(eBook) - Mescaline - San Pedro Cactus (eBook)

8/13/2019 (eBook) - Mescaline - San Pedro Cactus (eBook)

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San Pedro Cactus

San Pedro Preparation

From: steveb@surfcity (Steve Barton)

Abstract

Various nopale recipes from dianna kennedy's "The Art

of Mexican Cooking" are adapted to Trichocereus

Pachanoi. Implications of using this cactus as a foodstuff

are examined. The primary challenge to the cook is seen

to be mucilage and bitterness, rather than emesis orcramping.

Intro

Traditional preparations of trichocereus pachanoi

involve boiling the sliced whole cactus for long periods

of time with various admixtures. drawbacks to this are 1)

Emesis: the curandero actually seeks to make the patientvomit and if the pachanoi preparation fails to induce this

a supplemental emetic draught is administered, and 2)

Pharmaceutical complications: a datura species is

usually added to the broth. reliable dosage information

for tropane alkaloids from natural sources is very hard to

come by, the margin of error is vastly smaller than with,

say, blotter acid, and the special contributions of tropanealkaloids to an entheogenic experience may not be

sought-after. :-)

Most contemporary practice either mimics a simplified

form of the traditional broth (abandoning both the

datura, the emetics, and every shred of the set-and-

setting of traditional use) or follows well-established

chemical methods of alkaloid extraction (which is time-consuming and equipment-costly, and usually involves

toxic solvents.)

One neglected approach is to treat the cactus as a


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vegetable foodstuff, and draw upon mexican culinary

experience with nopales (opuntia cactii) as prior art. the

results of some initial explorations of this approach are

reported here.

Preparing the Cactus

t. pachanoi is a slightly tapering cylinder with a small

number of ribs (typically 6 or 7), and clusters of 1-2mm

spines running along the ridge of the rib and spaced

about 1" apart. cactus cuttings in the market range in

diameter from about 2.5"-3.5". cuttings of these

diameters range in weight from < 1.5 oz/linear inch to

3.5 oz/in.

The outermost layer is a tough, plastic-like membrane a

significant fraction of a mm thick. Directly underneath

this is a zone of green tissue less than 1/4" thick. This

shades rapidly into a zone of white tissue. at the core is a

hollow cylinder of tough fibers, from 0.5"- 1.5" dia, with

a heart of more white tissue. in younger tip-cuts the

fibers are like a loofa-sponge, or softer. In more mature

base cuts they are very woody, almost like bamboo bbqskewers.

There are conflicting statements in the popular literature

about which of these tissues contain the entheogenic

virtues. The outermost membrane is almost certainly

devoid of them (unfortunately ott's pharacotheon asserts

that this is where they reside). the green tissue is mostwidely identified as the seat of these virtues, and I

believe this to be the case. It is a logical location for a

barrier of cactophagic repellents, it proves to be sharply

more bitter than the white tissue (certainly indicating

that it is very basic, and *probably* indicating that it

therefore has the highest concentration of alkaloids), and

the obvious informal qualitative bio-assay suggests that

the white tissue is either very weak, compared to thegreen, or else entirely inactive. One experienced

respondent opined that the white tissue none-the-less

contains enough non-entheogenic psychoactives (such as


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the mescaline precursor dopamine?) to positively "color"

the experience.

There are many ways to approach peeling off the skin,

but this gave me the best results:

Nick or notch out the spine clusters. Split the cactus by

cutting from the "valleys" between the ridges inward to

the center of the core. this yields a "stick" of cactus with

a diamond-shaped cross section which gives the most

support to the green tissue during the peeling. Starting

from the corners and working along the length of the

ridge, carefully peel off the skin. Take multiple passes to

do this. It is possible to detach the skin in a single piece,

if you are patient. Avoid leaving any of the green tissueclinging to the skin. The skin is likely to tear when

lifting it away from scars and blemishes. the peel can be

re-started by picking at it with a thumbnail if this

happens.

This is rather time-consuming. Kennedy suggests

listening to music while peeling nopale paddles, so there

may be no way to speed this up. Blanching the unsplitcactus for a minute in rapidly boiling water only makes

things worse: It causes the soft tissues to begin to exude

mucilage, a whitish waxy scum boils off of the skin

(which is nauseating to even look at), and the skin still

adheres.

Once the cactus is peeled it should be further brokendown. I split the green layer off, then cut the fibrous

tissue off of the white tissue.

The peeled cactus can be used fresh, refrigerated for a

week or so, or dried in a home food-dryer. "cactus jerky"

can be further processed in a blender or food processor

to yield "cactus granules".

Recipes

Crudites St. Pierre


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Slice raw, peeled cactus into sticks. eat like "bitter

cucumber spears". add salt, lime-juice and chopped

cilantro to taste. this is, so far, my method of choice,

partly because it is so minimalist.

Ensalada de Nopalitos

To each 4 oz of peeled, chopped raw cactus add 2 Tbs

good-quality cider vinegar, and let stand in the

refrigerator for at least an hour. add chopped parsely to

taste. this is the second-best tasting recipe.

Nopales Asados

Fry raw, peeled cactus strips in extra-virgin olive oil

over medium- high heat, until the sharp edges brown,

and small golden-brown blisters rise up on the faces.

This ties for second best-tasting. the white tissue, in

particular, has an underlying quality of sweetness that is

brought out by frying, and the contrast of the crispness

with the now-gelatinous interior is rather nice. Serve

lightly salted.

Nopales al Vapor

To 1 2/3 C peeled, trimmed, and chopped fresh cactus

add 1 Tbs chopped scallions, a minced clove of garlic

and salt to taste. Fry in 1 Tbs olive oil, covered, over low-

medium heat for 10 min. shake the pan from time to

keep the cactus from sticking. When the juice has started

to flow, uncover the pan and cook for an additional 15

minutes, until the juice has evaporated some, the residue

has begun to resorb, and the cactus is lightly browned.

Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.

Yield 1/2 C.

This is the best-tasting recipe. My concern is that some

of the mescaline might stick to the pan rather than beingentirely resorbed, although perhaps it is not carried out

of the tissues in the mucilage, but remains behind in the

cells. It *does* significantly reduce the volume of the

cactus material.


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Chunky Snot Tea

Add 1 - 2 Tbs cactus granules to 1 C hot water, and let

stand for a bit. insignificant-looking granules swell to

rice-grain size, and even finely chopped and ground

fibrous tissue become noticeable "chunky-bits". the

mucilage becomes quite pronounced, dripping in strings

from the stirring spoon. Adding the juice of 1/2 lime, or

so, decreases the bitterness.

I wish that i could say that the mucilage reconstitutes as

a silky unction, reminiscent of some beloved child-hood

comfort food, but what it really reminded me of was a

bad head-cold. Tossing the reconstituted tea back intothe blender smoothes out the texture some. I can't help

thinking that this treatment has potential, but i'm darned

if i can make it manifest.

Cactus Jerky

The peeled, sliced, and dried cactus sticks can be eaten

out-of-hand. This is my second-favorite recipe. it is morework than "cactus sticks", but can be made ahead, and is

quite handy. Since the mucilage begins to reconstitute

during chewing this has the unnerving property of "the

more you chew, the more there is to chew".

Conversions and Yields

A widely-quoted figure says that t. pachanoi (wet) is0.12% mescaline. Freeze-dried unpeeled t. pachanoi is

quoted at 2%. It is my impression that fresh cactus varies

significantly in entheogenic activity, but this might be

due primarily to water content, rather than

environmental or cultural considerations. Home-drying

is probably not as complete as freeze-drying.

8 oz (226 gms) whole, unpeeled, fresh cactus = 270 mg

mescaline.

12 oz (340 gms) whole, unpeeled, fresh cactus = 400 mg

mescaline.


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2-2.5" dia fresh unpeeled ~=1.5 oz/in

3.5-4" dia fresh unpeeled ~=3.5 oz/in

3 oz. fibrous pith

16 oz. fresh cactus ~=+ 6 oz. white tissue

+ 6 oz. green tissue

+ 1 oz. skin and spines.

12 oz. fresh cactus =1 oz. dried (+ 7/8 oz. peel).

1 oz. dried cactus = 2 slightly heaping Tbs cactus

granules

4 oz. fresh cactus = 5/8 C chopped.

Palatability

The discarding of the skin is probably an essential stepto reducing the nausea induced by any cactus preparation

(with the exception of a proper chemical extraction.) Just

looking at the waxy scum that boils off of it in just a

minute of blanching is enough to turn my stomach. This

stuff was not evolved to be digested, it was evolved to be

abrasion-resistant and water-proof. it makes cucumber

peel look burpless.

Generally, the addition of lime-juice or vinegar improves

palatability by neutralizing the bitterness, which is

particularly intense in the green tissue (see "chemical

considerations" below). Mature tissue from the base of a

column seems to have a sandy, crunchy texture, although

storage in a dark closet for some weeks may reduce this,

as well as possibly intensifying the alkaloidal content(one cactacean informs me that t. pachanoi moved into

the shade increases its alkaloidal content, although it

grows fastest in direct sun.) the bitterness compares to a

bitter espresso, but in volume can become daunting.

I've only had one mild episode of stomach cramping. as

noted an authority as shulgin says that that can almost be

counted upon even with pure synthesized mescaline. Idon't know if the mucilage actually soothes stomach

tissues, or if an inveterate espresso-drinker such as

myself has such a cast-iron stomach that mescaline can't


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get its attention, or if I just haven't yet eaten enough,

often enough. nor have I yet suffered emesis, although

sometimes those last few mouthfuls of bitter green tissue

or the last gulps of mucus tea will start my gorge rising.

Any kind of heating, as well as exposure to food acids,

starts the flow of mucilage. Some cacti species have

such pronounced mucilage that they are used to repair

pottery. dry-heat treatments such as pan-frying act

against this trend, but diced t. pachanoi salad stored in

the refrigerator can become quite slimy (although after

an hour or so, the volume of drawn juice reaches

equilibrium). Reconstituted dried cactus (as in "tea",

above) can become quite unpleasantly slimy.

I would discard the fibrous tissues, unless i was doing an

extraction. It's just too hard to make it seem like food.

The best-tasting recipes do taste better than simple raw

cactus, and also shrink the volume of cactus to be

consumed, but they don't taste a lot better.

Chemical Considerations

Presumably the addition of lime juice or vinegar

converts various free-base alkaloids into their respective

citrate or acetate. I don't know if this has any

implications for absorption. i would expect stomach acid

to convert free-base to the chloride, so except for any

alkaloids absorbed sub-lingually the body won't ever be

dealing with eaten cactus alkaloids as their free-base.

According to mcgee "On Food and Cooking", heat-

induced browning reactions in food occur from about

130C - 210C, so i'd expect the surface of frying (not

scorching) cactus would not exceed that, nor the moist

interior to exceed 100C. A kind respondent assures me

that mescaline has a boiling-point of 320C @ 1 atm, andthat offhand he sees no reason to think that it will

decompose before it boils (although he suggests that I

ask a Real Chemist (tm) to be sure. can any of you speak

to this?).


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It is not clear to me whether the break-down of cell walls

and other plant structures (and possibly break-down of

mucilage) in the process of cooking contribute to speed

and efficiency of mescaline absorption. I am assuming,

but do not know for a fact, that mescaline from well-

chewed raw cactus tissue in healthy stomach acid is

subject to an absorption practically as as complete and

fast as that from a boiled-down sludge or hot-water

extract.

Future Work

Two approaches for further exploration suggest

themselves. The first is to see if 30-60 minutes ofpressure-cooking will reduce raw cactus (perhaps with a

bit of lime-juice) to a porridge with a more-uniform

texture, possibly with reduced slime. Chilled, this might

work as a gazpacho, or hot, as a vegetable consume' or

chowder.

The second is to see if the mucilaginous quality can be

capitalized upon and exploited as a virtue. I look forwardto corresponding with any gumbo-cooks who might have

thoughts along these lines.

[email protected] () writes:

Here is a way to prepare the stuff that I have found

effective:

1.Take a length of cactus, six inches per person,

and carefully cut away the spine areoles.

2.Freeze the de-spined cactus. This helps breakdown cell walls to make extraction of the good

stuff easier.

3.Thaw it in a bowl or watertight container. Don't


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lose the goo that drips out!

4.Using a carrot peeler or a small knife, peel the

green skin off. Try to remove as little of the flesh

as possible.

5.Cut the peeled cactus into small chunks

6.Using a blender or a food processor, chop the

chunks into mush

7.Squeeze the mush through cheesecloth, to get

the liquid out, and discard the contents of the

cheesecloth.

8.Mix the goo from step 3 with the liquid from

step 7.

9.Add milk (about a pint per person) to the

mixture. Blend.

10.Serve.

11.Fasten your seatbelts, extinguish all smoking

materials, put your seat backs and tray tables in

their full upright and locked position, and enjoy

your flight.

San Pedro cactus tastes like the bitterest cucumber on

God's good green earth. It's difficult to get down -- but

once it's down, it stays down. One helpful variation is touse storebought eggnog rather than straight milk.

Another variation is to add a scoop or two of icecream

per person to the milk to make a mescaline milkshake.

-- Alan Bostick

[email protected]


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Here is a table of

some of the primary

citations on

Trichocereus

potency

species %age fresh %age dry citation

peyote ? 1 - 6% (rarely >1%) XXX

pachanoi 0.12% 2% CF

peruvianus 0.05%* 0.82% P&M

peruvianus >0.0005% >0.01%* Ag

pachanoi 0.02%* 0.331% C&M

pachanoi 0.02%* 0.357% T&H

pachanoi 0.006%* - 0.14%* 0.1 - 2.375% H&B

* estimated, calculated assuming constant 94% water in fresh material.provided simply for convenience in comparing different studies. most

give figures only based on dry material, while Ag gives only fresh.

As you can see, pachanoi varies by 20X. This is not likely to be

experimental error; H&B using consistent methodology came up with

figures that nicely bracket all other citations. The strongest pachanoi

measured is 3X the strongest peruvianus measured, and while it is less

than half the strength of the strongest peyote on record it is more than

twice the strength of peyote you are likely to get your hands on. The

strongest T. peruvianus reported is not quite as powerful as the "usual"peyote.

The "maximum safe dose" of mescaline, according to Ott, is 1000 mg.

Assume the worst (best) about your cactus, that it is H&B's 2.375%

(dry), the most powerful pachanoi known to science. You would

therefore not want to take more than 714 gms (fresh), or about 1 1/2

lbs. The threshold dose is about 150 mg, so you'd need at least 107 gms

(nearly 4 oz.) to get any effect in the best (worst) case. If you got the

wimpy stuff you will need to eat at least 2.5kg to get the least effect.

To get the maximum safe dose from the wimpy stuff you need to eat~17kg; probably about one-fifth your own body weight.

Q: I got the wimpy stuff, now what do I do?

A: Let the rest of it callous off, root it out, plant it, and join the rest of

us in discovering what this organism wants from life. It may or may

not be weak because of lack of genetic potential; nobody really knows.

This is not Safeway, this is a living organism we are approaching and

attempting to enlist. Negotiations may be in order. If nothing else, the

flowers are gorgeous. Join your local cactus society, or a net mailing-

list and expand your horizons.

I've yet to try the wimpy stuff, BTW, although as a plant-collector I

buy many more specimens than will ever make it into my kitchen;

there might be some wimpy ones in my back-yard unbeknownst to me.

But perhaps it is not very common; only representing very unhappy

plants that have been living in a shopping-mall or similar unnatural

locale. 400 gms of any I've tried seems like an "entheogenic all-day

lollipop" to me.

If I could get 1000 pachanoi branches blooming in my garden I'd be a

very happy gardener, regardless of their alkaloidal content.

Q: Maybe there's some super-secret powerful tricho that nobody talks

about.


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A: That would be Trichocereus bum-fumble you are referring to, but if

the alt.drug.elders discovered that you knew anything about its

existence they would send their hit squads by and...

Excuse me, there's someone pounding at the door
http://peyote.com/jonstef/peyote.htmhttp://peyote.com/jonstef/index.htm

(eBook) - Mescaline - San Pedro Cactus (eBook)

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