Alexander (“Sasha”) and Ann Shulgin’s PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story has become a foundational work in the genre — the first book to fully impart the how-to chemistry and convey the effects of many of the entheogenic drugs now being studied and used to heal trauma and deal with death. PIHKAL is an acronym for “Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved.”
The book is divided into two parts. The first is a fictionalized autobiographical novel — the main fiction is that it is fiction. It is the love story of Shura and Alice, two people who fall in love while navigating a painful triangle, and who share many psychedelic journeys together. The reader travels with them through both the heart and the psychedelic experience with grace and deep insight into human nature.
The second half, “The Chemical Story,” contains detailed instructions for and effects of the synthesis of 179 psychedelic phenethylamines, mostly discovered by Shulgin himself — with information on synthesis, dosage, duration, and subjective effects.
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Why this book matters
- A foundational work in psychedelic literature — part love story, part chemistry manual, part philosophical manifesto — unlike anything else ever written
- The first book to fully document the synthesis and effects of 179 psychedelic phenethylamines, many discovered by Shulgin himself
- The love story at its heart is deeply human — a portrait of two people navigating love, loss, and transformation through shared psychedelic experience
- Its cultural impact has been profound and continues to grow — a touchstone for researchers, therapists, and seekers across generations
- Essential reading for anyone serious about the history, chemistry, and human meaning of psychedelic substances
