PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story

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.

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.

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.

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.

shulgin.

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.

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.

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

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.

A true masterpiece for every chemistry enthusiast.

Perfect

Page turner. Well written, chemicals and the craziness of love!

Excelente