the only time i've prepared whole cactus (a few years ago) i made a tea by a fairly standard method, adding some lemon juice or something, then straining the matter and boiling down.
however, most all of my other practices have been with dried cactus powder (grown in the andes
). with this i usually just add water and let it turn intoa thick jungle sludge and chug it down maybe with water or something on the side. from my experience anything to attempt to cover the taste doesn't work and the whole cermemony goes smoother if one just 'dives into the center of the taste' (as the native say), embracing the fullest of its uniqueness.
i've added this dried powder to melted carob chips (chocolate's less psychoactive cousin) and froze the combination to make cactus bars, which, even wih potent cactus (mine is very potent) cannot be reduced to a very small size. i also think its much more gross tasting to have sweetness and bitterness, the bitterness cant be covered up, so adding more just makes it too much for myself.
personally though, i'm all for consuming the anti-oxidant rich matter and fiberous cactus fibers. its a very helathy meal dietarily. i don't ever get sick when i eat thewhole cactus matter, sometimes vague stomach tension. though, i follow a strict vegan diet regularly. and as i've rambled about copiously already i only ever eat the cactus to learn, so when the time is right for a lesson the cacuts welcomes me.
best of luck on your practices
