Guest John Posted October 5, 2000 "The Hatchet Cactus." This considered to be one of the most sacred cactus on the planet. Does anybody have any knowledge or experiences with it? Besides what is in visionary cactus guide. Here is what I found: Botany: http://home.sol.no/~geirke/gggcoll/gke1005.htm From MS SMITH: "A well known peyote cactus often called "peote," "peyotillo," "peotillo," "piote," and "peyote meco." A medicinal plant sold in drug markets in San Luis Potosi as a remedy for fevers and used for rheumatic pains. William Emboden claims to have witnessed the efficacy of this plant as a “psychomimetic.” Extracts have been shown to have antibiotic activity. 1/P, 2/P, 5/P, 7/P, 8/P, 10/P, 4/P" John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M S Smith Posted October 9, 2000 John, contrary to your statement, this cactus is not known as one of the most sacred of cacti, in fact there is no information that suggest it is considered sacred at all. It is much better known for its medicinal qualities, such as for fevers and rheumatism. There is no information suggesting it was consumed for psychotropic effect, in fact there is only one single mondern account even suggesting "psychomimetic" effect. It has also been shown to have antibiotic qualities, similar to L. williamsii and other "peyote" cacti. No doubt the plant is sacred, but only so much as was all medicinal plant life of the Tarahumara and related tribes. Very little more has been said about this species in the literature. See my Narcotic and Hallucinogenic Cacti of the New World at Promind.com. Michael Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest John Posted October 10, 2000 Thanks for the info Michael, I think I might have got part of the notion from The Visionary Cactus Guide - "Considered to be one of the most sacred of divine cacti." But as you pointed out, sacred could very well mean in the sense of antibiotic or narcotic values. John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M S Smith Posted October 10, 2000 Unfortunately John all the entheogen based information out there prior to my book is full of misleading or inaccurate information. I have gone to the source of most of the comments about specific species and cite from them if possible. As I said before, no academic work lists P. aselliformis as sacred at all, but it could be assumed to be so, but this still doesn't give such comments a good basis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
