naturally.

## History

MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) was first synthesized by German chemists G. Mannish and W. Jacobsohn in 1910, and its psychoactive effects were explored by the US military in the 1950s as part of Project MKUltra. It gained the street name "the love drug" in the 1960s counterculture and was used therapeutically by psychotherapist Claudio Naranjo before being classified as a Schedule I substance in 1970. MDA served as a precursor to the development of MDMA and influenced the entactogen class of drugs that would later become central to rave culture.

## Connections

**Archetype:** [Milady](../../../core-lore/archetypes.md#milady)

**Ancestor:** Native Americans

**Tarot Card:** [Four of Wands](../../../core-lore/tarot-cards/four-of-wands.md)

**PubChem:** [3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/3%2C4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine)

**Paired With:** [Sassafras](sassafras.md)

## Sources

- https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mda/mda.shtml
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/3_4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
- [3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine)
- [MKUltra - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKUltra)
- [Claudio Naranjo - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Naranjo)
- [The History of MDMA as an Underground Drug in the United States, 1960-1979 (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26940772/)