Several years of intermittent experimentation with the extraction of psychoactive substances from San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pachanoi) eventually came to fruition in the form of the following extraction.
The San Pedro cactus is chief among the Trichoceri as a producer of mescaline, and contains fewer alkaloids in addition to mescaline than the other Trichoceri. It is the generally preferred natural source of mescaline after the Peyote cactus (Lophophora Williamsii).
A 40cm length of 10cm thick cactus was collected.
Slices were made along the cactus to allow the top 6-7mm of flesh to be removed.
This flesh is rich green in colour, and the underlying tissue is white. The green portion of the cactus contains almost the entirety of the psychoactive content of the cactus, and the white tissue, bereft of mescaline, usually serves only to provide additional mucilage during extraction.
The green flesh of the cactus was placed in a blender, replete with spines. The blender was pulsed for several minutes, which yielded a viscous, slimy froth reminiscent of green shaving cream.
50mL of water were added, and the pulsing was repeated until the water was incorporated into the mucilage.
This process was repeated seven more times to bring the volume of water added to 400mL.
The blender was allowed to sit for an hour, after which a large polypropylene bowl was prepared by securing cheesecloth over the opening with a large rubber band.
The contents of the blender were poured onto the cheesecloth, and allowed to strain for approximately four hours.
The cheesecloth was removed, and squeezed vigorously to remove as much liquid volume as possible. This rendered the froth into liquid which was added to the filtered cactus syrup. About 40 minutes of aggravated squeezing was required to complete the process.
The resulting bowl of cactus syrup was allowed to stand overnight to allow fines to settle out of suspension, then the syrup was decanted into a polypropylene bottle. This yielded about 700mL of liquid.
Sufficient 25% NaOH solution was added to bring the pH to 10.5.
The mixture was then poured into a 2000mL separation funnel and extracted three times with 100mL DCM. Extractions were performed 24 hours apart.
The extracts were combined, dried with anhydrous MgSO4, and vacuum filtered.
The dried, filtered, alkaloid containing DCM was distilled at atmospheric pressure from a weighed flask to leave a small quantity of residual oil. The oil was a clear, deep yellow, reminiscent of warm honey in appearance. The oil smelt familiar enough to those versed in the ways of the cactus to bring a smiling grimace to their faces.
The residual oil weighed 0.55g, and had a distinctive bitter taste, unpleasant, yet interesting in quality.
The oil was placed in a gelatin capsule and consumed. The residue was washed from the flask with 20mL of dH2O brought to the boil with a propane torch. The resultant emulsion was ingested.
bioassay: distinct success. similar in intensity to the effects of consuming the skin of the cactus, as removed from the plant, though ingestion is considerably easier.
This method has arisen from the dedicated efforts of a few dogged individuals who have enjoyed Trichoceri cactus in many forms for several years. Members of this group dreamed of a day when mescaline could be lain across the soul without resorting to drinking half a glass of the single most disgusting beverage ever concocted.
Many vile-tasting preparations were endured in the pursuit of palatable mescaline from a natural source, and this procedure is the result of their perseverance, open minds, and iron stomachs.
It provides a more palatable avenue to experience for those who cannot bring themselves to consume Trichoceri in the traditional way.
It avoids the mess inherent in extractions from dry cactus, and discards the frustrating, slimy, frothy, difficult-to-play-with muck that is yielded when the entire cactus is blended.
With that imparted, cornelius leaves to enjoy the proceeds of its labour.
"tenser," said the tensor
