The Nature of Drugs Vol. 1

Reviews

"For those of us who were not fortunate enough to attend Sasha’s classes, this book is a fantastic second chance to learn from a brilliant, principled, courageous, idealistic psychedelic chemist whose creations were molecules for psychotherapy, spirituality and celebration, to help humanity wake up and save ourselves." —Rick Doblin, PhD, MAPS Exec. Director

"If you’re curious about any drug, from caffeine to LSD, this is the book for you. What an absolute treat to learn from the best, to have Professor Shulgin as your personal instructor, with all of his charming, self-effacing asides and his witty encyclopedic knowledge on display." —Julie Holland, MD

"This book could as well have been titled ‘Drugs for Dummies,’ not to suggest that dummies would read it, but that the reader need not have a background in physiology, biochemistry, or pharmacology to appreciate the content. The book originated from a transcription of lectures given by Sasha Shulgin at San Francisco State University in 1987. In that respect, some of the content is dated. But for those who never had the opportunity to meet Sasha or hear him lecture, the transcriptions reflect Sasha's vibrant lecturing style. Indeed, if you did know Sasha, you can almost hear him speaking in the words of this book. It is replete with the kinds of anecdotes and analogies that were characteristic of Sasha’s speaking style. He talks about what drugs are and their sources, different routes through which they enter the body, what they do in the body, how they leave the body, and introduces and explains in common language numerous medical and physiology terms. In addition to presenting information about various drug classes (e.g. alcohol, nicotine, hallucinogens, stimulants, sedatives, and more) Sasha sprinkles his lectures with questions about ethical and legal issues around drugs, and in general asks the reader to think deeply about some of the moral issues confronting us about drugs today." —David E. Nichols, PhD

"Legendary chemist, nuanced psychonaut of molecular structure-activity relations, deep thinker on issues of societal policy, engaging storyteller, inspirational teacher, and all-around good human being — Sasha Shulgin takes us on an alchemical educational journey as if we were sitting there as students in the class from which this text arose. What a gift!" —David E. Presti, UC Berkeley

”Alexander Shulgin was many things, but first and foremost he was a teacher: he taught students, law enforcement, physicians, and eventually the world through the publication of his books PiHKAL and TiHKAL. This is Alexander Shulgin at his sharpest and most passionate. Emboldened by the emergency scheduling of MDMA and the passage of the Federal Analogue Act only three months previously, he offers a series of discursive lectures on medicine, pharmacology, human physiology, philosophy of science, astrology, alchemy, law, and linguistics. This text is a precious opportunity to attend a class taught by one of the great scientific thinkers of the 20th century and an indispensable primer for understanding the immensely complicated subject we call ‘drugs.’" —Hamilton Morris

”These transcriptions of lectures by Alexander Shulgin sparkle with the brilliance and wit of a pioneering researcher of the chemistry and effects of psychoactive drugs. Those fortunate to have known Sasha Shulgin will recognize his voice in these pages and take pleasure in listening to him share his wealth of knowledge and personal experience with magical molecules. A great read!” —Andrew Weil

”The late, great Sasha Shulgin, a.k.a. "Dr. Ecstasy," was a pioneering psychonaut who designed a dizzying array of psychoactive substances in his mad scientist laboratory hidden in the hills east of San Francisco. These meandering musings are the surviving record of a course he taught in the 1980s, the decade of ‘Just Say No.’ They reveal the light-hearted human side of a chemist who -- when it comes to drugs -- advises us to ‘Just Say Know.’" —Don Lattin

”These course lessons are pure Sasha: enthusiastic, surprising, tangential, goofy, and shockingly knowledgeable. But they also give us something that remains terribly rare, even at this late date: a kaleidoscopic approach to the problems and possibilities of drugs that is at once pragmatic, visionary, and genuinely inter-disciplinary. Once again, Shulgin proves himself a magnificent spirit as well as a magnificent mind. I learned a lot, and enjoyed myself tremendously.” —Erik Davis

”Sasha was a beloved friend, a brilliant chemist, and an inspiration to everyone he met. He was a most wonderful and unique giant of a man from the Classical World, who leaves a great hole in the psychedelic environment. He made new psychoactive compounds for fun. He tried them, tested them with his nearest and dearest, wrote about them, and then moved on. This series of lectures captures the energy, warmth and irreverence that so typified his character. His underlying philosophy and approach to research remained forever youthful – a passion for knowledge; the need to constantly question established dogma, authority, and one’s own previous assumptions; the vital nature of individual freedom of choice; and the pursuit of knowledge for the sheer, child-like thrill of it. Though Sasha is with us no more, we are lucky to have the ever-radiant Ann, the Shulgin Farm, and this beautiful book, The Nature of Drugs, embodying his memory.” —Amanda Feilding

”Sasha’s lectures are dazzlingly erudite and often funny as he eases students (and readers) from the elemental through the complex, never hesitating to digress to tell an impactful personal story or call out a folly of science or medicine. I was amazed how much fun I had reading it and how much his explanations expanded my knowledge (and I’m supposed to know this stuff). Sasha draws on thousands of facts from half a dozen sciences to best describe what drugs are and how they act in the human body. The book is a treasure chest of information and a wonderful opportunity to hang out with Sasha.” —James Fadiman