Aleph-2

Use and effects

In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), Alexander Shulgin lists Aleph-2's dose as 4 to 8mg orally and its duration as 8 to 16hours. The effects of Aleph-2 have been reported to include "almost no visual phenomena" to "extraordinary visuals and interpretations", visual distortion and movement, enhanced auditory and tactile perception, and a sensation of physical warmth, and residual shakiness and muscle tremors, among others. There is an unpredictability with the dosing and effects of Aleph-2, such that one person who took 4mg had strong effects including ending up in a fetal position, in relative hibernation for several hours, and with substantial amnesia, whereas another person who took 8mg experienced only a bare threshold including slight lightheadedness.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Aleph-2 acts as a serotonin 5-HT2 receptor agonist. The drug is also a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), with values of 3,200nM for monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and 100,000nM for monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). Aleph-2 produces anxiolytic effects in rodents.

Chemistry

Synthesis

The chemical synthesis of Aleph-2 has been described.

Analogues

Analogues of Aleph-2 include Aleph, Aleph-4, Aleph-6, Aleph-7, and 2C-T-2, among others.

History

Aleph-2 was first described in the scientific literature by Alexander Shulgin in 1978. Subsequently, it was described in greater detail by Shulgin in his 1991 book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved). Aleph-2 was encountered as a novel designer drug in Europe in 2023.

Society and culture

Legal status

Canada

Aleph-2 is a controlled substance in Canada under phenethylamine blanket-ban language.

United States

Aleph-2 is not an explicitly controlled substance in the United States. However, it is a Schedule I controlled substance in this country as an isomer of 2C-T-4.

References

References

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