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PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story Paperback – October 1, 1990

by Alexander Shulgin (Author), Ann Shulgin (Author)

4.8 1,495 ratings

in Industrial & Technical Chemistry

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Alexander (better known as “Sasha”) and Ann Shulgin’s foundational work in the genre was the first book to fully impart the how-to chemistry, and convey the effects, of many of the entheogenic drugs that are currently being studied and used to heal trauma and deal with death. An acronym for “Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved”, the book spans autobiography, organic chemistry, politics, ethnobotany, and psychopharmacology, and the cultural impact is likely to be profound for decades to come, as it has already. PiHKAL is divided into two parts, the first of which is a fictionalized autobiographical 'novel' - the main fiction is that it is fiction. This first half of the book is The Love Story, about two people named Shura and Alice who fall in love, though one of them is already in love with someone else. This love triangle is a painful ordeal they must go through, and that process unfolds before the reader with grace and great insight into human nature. Shura is a brilliant chemist who has dedicated his career to making psychoactive drugs, in the story they go through many experiences with the psychedelic compounds that Shura has discovered and has made in his lab, all of which have been bioassayed himself. The reader will find themselves going on this journey with them, experiencing what they experienced, both in their hearts and in the psychedelic journeys they have. The second half of PiHKAL is called The Chemical Story, and it contains detailed instructions for, and effects of, the synthesis of 179 psychedelic phenethylamines, which were mostly discovered by Shulgin himself. For each substance there is information on its synthesis, suggested effective dosage, duration, and detailed commentary on the subjective effects that were experienced. This book appeals to adults of all ages and cultures, and to the psychedelically experienced and inexperienced alike.

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin (June 17, 1925 – June 2, 2014) was an American medicinal chemist, biochemist, organic chemist, pharmacologist, psychopharmacologist, and author. He is credited with introducing MDMA ("ecstasy", "mandy" or "molly") to psychologists in the late 1970s for psychopharmaceutical use, and for the discovery, synthesis and personal bioassay of over 230 psychoactive compounds for their psychedelic and entactogenic potential.

Ann Shulgin co-founded Transform Press in 1991 with her husband, Sasha Shulgin, out of their shared passion and commitment to an uncensored examination of psychoactive compounds. Through the Press they co-authored and published PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story (1991) and TiHKAL: The Continuation (1997), the two cult classics based on their psychedelic experiences. They also contributed jointly to several other publications including, The Secret Chief, The Secret Chief Revealed, Entheogens and the Future of Religion, and Ecstasy: The Complete Guide. Ann has served as a lay therapist facilitating the use of MDMA and 2CB in therapeutic settings while those substances were still legal. She brings a Jungian orientation to her examination of psychedelic experiences, with a particular emphasis on the integration of the Shadow and an overarching theme of spirituality and unification with the divine in all things.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Transform Press; First Edition (October 1, 1990)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 978 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0963009605
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0963009609
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.87 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #20,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Industrial & Technical Chemistry (Books)
- #21 in Drug Dependency & Recovery (Books)
- #43 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

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Austin Talavera

This book is magnificent.

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023

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I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychopharmacology and or psychoactive substances. The first 450 some pages is a beautiful story about the lives of the author and as his wife, how they became intertwined, and their spiritual evolution’s alongside their detailed psychedelic experiences over the years. There is romance, conflict, some drama, adventure, and wisdom throughout the story. The next 400 pages or so read like a medicinal chemist’s laboratory experiments and notes. You don’t need an in depth knowledge of chemistry to read and understand the book, but I’m sure people with a background in chemistry would absolutely love the second half. This book is a hidden treasure and no library of psychedelic literature is complete without it.

11 people found this helpful

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Ciaran

Just another memoir from a dirty drug addict?

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2015

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No. A chemical opus, perhaps. A masterpiece from a man who was adept with a conical flask as Michaelangelo was with a paintbrush, or Da Vinci with charcoal. Many may disagree but anyone who can who can discover, document and wax poetic about the subtle nuances of the effects of moving around an isomer or two...well, they must be unique to say the least. Sasha and his wife Ann were just that - a very special couple whose love exudes from their interactions, joined together in their mutual appreciation for psychedelics. Part memoir, part lab journal, Pihkal is an interesting read even for someone such as myself with only a minor interest in the science behind the experiences.

We've been taught that psychedelics are psychosis-inducing compounds, highly addictive, terribly dangerous and ultimately will lead to the breakdown of society. The Shulgins, after DECADES of psychedelic use, are highly intelligent and very loving people with not a hint of psychological problems. In fact, after very sadly passing away at the ripe old age of 88, Sasha surpassed the average life expectancy for a western man by a good couple of years. Hardly the story of the drug-crazed addict dying alone in a back alley with a needle sticking out of their arm. Always honest (even with the "bad" experiences), Alexander Shulgin was a pioneer of psychoactive chemistry, a man who stuck to his convictions and followed a passion for discovering new socio-chemical interactions despite strong pressure from various government agencies.

This is not the tale of a clandestine chemist passing dirty drugs to naive teens. This is not breaking bad. This book is an eye-opener into one of the unsung heroes of the scientific world, and his stories of benignly wandering around art museums while experimenting with new Phenethylamines is a far cry from the wild-eyed psychosis that certain people would have us believe psychedelics induce.

142 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

My Most Treasured Posession

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023

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This book contained so much more than I realized, and now I understand why so many people speak of it like it is a tome full of wonder, inspiration, & imagination. We could all learn much from this book, and we should all learn from this book. Ann's writing was absolute wonderful and captivating, and Sasha's genius exudes from every paragraph that he wrote.

Both of their writings have been a guiding light in my life, and I do hope it will be in yours as well.

6 people found this helpful

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JW

2 books in 1

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023

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The personal experiences are a great read if wondering how chemicals can affect your mind.p. Part 2 is very specific on how to make all those chemicals with little to no experience.

One person found this helpful

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Maddy

fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024

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shulgin.

One person found this helpful

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D. Drury

An unexpected and deep philosophical thought piece

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2014

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PHIKAL is a very strange yet compelling doorway into the complexity of the human mind, the potential power of drugs in expanding psychadelic consciousness and the love between two people.

It's disappointing that Alexander Shulgin doesn't get the recognition he deserves for pursuing what in today's world might be seen to be a very taboo and contraversial topic - drugs, psychedelic drugs occasionally maligned as recreational - but as you read the book you start to understand the incredible power his discoveries of various (often naturally occurring) compounds have on the perception of reality and the workings of the mind.

The almost peripheral questions the book presents, as if by accident - about what it means to be human, how complex life really is and how little we really understand about not only the human brain but the power of nature around us - is staggering. No doubt Alexanders self experiments and those with people close to him have pushed him into territories that we will only begin to discover properly in decades to come.

You may be mistaken for thinking this book is a cook book for drugs or a curio-so from the pre-raver generation - it is not. It is a very important pre-text for our future.

15 people found this helpful

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Daniel Vaughan

insightful read into the world of psychodelics

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022

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Never tried one, this is food for thought into doing so. Shura’s and Alice’s accounts are complimentary and the love story is certainly worth a read. I can’t judge the second part of the book, but I highly recommend the first part.

3 people found this helpful

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cory engkjer

What a ride

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2023

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This was one of the best books I’ve ever read on any topic.

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Mason

Just Perfect

Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2024

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Amazing book had exactly what i was looking for from the start of the story to the end it was fantastic, amazon also delivered this way faster than i expected.