Veracity Content: 5/5 Alex Jones

Neither here nor there. But definitely on-brand.

Adrenochrome:

What is the adrenochrome conspiracy?

According to the conspiracy, evildoers torture people in a way to release and harvest high amounts of adrenaline. The blood is then harvested and drunk in order to gain the effects of adrenaline. Adrenochrome, the oxidised form of adrenaline, is an allegedly stronger form of adrenaline. When ingested both chemicals have purported rejuvenating and psychoactive effects. The psychoactive properties are claimed to also be used for mind-controlling people.

Alex Jones mentioned a youtube video on the podcast about adrenochrome and how rich old people harvest adrenochrome from young donors. The video is as if someone took Alex’s scattered thoughts and put pictures to it. To say that there is any linear logic would be a stretch.





Watch this video on YouTube Click it, if you must. Or save yourself 5 minutes of whatever this video is.

It explains how epinephrine (=adrenaline) is produced by the adrenal medulla. If oxidised, epinephrine turns into adrenochrome (all correct so far). Epinephrine, of course is found in Epipens, which are somehow linked to the Clintons (now we’re getting into the conspiracy part…).

None of this really makes sense until one considers where the adrenochrome conspiracy came from…

The origins of the adrenochrome conspiracy

“Jesus! What kind of monster client have you picked up this time? There’s only one source for this stuff….”

“The adrenaline glands from a living human body,” I said. “It’s no good if you get it out of a corpse.”

– Hunter S. Thompson. Image Source: Flickr

There are two main sources, which influenced the adrenchrome conspiracy:

Much of the appeal of adrenochrome seems to come from Hunter S. Thompson’s book ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, which mentions it being used as a recreational drug.

The second influence is actually based in Science. A group of Scientists in the 1960s tried to find the cause of schizophrenia and stumbled upon…you guessed it… adrenochrome.





The Science behind Adrenochrome:

The origins of the adrenochrome hypothesis

Adrenochrome is the oxidised form of adrenaline, which has a similar chemical structure as mescaline. Taken from: Adrenaline and the Inner World: An Introduction to Scientific Integrative Medicine





Back in the 1960s Abram Hoffer, adrenochrome hotshot and scientist, was trying to find the cause of schizophrenia.

His work was inspired by research showing that the psychoactive drug mescaline could induce schizophrenia-like symptoms. Back then, it was early days of chemical structures, and mescaline had been found to be very similar to the body’s own adrenaline/ adrenochrome. Therefore the question arose whether the human body produced chemicals, that could have psychoactive effects and induce schizophrenia? As funds were limited, they focused on only one substance – adrenochrome.

Chemical structure of the psychoactive drug, mescaline – similar to adrenaline and adrenochrome. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The adrenochrome hypothesis, postulated by Hoffer, Osmond and Smythies, stated that increased concentrations of adrenochrome in the brain could induce schizophrenia. Consequently, supplementing with Vitamin C or niacin was theorised to reverse this. However, multiple studies were unable to show any benefits of high vitamin dosages to treat schizophrenia.

With the advancement of molecular biology and the recent finding that mutations of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) are a risk factor for schizophrenia, the theory has been slightly updated.

In recent years, GST has gained a lot of interest as a detoxification enzyme in the human body. It is able to neutralise oxidation products of catecholamines (yes, this includes adrenochrome),and Smythies now hypothesised that if GST was defective, increased concentrations of adrenochrome could lead to schizophrenia.

Direct evidence for adrenochrome’s role in all this remains sparse, as it is only the association with GST that puts adrenochrome at the scene of the crime. Moreover, GST has other important roles in the body, such as regulating the important MAPK pathway.

In summary, there is new evidence for a potential link between schizophrenia and adrenochrome, although it is largely dismissed by the scientific community.



Alex Jones’ claims:

Claim 1: Adrenochrome has psychoactive properties

Logically, the basis for this claim are the similar chemical structures of the psychoactive mescaline, and adrenochrome. However, adrenochrome is much more closely related to adrenaline, which clearly isn’t psychoactive.

Drinking adrenochrome

But as the conspiracy goes, drinking blood rich in adrenochrome would get you high. So is there anything to this?

In a clinical setting doctors inject epinephrine (=adrenaline) intramuscularly for a reason -Orally administered it has no effect, as it is rapidly conjugated and oxidised in the gastrointestinal tract.

Oh no….you actually end up with adrenochrome in your gut. Another rabbit hole…



Adrenochrome won’t get you high

Hoffer’s evidence of adrenochrome being psychomimetic appears to be based on one single patient. Furthermore, I managed to dig up one study in which adrenochrome is reported to induce changes in depth elctrograms of the brain, similarly to LSD.

The evidence pointing the other way is far larger: Given that the closely related adrenaline is a a schedule VI drug, with extremely little potential for abuse, it seems unlikely that adrenochrome would be metabolised very differently.

Reports from people trying to trip on adrenochrome support the notion that it isn’t psychoactive.



Claim 2: Adrenochrome has rejuvenating properties

Splicing of two mice. From: Nik Spencer/Nature; Chart Data: A. Eggel & T. Wyss-Coray Swiss Med. Wkly 144, W13914 (2014)

As for its rejuvenating effects: I was unable to find any scientific basis for this claim.

The idea is likely rooted in experiments in which two mice had been ‘spliced’ together. Splicing, meaning connecting the circulatory systems of the animals, led to an apparent invigoration of the older animal. It is, however, unclear whether these effects are due to the grandpa mouse sharing the organs of it’s younger pal, or soluble factors in the blood.

Young blood transfusions, as offered by companies such as Ambrosia, are selling these treatments under the guise of a clinical trial, as they would likely fail to receive an FDA approval. Interestingly, Harvard geneticist Dr David Sinclair (more here: JRE #1234: Sirtuins and ageing) stated in his 2018 reddit AMA, that he thinks young blood is very promising. The active ingredient, however, is almost certainly not adrenochrome.

Young blood is very promising. But I think the best way to go forward is to find what in the blood and make it a medicine. We are looking hard!

Dr David Sinclair, reddit.com AMA 2018





Claim 3: Adrenochrome is a stronger version of adrenaline

Another claim without any support whatsoever. If adrenochrome was a stronger version of adrenaline, you might expect it being used by the human body in various situations. However, all it seems to be good for is its hemostatic effect. Not quite as exciting…

One little factoid that people seem to forget is that we know how to synthesise adrenaline chemically since 1904. Leaving a vial of adrenaline exposed to air will yield plenty of adrenochrome. No need to torture children.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we know that Alex Jones talks a lot on the Joe Rogan Experience – we have analysed it. The adrenochrome conspiracy is inspired by a mix of Hunter S. Thompson’s popular fiction and a smidgeon of scientific studies on adrenochrome’s link to schizophrenia.

Contrary to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, adrenochrome is not psychoactive. However, there is fairly legitimate research on whether increased concentrations of it in the brain can lead to neurodegenerative diseases.

Scientific studies show beneficial effects of blood transfusions from young to old animals, but this is not due to adrenochrome.

Most importantly, we know how to synthesise adrenaline and adrenochrome for more than 100 years, which is easier, cheaper, and less morally reprehensible than torturing children.



What are your thoughts on Adrenochrome and Alex Jones? Leave a reply below!