san pedro dosaging

[whitemilk661]

read through multiple threads and still don't have a clear idea yet so...

I have a fresh cactus and plenty of it. What I am wondering is the appropriate dose of fresh cactus in grams is, to achieve a strong, profound trip from mescaline

I"m considering blending 400-500 grams of fresh cactus and preparing it from there. Will this yield the results that I am looking for?

 

[miasma]

That's a bit tricky to answer because the Mescaline content can vary much between cacti, even cacti of the same species. According to an article at Erowid the Mescaline content can range from as little as 0.006% to 0.14%. To achieve a 'strong, profound trip' an average individual needs upwards of 500 mg. So, say your cactus is 0.1% Mescaline you'd need 500 grams of fresh material for a decent trip....provided you can extract it properly of course

A general rule of thumb is that an average dose is somewhere around 12" (30 cm) of cactus.
Start from there a work your way up.

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cacti/cacti_sanpedro_potency_faq.shtml
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mescaline/mescaline_dose.shtml

 

[Flickering]

It might not be potent in the slightest. I ate a 10" cutting and nothing happened at all, to my immense disappointment. However, drying the cuttings will increase the alkaloid content substantially. I recommend you heat it in an oven at about 190 degrees Celsius (about 300 Fahrenheit) for about three hours before you eat it. Leaving the fresh in a dark, waterless place before you do this can also stress it and increase the mescaline; just be sure to check every couple of days to make sure it isn't rotting. That done, I'm not sure how much you need exactly, but I believe drying it can increase the potency as much as ten times. In that case you might only need about 50 grams of the material.

Now, I could be completely wrong about all this. I share your frustration in getting accurate reliable information on san pedro - there are scant resources on it and a lot of sites contradict each other. Good luck and happy tripping!

 

[dg420]

but I believe drying it can increase the potency as much as ten times. In that case you might only need about 50 grams of the material.

Now, I could be completely wrong about all this. I share your frustration in getting accurate reliable information on san pedro - there are scant resources on it and a lot of sites contradict each other. Good luck and happy tripping!

if you dont know you are providing good advice, why offer it?

 

[whitemilk661]

Okay well this morning I cooked up 400 grams of fresh cactus

I just did a simple technique involving blending all 400 grams and put it in a large pot with 16 ounces of water and lightly boiled it for about 2 and a half hours because there didn't seem to be any more water - anyways I filtered the pulp through a shirt and was only able to get 8 ounces of juice from the pulp

Now I'm this is probably still a hard question to answer but I'm assuming that 8 ounces probably is not near enough? Should I plan on cooking up more in an attempt to get around another 8 ounces of juice, or should I just consume the 8 ounces I have already?

 

[miasma]

^ I usually boil mine for much longer, more like 6 hours. Regarding the amount of liquid left, 8 ounces sounds okay.... it's the concentration of mescaline (et al) in your final brew which is the important bit. You want the strongest brew with the least amount of liquid to get down your throat. What is the viscosity of that 8 ounces?

You could take your 8 ounces now and see what happens (will probably be a reasonably mild experience, though who can say? ), or add more fresh material and create another 8 ounces and combine the two for a much deeper trip. Your trip, your choice.

 

[Flickering]

I have a question. Is the purpose of boiling it to dry it and bring out the mescaline content? Is it necessary at all?

Today, my flatmate took the cucumber-sized cuttings we'd cooked in the oven, and dropped them in a blender with some water and stirred, and drank it like that. (I was impressed.) We didn't see the need to boil it. Unfortunately, once again, nothing happened. Given the sheer volume of how much he had, and considering I ate a raw cutting last week to no effect, we figured it simply isn't potent at all. I've bought another cutting, for a ridiculous price, but at least it tastes bitter and is most likely active.

 

[miasma]

I have a question. Is the purpose of boiling it to dry it and bring out the mescaline content? Is it necessary at all?

The point of boiling it in slightly acidic water is to extract the less than 1% alkaloids into a manageable amount of liquid.

If you can eat 500 grams of fresh (or 50 grams dried) cactus then there's no need to extract. I'd rather take a quick 200ml shot of cactus tea than eat that much fresh or dried cactus.

 

[artic]

I assume this is your first time taking San Pedro. I won't ask you how you got it, or what your source is, but are you POSITIVE it is San Pedro? If your specimen is self identified, perhaps you should consult an expert.

Look for cactus with dark skin. I have heard that a dark green cactus (they often appear somewhat blue, I think this is due to wild yeast cultures on the surface) is more potent than light green cactus. I've only taken it once, and the cactus was dark, so I can't compare it to a lighter specimen.

Like I say, I only took it once, but I simmered that shit for at least 6-8 hours. Anyway, here's what my prep was:
Remove the thorns with needle-nose pliers if desired (a good filter should keep'em out at the end, but better safe than sorry I guess) and cut into 1" slices, then quarter the slices. Cover with water in a large pot over medium-low heat. Keep the boil light and the lid on tight (if it boils over, turn the heat down). You shouldn't lose much water, but if you do just add more until everything is mush, then strain it through cheese cloth or a t-shirt, squeezing as much liquid out as possible. You should end up with a good bit of water left. I reduced mine on low heat in a sauce pan to about 8 oz of thick cactus juice (I had started with about 10ft of cactus). I froze it in ice cubes for storage and dose measurement. 2 cubes (about 20 inches of cactus) was good for a moderate trip. One dude took 4 and it kicked his ass pretty good.

 

[Flickering]

The point of boiling it in slightly acidic water is to extract the less than 1% alkaloids into a manageable amount of liquid.

If you can eat 500 grams of fresh (or 50 grams dried) cactus then there's no need to extract. I'd rather take a quick 200ml shot of cactus tea than eat that much fresh or dried cactus.

Right, gotcha, thanks. I was always confused about people saying they had to take six mugs of cacti 'tea', I guess they did what my roommate did and skipped the boiling part.

I've tasted the cactus cutting I bought, it's pretty damn sour, and I know dried cactus is pretty damn hard to swallow. I'll see how I feel when it's time. But if I dry it, wouldn't it then last for ten trips instead of just the one? If I keep the cutting locked away in my drawer for months, is it going to rot?

To artic - yeah it's definitely san pedro, it's just a bad speciman. It's been growing in my backyard since long before I moved in. Pity it's inactive. Thanks for your boiling method, it sounds like the same one as Erowid's fifth preparation technique, and I may use it if I decide the 200mL shot is a better option. (Having downed that much cough syrup at once, I reckon I can handle either method.)

 

[whitemilk661]

UPDATE: I drank the cactus juice monday night
I consumed the juice at 8:50 and I would say it was a gradual come up from around 9:40 to 11:00 with the plateau beginning there and begin to fade at 3:00

Effects I felt:
Very nice body high, I felt very nice and relaxed. Reminded me of mdma quite a bit without the euphoric rushing that mdma causes. Colors became a lot brighter and everything just felt a lot more detailed. Increased sense of humor, increased sense of touch and music was quite intense to listen to for the most part and lastly a stimulation of body and mind + noticeable pain killing effects IMO

I smoked three bowls and I sort of regret all three. After each one I got sort of uncomfortable on account of my heart beating really fast for around 15 min each time.

 

[Flickering]

No throwing up?