Alexander Shulgin (Shulgin), also known as Sasha Shulgin, is an American chemist and pharmacologist who became one of the best-known researchers and popularizers of psychoactive substances. He was born on June 17, 1925 in Berkeley, California. Shulgin studied chemistry at Harvard University, but interrupted his studies to serve in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he continued his education and earned a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley.
In the 1960s, Shulgin worked for Dow Chemical, where he developed the biodegradable pesticide Zectran. However, it was his experiments with psychoactive substances that became his main area of interest. Shulgin became particularly famous for synthesizing and studying MDMA, a substance he reinvented in the 1970s and recommended for potential use in psychotherapy. Although Shulgin himself did not discover MDMA (it was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck), he was the one who discovered its psychoactive properties and introduced it to the therapeutic community.
Over the years, Shulgin, often in collaboration with his wife Ann Shulgin, conducted intensive research on phenethylamines and tryptamines, creating hundreds of new chemical compounds. He tested many of them personally, and carefully documented his experiments and the effects of the substances. His work was both controversial and cutting-edge, as Shulgin explored topics related to psychotherapy, spirituality and the potential medical applications of psychedelic substances.
In 1991, he published a book PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story (Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved), co-written with Ann Shulgin, which included a detailed description of many phenethylamines, their chemistry and action. In 1997, he published a book TiHKAL: The Continuation (Tryptamines I Have Known And Loved), dedicated to tryptamines. Both books, a combination of autobiography, laboratory notes and descriptions of experiments, have become classics among lovers of psychedelic chemistry and researchers of psychoactive substances.
Shulgin fought for years against the legal system and institutions that tried to restrict his research on psychoactive substances. Although his work has received criticism, his influence on the development of psychedelic science cannot be overestimated, and his books remain primary sources of knowledge for many people interested in the chemical aspects of psychedelics.
Bibliography:
- PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story (1991)
- TiHKAL: The Continuation (1997)
Sources: The information contained in the biography comes from Shulgin's official publications, PiHKAL and TiHKAL books, and biographies available online, including the Erowid database, as well as interviews and articles describing Alexander Shulgin's life and achievements.