Best method of preparation/ ingestion

[chilli]

I have read elsewhere that heat can destroy the active alkaloids in cactus; can anyone confirm the validity of this?

Most of the experiences I have read seem to involve plenty of boiling and drying...

Also, many people seem to think that unwatered Pedros produce greater levels of mescaline, would letting a cutting dry in the sun or a warm room have a similar effect?

Edited May 21, 2007 by IllegalBrain

[Benzito]

I can't answer too many of your questions Chilli, but I can say this:

You dry plant products in the SHADE, where there is good air-flow. Out of direct sunlight, that's for sure!

I sat some cactus bits on newspaper, on a bookshelf in my loungeroom. Within a week, they went mouldy.

I do have two aquariums in the loungeroom, so it's probably a bit moist really, you want a nice dry, shady spot. And rotate the pieces, if they are sitting on something.

It will probably take a month or two to dry out though, so if you're as keen as you seem, you might want to just keep it fresh.

[AndyAmine.]

Or one could use an a fan or an oven to speed things up a lot.

[Trip Dr]

Word of advice, if you are planning on eating the stuff(i know you arent, its illegal remember ) but DONT dry it out!

I had a dream once where i got two feet of t.pachanoi removed all spines, and cut the flesh away from the core and tough outer skin. This was dried in an oven, which took several hours and stank the house out. The resulting jerky was broken into small chips and these were washed down with water. Took ages to eat them all, and huge amounts of water, and almost gaging several times. After all that effort i only got a mild effect hours later. I later discovred that the most effective method is to just chop up the whole lot( even the spikes apparently ) and boil in water till it forms a sludge. Strain out the hard bits and try knock it down fast. Good luck!

[chilli]

What I'm wondering is its true that the alkaloids will concentrate in a plant that has been unwatered, will the same effect be obtained by leaving a cutting to dry? Isn't it the same as an unwatered rooted cactus except its not stuck in the ground?

Edited May 21, 2007 by IllegalBrain

[dntinc]

a nice little method is FOUND HERE

hope it helps.

[Amulte]

check out grey questions and here.

by next EB meat i shoudl have my Ethno Bio Journal done with everyting in it. especially my cacti mixes. hmmmm good :D

[bsm2wr]

For accelerated drying of any plant material or keeping air in a closed area moisture free calcium carbonate crytals can be used. Buy from any DIY store for a couple of dollars. An 'iranian friend' has used this method to dry his poppy heads. Word of warning the superdry air can simply make moisture move out of a (wet) plant core to its surface where mold will then form.

Better to break the material up thouroughly first - to increase surface area and also to prevent moisture gradients within the plant material.

I personally reckon it is best to dry stuff naturally for better potency. Don't think much is lost this way and it surely is fast but nature's best...

bsm2wr

[ 02. October 2005, 11:55: Message edited by: bsm2wr ]

[psycho0]

for blending cactus is it best 2 freeze, thaw, freeze then thaw again?

cheers

[teonanacatl]

calcium chloride is the desicant, calcium carbonate is lime for your garden.

[planthelper]

i once posted my drying methode somewhere, in short again...

cut first in 2.5 to 5cm sections.

than cut the star open, and remove the woody core.

than draw your knife just along the border of green and white.

now put the lot into the strong sun.

after a while depending on the intensity of the sun, the skin will suddenly be very easy to be pulled off.

once the skin is off continue to dry out the material in the sun.

the green material is the much stronger stuff, so keep green and white stored seperately.

just a quick note, be carefull in case you boil down a 30cm long section and reduce it to a small amount of liquid, it could be far to strong!! most pedros are weak, but some are very potent maybe 5 times as strong as you anticipate...

so test a small amount and wait, sometimes the effects might keep on coming on stronger even 2 hours after indigestion.

overdoses have to be avoided under all circumstances (shakes and hyperthermia).

[ 03. October 2005, 12:52: Message edited by: planthelper ]

[kakti]

A person I know doesnt bother with any of the drying or boiling. He simply cuts off the spines, peels off the skin, and cuts out the core. Then he cuts the flesh into small slabs, covers with mounds of sugar and eats. Its not the best tasting thing, but it is well worth the experience, and very easy to do.

[Amulte]

for blending cactus is it best 2 freeze, thaw, freeze then thaw again?

cheers

Yes, its said to help. freeze, thaw, blend. repeat maybe 2 or 3 times. boil and filter maybe 6 times then evap off all the liquid to get a nice snott. when it comes to drying i think drying out the snott is the better option, that way its saturated with potency.

[reshroomED]

Freezing/thawing breaks the 'snot' down, leaving a 'tea' with solids at the bottom.

ed

[t st tantra]

Quote removed upon request of the quoted member

i prefer not to work with any cactii that has not been cut about 6 weeks before.

a search of the cactii forum for 'peru brew' should find my method,it will produce a good dose from less than half a cup of thick liquid, this is prob about half what most extns require you to consume.

t s t .

Edited January 10, 2012 by ballzac

[chilli]

i prefer not to work with any cactii that has not been cut about 6 weeks before.

a search of the cactii forum for 'peru brew' should find my method,it will produce a good dose from less than half a cup of thick liquid, this is prob about half what most extns require you to consume.

t s t .

Why the 6 week thing? I have read that the longer you leave the cut pieces, the more potent it becomes... has this been your experience?

Thanks, I will look up the brew.

Edited October 17, 2007 by IllegalBrain

[t st tantra]

just seems to be the right length of time for consistent results.

its a generalisation from experience,longer may be better in some cases,less is often disappointing,but 6 weeks is usually reliable.

the main difference in my method is a settling and decanting stage which removes most remaining 'solids' from the tea,and so allows reduction to a smaller amt.this idea comes from aya brew methods and improves many extns.

chalk

this does not always work but gives an interesting result when it does.

you must start with atleast a metre of aged plant.

proceed with brew method.

tea must be filtered through coffee filters or equivalent.

reduce to about 2cm delth in pan.

let sit for 24hrs.ifyou have lots of sediment dropping out its going ok,if not try adding a few tablesps of vinegar and reducing a bit.

actually you prob should use vinegar/aceitic from the start as your acid.

once the sediment has set a bit pour of the liquid and dry the sediment,say in coffee filters.

you should end up with lumps of chalk like substance.which smoke ok in small amts.

t s t .

[genki]

dont get lazy/impatient when reducing to a syrup, youll understand when you taste it. the less liquid you have to drink the better

[kakti]

you must start with atleast a metre of aged plant.

Using your method, how many people have an experience from a metre cactus? Eating it in raw cut pieces, 6 inches is definitely enough for someone I know. I realy think you guys make it too complicated..just eat the cactus!

[Rune]

here's what I heard you can do:

slice down the spines so they come of in thin strips.

peel the waxy layer.

"fillet" the dark green layer.

chop in about 1 cm pieces and put in a bowl.

eat a spoon full at a time. DON'T CHEW - swallow whole, washed down with water.

you can boil the remaining spine strips and light green inner part (not the core) and drink the tea with lots of honey.

*note - I heard 30 cm of bridgesii is heaps, while 30cm of pach is 'nice'.

[Andy the Great Something]

Well, this is prolly a little late in responding to this thread, but where legal I've heard some have good results with this modified nannook of the north method.

decore relatively fresh cactus, (toss the cores) freeze the rest and unthaw it perhaps 6 times. Toss your decored and unthawed cactus in a blender with enough distilled water to get it to blend. Blend the hell out of it, forcefully strain through a tight knit cotton cloth and place the pulp back in the blender with more distilled water, repeat a few more times till the pulp has no taste and discard the pulp. Freeze the resulting goop one more time and unthaw. Place in glass jars in the fridge and let the mixture settle out all the sediment. (2-4 days) decant and slowly dehydrate in glass baking dishes on the stove top on a medium heat (below boiling temps) with a fan directly on it, paying special attention to keaping the goop from burning on the sites of the dish. That step should take aproximately 8-10 hours if possible. Dehydrate this way to a drinkable amount and if you can wait, let it sit in the fridge in a sealed mason jar till the rest of the sediment settles out.