In article <92126.115227SXL136@psuvm.psu.edu> SXL136@psuvm.psu.edu writes:
>       I just received my ...of the Jungle catalog and was wondering what you
>guys out there in the matrix have to say about San Pedro Cactus. What was your
>experience with using it: effects, length of experience, time it takes to
>activate. Any useful tips on how to administer it would be great also.

Gotta do a FAQ about this sometime.. This is from the book Legal Highs by
Adam Gottlieb:

SAN PEDRO Trichocereus pachanoi. Family Cactaceae (Cactus
Family).

Material: Tall braching cactus from Peru and Ecuador.

Usage: A piece 3" diameter x 3-6" long is cut, peeled and eaten
(do not waste that which clings to the inside of the skin as it
is most potent), or instead of peeling, mash it or cut it into
small pieces and biol in 1 quart water for hours, strain and
drink slowly.

Active Constituents: Mescaline (1.2 g/k fresh weight),
homoveratrylamine, 3-methoxytyramine.

Effects: Similar to peyote but more tranquil. takes 1-1+ hours to
come on, lasts about 6 hours.

Contraindications: Some people experience mausea from mescaline.
It is best to take mescaline, peyote or San Pedro slowly over a
period of 45 minutes to aviod chemical shock to the system.
--
Comments: T. peruvianus should be stronger, with a concentration of
mescaline comparable to Lophophora williamsii (Peyote). You might want
to boil the cactus with the juice of a lemon.

About Calamus:

ASARONE - 1,2,4-trimethoxy-5-propenylbenzene or 2,4,5-trimethoxy-1-
benzene.

Material: A chemical related to mescaline and the amphetamines
found in the roots of sweet flag (Acorus calamus) and Asarum spp.
It is chemically the precursor of TMA-2
(2,4,5-trimethoxy-a-methyl-4,5-methylenedioxy-phenylethylamine),
a hallucingen with 18 times the gram potency of mescaline.
Asarone is converted to TMA-2 in the body by aminization which
takes place shortly after ingestion.

Usage: 45-350 mg orally on empty stomach. Individual sensitivity
varies widely.

Effects: Simultaneous stimulant, hallucingen, and sedative. One
or another of these traits may be more pronounced depending upon
the dose and the individual. CNS stimulant, antispasmatic.

Contraindications: Should not be taken with MAO inhibitors.
[...]

CALAMUS Sweet flag, rat root (Acorus calamus). Family Araceae
(Arum family).

Material: Roots of tall, fragrant, sword-leaved plant found in
marshes and borders of ponds and steams in Europe, Asia, and
North America from NOva Scotia to Minnesota, southward to Florida
and Texas.

Usage: Roots are collected in late autumn or spring, washed,
voided of root fibres and dried with moderate heat. Root may be
chewed or broken up and boiled as tea. Doses range from 2 to 10
inches of root. Root deteriorates with age. Usually inactive
after 1 year. Store closed in cool dry place.

Active Constituents: Asarone and a-asarone.

Effects: A piece of dried root the thickness of a pencil and
about 2" long provides stimulation and buoyant feelings. A piece
10" long acts as a mind alterant and hallucinogen. (See asarone).

Contraindications: The FDA frowns upon the sale and use of
calamus and has issued directives to certain herb dealers not to
sell it to the public. An FDA directive is simply a polite word
for a threat of hassling without a law to back it. At present
there are no laws against calamus. Some experiments have
indicated that excessive amounts of calamus oil can increase the
tumor rate in rats. many of the Cree Indians of Northern Alberta
chew calamus root for oral hygiene and as a stimulating tonic.
They apparently suffer no unpleasant side effects. In fact, those
who use it seem to be in better general health than those who do
not.
-- 
Petrus.Pennanen@helsinki.fi


 
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