Moon Cactus

[Gardener]

I've looked everywhere on this forum but can't find a ref to Moon Cactus.

Found this quote on the Internet and want to know more.

"This is what Dr. Solomon Melchor Arroya, curator of the Peruvian Museum of Natural Science and Health has to say about Moon cactus. ...this is the Peruvian peyote. The plant produces seed-pods twice a year, when it flowers. Each flowering lasts only one night, but that night it produces many flowers and each flower has several seed-pods. You boil ten pods in just a half-a-cup of water, only for fifteen minutes, no more. The liquid is very sweet since the pods are filled with something like honey. After you drink it you begin to hallucinate. You travel all over the world - not like the San Pedro, which takes you to worlds which do not exist yet - but more like travelling in an astral body in this world. You can go wherever you want and see whomever you want. For eight hours you will have visions of your friends and what they are doing right now. You can learn many things from these hallucinations."

So what I want to know is, what's this Moon Cactus he's talking about? Do you reckon it would be Selenicereus? That's the only thing I've ever heard called a Moon cactus.

[Amulte]

so far the only references i find to this are about grating Gymnocalycium spp...

"These are actually what are called a grafted cactus. That is, attaching one type of cactus to another to grow as one. This is actually done with a lot of different kinds of cactus for various reasons, but the one referred to as the "Moon Cactus" (just a catchy marketing name) is done as a novelty to keep the top, brightly colored one alive. It couldn't survive by itself because it doesn't have any chlorophyll "

http://www.cactuscollection.com/faqs/index.html

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cac...um_Hibotan.html

but i have read somwhere that certain Cerius and Selenicereus have some activity

Edited March 14, 2007 by Amulte

[Gardener]

Thanks Amulte.

There was actually some more information with that Peruvian quote.

The guy who put it on the Net said that he thought Moon Cactus were Discocactus species.

I dunno about that.

Anyone know if Discocacti are active?

[M S Smith]

The “Moon Cactus” has been referred to as D. zehntneri. Usually the above quote is preceded by “Discocactus zehntneri and its varieties albispinus, araneispinus, and boomianus are the Moon cacti.”

The reference to D. zehntneri specifically as the Moon Cactus appears to be pure unadulterated urban legend (more below). I have been able to locate a Salomón Melchor Arroyo, but not a “Dr. Solomon Melchor Arroya.” Arroyo does appear to deal with traditional medicine in Peru as can be seen from these two links:

http://www.ifeanet.org/biblioteca/fiche.ph...igo=HUM00015669

http://www.ccta.org.pe/publica/alebib/ab-2001/ab-25.htm

More investigation is needed to see if he actually provided the information to someone (see below) or if his name was conveniently used for support. I haven’t been able to locate the “Peruvian Museum of Natural Science and Health,” but possibly it is under a different Spanish title.

It is quite apparent that D. zehntneri is not the Moon Cactus when you stop to consider that D. zehntneri grows in Bahia, Brazil, a department on the far east and Atlantic coast of Brazil. Even more telling is that none of the seven species recognized by E.F.Anderson come from Peru, in fact the genus is from “Brazil, Eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay.”

That D. zehntneri was the Moon Cactus was first mentioned at http://www.health-harvest.com.au/cactus/medical_cacti.html and repeated at http://www.cactus-seeds.com/medical_cacti.htm, but when I contacted the proprietor of the former site (a man by the name of Vlado, who I’m sure some in Australia know and who also appears to be the author of the latter site) Vlado said the information, minus the name Discocactus zehntneri, was in an article titled “The Psychedelic Plant Doctor” by Peter Gorman (http://pgorman.com) in the Dec., 1988, or possibly edition #88, of High Times, and that due to similarities of the High Times photos to D. zehntneri he, Vlado, made the addition of the species name himself. I have yet to write to Peter and inquire, but I suppose I should. I also have yet to look around to find the High Times back issue in question. Any help is appreciated!

So now we are still left though with a question about whether or not there is any such plant as the Moon Cactus, aka “Peruvian peyote,” which has psychedelic seed pods. I suppose Trichocereus species might qualify as they bear white flowers, open at night for a single night, and probably do have some psychoactive properties in the fruit skins. Interestingly enough though there does not appear to be any accounts of Trichocereus fruit being used, but such use would be overshadowed by the more traditional use of boiling the limbs. The fact is that the reference to the plant as peyote, a small squat plant form, and the confusion Vlado had with the High Times articles photos has started one of many modern myths.

~Michael~

[Gardener]

Thanks Michael, that was a very comprehensive reply.

Shows how a chance remark or speculation on the Internet can blow right out of proportion.

The reference to D. zehntneri specifically as the Moon Cactus appears to be pure unadulterated urban legend (more below).

~Michael~

[t st tantra]

just a q ?

one flower...gives....more than one seed pod?

t s t .

[Gardener]

Hmm, yeah, sounds pretty far-fetched...

just a q ?

one flower...gives....more than one seed pod?

t s t .

[M S Smith]

I hadn't looked into this in a while, but as I was hoping to update my book...someday...

I found the correct HIgh Times Magazine with the article in question...December 1988, Issue #160.

http://www.undergrou...tid/0/id/504695

If anyone has access to it, or finds somewhere I can purchase it, drop me a PM please. Thanks!

~Michael~

Edited December 28, 2011 by M S Smith

[M S Smith]

Thought I looked long and hard enough, but I just found it at Amazon! Once it comes in I'll post a picture and see what we can determine about an ID.

~Michael~

[M S Smith]

Ha ha ha ha ha....it's a damn Melocactus! Melocactus can look so incredibly similar so I'm reviewing which have white fruit, but depending on the overall accuracy of this article that might not even mean anything. Here's a picture from the magazine. I rushed scans this morning and I made them too small, so in a day or two I'll post the entire article so everyone can read it. There is some other interesting comments in the piece, but it all seems a little suspect...it is High Times and all.

~Michael~

Edit for better photo.

Edited January 5, 2012 by M S Smith

[amanito]

Just wanted to point out that Peter Gorman is a jerk.

[M S Smith]

Here we go...

~Michael~

Edited January 5, 2012 by M S Smith

[Zaka]

Irie,

Well interesting!

I wonder if that's why they call it a Disco Cactus.......party on!

A couple of things

Has anyone tried the fruits of a Loph in a similar manner?

Also found this

whilst looking up ceremonies!

But I have no idea what they are saying???or what language? Spanish? Portuguese?

Respect,

Z

[M S Smith]

Got it, it is either M. bellavistensis subsp. bellavistensis, M. bellavistensis subsp. onychacanthus, M. curvispinus, or M. peruvianus, which is "extremely variable" according to E.F.Anderson. Honestly though, I can't tell the difference between almost any of the plants in the genus.

Anderson cites the existence of 33 species, while Cactusguide.com says there are 35, and Desert-Tropicals.com says "around 40." Of all the species only the three mentioned above are listed as occurring in Peru in these sources.

Only Anderson mentions fruit color, with M. bellavistensis having red fruit, M. curvispinus having fruit that are "pink to bright red to deep magenta. and M. peruvianus having "fruits red at the tip."

But here is the telling piece, I was actually able to find an article called "Plantas Psicoactivas" that mentions, in a poor online translation...

The head of perico is a cactus small with greater number of ribs longitudinal that Echinopsis pachanoi, that as much Vivanco (2000) as the botanical premises they confirm that bellavistensis belongs to the Melocactus species. Madsen (1989) describes a.m. bellavistensis like a cylindrical cactus of 20-35 cm with up to 18 ribs, that are in Ecuador limited slopes escarped in valley of Catamayo. This species also it finds in Peru (departments of Amazon, Cajamarca, Freedom), but this species has not been registered there with effects sicoactivos. It is required to document on the preparation, use and chemistry of the cactus head of perico to confirm if M. bellavistensis is hallucinogenic (at least in the valley of Catamayo). One has not reported substances psychoactive in the Melocactus sort and according to J. Madsen (Reps. com. 2006) would be surprising that M. bellavistensis contains alkaloids because the cattle feeds itself on this species, but not of E. pachanoi.

The full article can be found at http://www.beisa.dk/Publications/BEISA%20Book%20pdfer/Capitulo%2019.pdf

I suspect the "Cactus of the Moon" mentioned in the High Times Magazine is M. bellavistensis.

I might have a bit more to say later, but I just wanted to get this out of my head while it was fresh.

~Michael~

[M S Smith]

Somebody in another forum mentioned how they didn't see any correlation between Melocactus and the traditional use of T. pachanoi, but just for clarification, that info wasn't in the translation of the text above, but was rather in the Plantas Psicoactivas English abstract where it states that "Two other cacti may occasionally replace" T. pachanoi.

I really wish there was more info on this plants ethnobotany in Peru...even if it is devoid of any particularly interesting alkaloids.

~Michael~

[edited to comply with post guidelines.]

Edited January 13, 2012 by M S Smith