Jason NajumAnn and Sasha Shulgin were pioneers of modern psychedelic research.
Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, the “godfather of psychedelics,” was a pharmacologist best known for introducing MDMA to psychologists in the 1970s. He discovered hundreds of novel psychedelic drugs. Together with his wife, Ann Shulgin, they authored two books, PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, and the sequel TiHKAL, which described nearly 180 psychedelic compounds. (1)
The pair are true psychedelic medicine legends and for over 40 years the Shulgin Farm, located in the California countryside, was the heart of their groundbreaking research into psychedelics. It’s where they lived and worked, discovering hundreds of compounds and adding valuable research to the modern renaissance in psychedelic science.Today, the Shulgin Farm is undergoing a renaissance of its own.
Today, the Shulgin Farm is undergoing a renaissance of its own.
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Shulgin Farm Launches Campaign to Expand the Psychedelic Community
With the psychedelic medicine world returning to mainstream acceptance, it’s important to create spaces for community, where advocates and enthusiasts can come together to maintain the core principles and ideals of psychedelics.
With this in mind, The Shulgin Farm has launched the Seed Crystal Campaign. The farm, under the guidance of Ann’s daughter Wendy Tucker and the farm’s board of directors, seeks to raise $3 million to secure the property and develop it into a cultural hub for seminars and community events that bridge psychedelic science with art and spirituality.
The funds from this campaign will allow the Shulgin Farm nonprofit to purchase the 6 acre property from the Shulgin Family Trust, and maintain the farm as a psychedelic heritage site. In addition to purchasing the land, the campaign goals are to:
“What we’re doing with Shulgin Farm is not only about preserving the past, but about nurturing the future. When I see the outpouring of love and support from people around the world who have been touched by my mom and Sasha’s work, it’s a beautiful reminder of how many lives they changed and how much wisdom they still have to offer. It’s been deeply moving to hear from all the scientists, therapists, artists, and seekers who are rallying to help us transform the farm into a place where that legacy can live on and keep growing, and where this great community can have a place that is meaningful to come together.”
Continuing the Shulgin Legacy by Helping Shape the Future
The Shulgin Farm is where much of their historic research and documentation took place, influencing modern psychedelic studies and inspiring new generations of scientists and therapists.
Imagine taking a chemistry class in Sasha’s famous lab. Or participating in a seminar on the role of psychedelics in creativity and spirituality. The plan is for the new and improved Farm to be a community hub for workshops, lectures, and conferences, hosting events at the intersection of psychedelic science, therapy, art, and spirituality.
The Seed Crystal Campaign, named after the catalytic role of seed crystals in sparking growth, has already received support from several psychedelic medicine leaders. Donors who contribute $10,000 or more will be honored as Seed Crystal Stewards.
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From Dr. Gül Dölen, respected psychedelic medicine researcher and Seed Crystal Steward:
“Ann and Sasha Shulgin were in many ways torchbearers during the dark days of psychedelics research, carrying the deep tradition of scientific exploration, even in the face of cultural stigma, governmental restrictions, and limited financial resources. As a scientist, I am drawn to the Shulgin farm, and Sasha’s laboratory in particular, as an important heritage site for psychedelic research. Its restoration into a gathering place for this community feels both natural and necessary to maintain ties to this history.
“Also, I can’t help but feel that Ann and Sasha’s home is sort of a sorcerer’s cabin tucked away amongst the trees — if science is magic that works, then the Shulgin farm is its workshop and factory.”
Graham Pechenik, Board Member of the Psychedelic Bar Association, was also heavily influenced by the Shulgins and believes in the importance of honoring psychedelic medicine’s past:
“It hardly needs to be said just how central Ann and Sasha Shulgin are, and the Shulgin Lab and Farm are, to the psychedelics space today. And they are also central to my own career, if not my entire life path — for it was after reading PiHKAL for the first time in college (after my own first psychedelic experience) that I decided I wanted to be a psychedelic chemist.
“It therefore felt both a privilege and a duty to honor and preserve the Farm: paying it back, for setting my own life on this path; and paying it forward, to ensure that others will continue to find inspiration in the Farm, as a place to visit and (to use a favorite word of Sasha’s) as a treasure.
Visit the campaign website for more information on the Shulgin Farm’s plans and for details on how to donate.
Sources
1. Benzenhöfer U, Passie T. (2010). Rediscovering MDMA: the role of the American chemist Alexander T. Shulgin. Addiction. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.02948.x. PMID: 20653618.
This material is not intended as a replacement or substitute for any legal or medical advice. Always consult a medical professional about your health needs. Psychedelics are widely illegal in the United States, and readers should always be informed about local, state, and federal regulations regarding psychedelics or other drugs.
David Connell
