The Tim Ferriss Show #337: Hamilton Morris on Better Living Through Chemistry: Psychedelics, Smart Drugs, and More
Shulgin’s Self-Experimentation Legacy
- Alexander Shulgin built influential psychedelic compounds and often tested them on himself, doing deep self-experimentation.
- Hamilton Morris describes reading Shulgin's books as life-changing and later reproducing syntheses in a university lab.
Start Low And Titrate Slowly
- Start novel compound testing at extremely low doses and escalate slowly to monitor effects safely.
- Hamilton Morris says one-tenth of the smallest plausible dose and gradual increases mitigate poisoning risk.
Tradition Shouldn’t Block Experimentation
- Traditional shamanic frameworks offer value but can also impose dogma that resists experimentation.
- Morris argues that no culture has fully 'figured it out' and experimentation can improve outcomes.
Hamilton Morris (TW: @hamiltonmorris, IG: @hamiltonmorris) is a writer, documentarian, and scientific researcher who currently studies the chemistry and pharmacology of tryptamines at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
His writing has been featured in Harper’s Magazine, Playboy, and Vice, and he is the creator of the television series Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, which recently completed its second season, and it is absolutely one of my favorite series of the last five years.
Hamilton is exceptionally good at explaining complex subjects simply and making science sexy, as you’ll discover in this episode.
Enjoy!
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