adrenochrome

Noun

adrenochrome (countable and uncountable, plural adrenochromes)

1. An oxidation product of adrenaline or epinephrine; its semicarbazone is used as a drug to reduce bleeding.
   • Investigation of the chemical constitution showed that it has the properties of N-methyl-2:3-dihydro-3-hydroxyindole-5:6-quinone. The shorter name adrenochrome is proposed for this substance. […] Adrenochrome is a very unstable substance: it is completely destroyed in 4 min. by 1% hydrochloric...1937, David Ezra Green, “Adrenaline and Adrenochrome”, in The Biochemical Journal, volume 31, number 4, page 596
2. A fictional drug obtained from human adrenal glands.
   • “[…]He's one of these Satanism freaks. He offered me human blood—said it would make me higher than I'd ever been in my life,” he laughed. “I thought he was kidding, so I told him I'd just as soon have an ounce or so of pure adrenochrome—or maybe just a fresh adrenalin gland to chew on.”1971, Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, New York: Popular Library, →ISBN, page 132
   • It also revives old slurs, but instead of openly accusing Jews of drinking the blood of gentile children, various euphemisms are employed: “Coastal elites,” “Hollywood,” and “George Soros” are now said to be harvesting a chemical called adrenochrome to prolong their life spans.2020 September 30, Helen Lewis, “The Joke’s on Us”, in The Atlantic