Alexander Shulgin

About the author

Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin (1925–2014) was an American biochemist who synthesized and personally tested over 200 psychedelic compounds, making him one of the most consequential — and controversial — figures in psychopharmacology. Born and died in Berkeley, he earned a Ph.D.

in biochemistry from UC Berkeley in 1955 and developed the bestselling pesticide Zectran at Dow Chemical before a transformative 1960 psychedelic experience redirected his career. Working from a home lab in Lafayette, California, he developed compounds including 2C-B and DOM, and introduced MDMA to psychotherapy research. His landmark books PiHKAL (1991) and TiHKAL (1997), co-authored with his wife Ann Shulgin, remain definitive references in the field.