Standing on the Shoulders of the Shulgins
In July, Ann Shulgin passed away after a long battle with lung disease. Alongside late husband Alexander ‘Sasha’ Shulgin, Ann detailed the synthesis of 179 psychoactive compounds in TiHKAL and PiHKAL.
Alexander Shulgin is best known for creating phenethylamines, a class of compounds that includes psychedelic medicines mescaline and MDMA. Alexander Shulgin synthesised MDMA in 1976 and, upon noting its properties as an empathogen, introduced the compound to psychologists and therapists.
Until 1986, when the DEA placed MDMA on the Schedule 1 list of narcotics, the psychoactive compound was administered to thousands of patients in the first wave of psychedelic-assisted therapy. In support of their clinical application, Alexander wrote ‘Use them with respect as to the transformations they can achieve, and you have an extraordinary research tool.’
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