TIHKAL: The Continuation is the sequel to PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story but can stand alone to any reader. Where PIHKAL focuses on phenethylamines, TIHKAL is written about tryptamines — with TIHKAL being an acronym for “Tryptamines I Have Known and Loved.”
Like its predecessor, it is divided into two parts. The first begins with the story of Alice and Shura — a fictionalized autobiography picking up where PIHKAL left off, opening with the DEA raid that followed its publication. It then continues with essays ranging from psychotherapy and the Jungian mind, to DMT in nature, ayahuasca, the War on Drugs, and the Big Bang. The second part, “The Chemistry Continues,” is a detailed manual for 55 psychedelic compounds, many discovered by Shulgin himself, with information on synthesis, dosage, duration, and subjective effects.
Together, the Shulgins’ two books span autobiography, organic chemistry, politics, ethnobotany, and psychopharmacology — and their cultural impact has been profound.
-
Why this book matters
- The essential companion to PIHKAL — completing the Shulgins’ monumental two-volume exploration of psychedelic chemistry, autobiography, and philosophy
- Opens with the DEA raid that followed PIHKAL’s publication — a gripping account of the price paid for intellectual and chemical freedom
- Essays spanning DMT, ayahuasca, the War on Drugs, Jungian psychology, and the Big Bang — the full range of a singular mind
- A detailed manual for 55 tryptamine compounds — an indispensable reference for researchers, chemists, and serious students of psychopharmacology
- A work of enduring cultural significance whose influence on psychedelic science, policy, and consciousness research continues to grow
