Mescaline Cacti. History, Preparation & More..

Mescaline is a psychedelic alkaloid which occurs naturally, being used mainly as an entheogen – a psychoactive substance which is used in different contexts, such as religious or spiritual environments. Mescaline occurs naturally in Peyote and San Pedro cacti, which will be a significant point of interest of this article. However, Mescaline may be also found in other types of cacti, such as the Peruvian Torch, which is also handled here. Mescaline can taken orally, but also comes as a powder extract.

Mescaline forms a central part of the cultural traditions of Mexican Indians and Native Americans. Alongside LSD, it was considered significant for the drug scene in the 60s. The effects of Mescaline have been researched not only by anthropologists, but also by numerous writers and artists, such as Aldous Huxley (famous for his novel “Brave New World”), as well as Antonin Artaud (French playwright) and Henri Michaux (French-Belgian poet and painter).

History

Peyote has a long history spanning as much as 3 millenia into the past, first in documented use by Native Americans in Mexico. Europeans first made contact with Mescaline of this extract after colonizing areas of Mexico, mainly by the Spaniards. After the drug spread to Europe, it was initially forbidden due to frightening or hallucinative experiences by the users. In the USA, use of peyote-derived mescaline for religious purposes continued well into the beginning of the 20th century. Around the year 1930, several US states declared the drug illegal. In the 1967, Mescaline was prohibited on federal level in the States, and in 1970 it was placed on Schedule 1, making it outlawed for recreational use.

Interestingly, Mescaline may be taken legally as part of rituals within religious groups such as the Native American Church. Such provisions in law have been controversial and questioned in several court cases. However, due to the fact that those religious uses are usually far older than the laws enacted to prohibit the use of mescaline, the special treatment of such cases is not surprising.

Mescaline based on San Pedro cacti has an almost equally long history of use in South America. It is estimated that the use of San Pedro-based mescaline has a continuous tradition of over 3,000 years, while an early depiction of the cactus was found in an old temple in the northern highlands of Peru, stemming from the Chavín culture and dated between 1400 and 400 BC.

Peyote: What It Is & Geographical Locations

Lophophora williamsii, known by its common name Peyote (which is derived from the language of Nahuati), is a spineless cactus which contains several psychoactive alkaloids, the most famous of them being mescaline. The cactus is native to southwestern Texas as well as Mexico, and can be found particularly in the Chihuahuan desert, which occupies the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Mexican Plateau. It can be found in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi, usually in the vicinity of limestone. Peyote is particularly fond of spots in elevations of 300 to 5000 feet, and in some points of the Chihuahuan desert, even higher.

While Peyote is noted for its extremely slow and lengthy growth, taking many years, it can also also cultivated, in which case it tends to grow significantly faster, needing in some settings less than 3 years from seedling to full growth. Peyote flowers by producing small and edible pink fruit. Its seeds are relatively small, in the color of black.

San Pedro Cactus and Peruvian Torch Cactus

While a different genus than Peyote, the San Pedro cactus and the Peruvian Torch cactus share the same family as the Peyote, that of the Cactaceae. They also share the common trait of containing mescaline and serving as a natural deposit for this psychoactive alkaloid, as well as growing in elevated places. The San Pedro Cactus (Echinopsis pachanol) and the Peruvan Torch Cactus (Echinopsis peruviana) both belong to the same genus of cacti called Echinopsis, which are mostly native to South America. Both can be classified as fast-growing columnar cacti native to the Andes Mountains of Peru, growing in areas between 6500 and 10000 feet in altitude.

The San Pedro Cactus comes in a light to dark green color, and grows up to 16 feet, having multiple branches extending from the base. Aside from Peru, the San Pedro Cactus can also be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador, all countries bordering on or containing parts of the South American Andes. The Peruvian Torch can be almost exclusively found in the mountain deserts of Peru and Ecuador, often as a neighbor of the San Pedro Cactus. It can grow as tall as the San Pedro Cactus, but its color tends to be between blue and green, while having large white flowers.

The Peruvian Torch is more popular in cultivation than the San Pedro cactus. Generally, it can be propagated from either seeds or cuttings, with propagation from cuttings being usually the more popular method. By removing the top end of a cactus column clearly with a knife, a genetic clone of the parent planet can be obtained by letting the cutting heal for a time period of around two weeks, exposing it to indirect light and leaving it in a dry environment. While growing a cactus and letting it establish a root system, care should be taken as to the amount of light to which the plant is exposed. Generally, too much direct light may overburn and deform the plant, while too little light may cause undesired tall growth. By establishing an environment similar to its native home and delivering around 5 hours of direct sunlight and a few additional hours of indirect light, perfect balance may be reached in growing the Peruvian Torch.

The recommend soil for cultivating the Peruvian Torch should be well draining as well as being able to hold enough moisture without drying out. The soil should never be enhanced with manure or be rich in nitrogen. It is quite simple to identify such soil, as it is usually very dark in color. Instead, soil resembling the natural environment of the plant is preferred. A blend of cactus soil mix, with some sand as well as perlite, will deliver the best combination. As far as watering is concerned, the Peruvian Torch can handle large amounts of water once it has established its root system. Water may also boost rapid growth, but care should taken to preserve growth circles as in natural growth.

Ingestion and Use of Peyote or San Pedro-based Mescaline

Traditionally, Peyote is prepared by cutting the cactus’ top at ground level, which leaves the roots to growth new heads. These are then dried and made into disk-shaped buttons, which are chewed or soaked in water to produce the desired effects. Since the cactus’ taste is bitter, many users prefer to grind the buttons into a powder and make it into capsules to avoid the taste.

Aside from psychoactive use, some Native American tribes may use Peyote for its other properties. Particularly, it may be used to treat different ailments including tooth aches, childbirth pains, fevers, skin diseases, diabetes and colds.

The native preparation of San Pedro cactus usually features boiling slices of the stem for a number of hours, and then drinking the resulting liquid. The San Pedro cactus may also be sometimes used together with other psychoactive plants, such as coca.

In home use, while preparing either Peyote or San Pedro-based mescaline, generally the cactus is first ground into a small powder, which is then placed in a large pressure cooker. Then, the powder is covered with distilled water and let to boil for around 30 minutes. The liquids are then taken out and put in a different container, while the pulp is put back to the cooker with more distilled water, boiled again for some 30 minutes. This process is usually repeated until the pulp no longer has a bitter taste. At the end, the pulp is discarded and the liquids are put together and boiled again in an open pot. These liquids are then mixed with other materials, which “bring out“ the effective essence of the plant, containing the mescaline. In a further manner, this material is crystallized to be ready for consumption.

For beginner users, the standard dose of taken mescaline should from 100 to 300 mg. Anything above 500 mg is considered a higher dosage, particularly for first time users. Generally, a dose of 300 mg is the most a person inexperienced with the drug needs in order to hallucinate. For long time users who have previously not experienced any issues, a dosage of up to 800 mg may also be safe, but caution should be employed.