Poisonous cacti and hallucinogenic fruits?(echinocereus and opuntia)

[Rev]

From

http://www.death-valley.us/article245.html

"Speaking of dangerous myths concerning cacti, some books make broad statements such as, 'All cactus flesh and/or cactus fruits are edible.' Wrong and kind of wrong. One day I received a phone call from our rural health clinic about a man who had eaten the flesh of a purple pitahaya (Echinocereus dubius) cactus. He was vomiting, faint, and his blood pressure was skyrocketing. I gave them some ideas about what chemicals they might be dealing with. He was rushed to the hospital about eighty miles away and required an intravenous drip to stabilize him. He had been told the fruits were edible, but misunderstood and ate the plant. The fruits were out of season. Had he been in a true survival situation and unattended, he may not have lived. A friend of mine had several goats die after eating the flesh of the closely related strawberry pitahaya (Echinocereus stramineus). This has edible fruit that taste amazingly like strawberries, but the cactus itself is not to be eaten.

Reverse Still: A stake is driven into an impure water source and draped with clear plastic sheeting. The edges are rolled under and sealed with a dirt berm. Water vapor condenses on plastic and collects in rolls of sheeting.

Other cacti have hallucinogenic flesh, such as peyote (Lophophora williamsii), and big nipple cory-cactus (Coryphantha macromeris). The hallucinations are generally preceded by severe vomiting, again not something desirable. Another species, living rock (Ariocarpus fissuratus), not only has a reputation for being hallucinogenic, but contains some dangerous alkaloids negating its value as a food source. Although I have no personal experience with the famous saguaro (Cereus giganteus), many references cite it as having toxic compounds in the flesh, and the water extracted from it as being very unpalatable.

As for all cactus fruit being edible, that is a matter of conjecture. The fruit of the tasajillo (Opuntia leptocaulis) is quite tasty, but in large quantities has a reputation for also being hallucinogenic. While it may not be toxic, do you really need an Elvis sighting in a survival situation? Cactus fruits, as well as most wild plant foods, may be rejected at first by your body. An unknown allergy may also present itself upon first trying cactus fruit. That is why it is so important to become familiar with and try wild plant foods before you try to rely on them in emergencies. Contrary to movies and novels, food is a low consideration in present day survival scenarios. Most of us are walking around with a three week larder under our belts."

judging by the quality of info and how he puts it id say this is a source to take not of

i think i have this opuntia species

looks just like this

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mbierner/bio406d...leptocaulis.htm