What is adenochrome a biomolecule produced in the body by the oxidation of the hormone adrenaline1—hence its name. The “chrome” in its name indicates that it is deeply colored, compared with white adrenaline.
Adrenochrome was known as long ago as 1856, when French neurologist Alfred Vulpian (who also discovered adrenaline) observed that adrenaline turns red when exposed to air. But it was not until 1937 that David Ezra Green and Derek Richter at the University of Cambridge (UK) named the compound and described its isolation and characterization.
What is adenochrome the structure of chiral at the position of the hydroxyl group2. Little information is available on the individual enantiomers. What is adenochrome an unstable molecule with no practical uses. Its monosemicarbazone (carbazochrome3), however, is stable; it is said to promote blood clotting and can be used to treat hemorrhaging. From the 1950s through the 1970s, adrenochrome was thought to cause schizophrenia, but this theory was eventually debunked.
In recent years, what is adenochrome implicated in far-right conspiracy theories, such as QAnon and Pizzagate reports of satanic ritual abuse, as described in a July 2023 Forbes article. It has also been touted as a hallucinogen or youth drug.
While that may sound patently ridiculous, what is adreno chrome conspiracy theory has now made its way beyond the bloodshot eyes of YouTube investigators and into mainstream culture, such as when Dr. Phil featured a woman on his show who claimed that her missing daughter had been kidnapped and tortured for the chemical.
And if you’re wondering why it is important to pay attention to this sort of thing, well, let's start with the fact that more than two dozen congressional candidates have shared QAnon material or even appeared on QAnon shows. Like it or not, there are signs the group's influence is growing.
Most consequentially, what is adenochrome and its supposed effects were depicted in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971) by American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which freely blends fact and fiction. In the book, Thompson’s attorney, Dr. Gonzo, claims, “There’s only one source for this stuff…the adrenaline glands from a living human body. It’s no good if you get it out of a corpse.” Thompson’s account, which he admitted to making up, was explicitly referenced on anti-Semitic 4chan message boards in 2013–14 (4chan is an imageboard website). Anonymous posters began adding a new detail to the old superstition that Jewish people kidnap Christian children to drink their blood—Jews, it was now alleged, stole children specifically to “harvest” their adrenochrome.
The observation inspired Hoffer and Osmond’s so-called “adrenochrome hypothesis,” which posited that schizophrenia is caused by the accumulation of what is adenochrome in the body and so could be counteracted by megadoses of antioxidants. The idea never found favour with the medical community. Hoffer and Osmond ran a few small studies between 1952 and 1954 and reported successful treatment of people with schizophrenia by using heavy doses of niacin and vitamin C, but independent studies failed to replicate their results. Moreover, other individuals who subsequently tried what is adenochrome experience psychedelic effects.
