Echinopsis pachanoi, aka San Pedro, is a cactus native to Ecuador and Peru. Its stems are light to dark green, and it contains various alkaloids, for which it is famous, such as mescaline, a psychedelic drug.
Hight: 3 – 6 m.
Diameter: 6 – 15 cm.
Mescaline: 0.2 – 1.8 wt%
The highest concentration of active substances is found in the layer of green tissue just beneath the skin of the cactus.
How to take it
San Pedro is usually eaten dry or fresh, but sometimes, mescaline is extracted from the cactus to avoid some of the side effects. There are various mescaline extraction techniques:
1) simple (simmering in water 5 to 7 hours)
2) complex (such as acid-base extraction)
The latter technique yields a material with a significantly higher concentration of mescaline.
Dose
When figuring doses it is important to know the weight of your fresh sample. The total dry weight though is the only standard of measurement that should be used.
San Pedro (T. pachanoi): 300 mg of mescaline in 100 grams (dry)
San Pedro (T. peruvianus): 300 mg of mescaline in 37.5 grams (dry)
Peyote (L. williamsii): 300 mg of mescaline in 27.0 grams (dry)
Mescaline doses
LOW: 100 - 200 mg.
MID: 200 - 300 mg.
HIGH: 300-500 mg.
EXTREME: 500-800 mg.
MAXIMUM (Safe): 1000-1500 mg.
Effects
Approximately 1-2 hours after consumption the San Pedro will reveal itself.
LOW: A mild buzz, to good trip with some visuals.
MID: Strong visuals.
HIGH: Intense visuals, ego dissociation possible.
EXTREME: For experienced, competent explorers only.
MAXIMUM (Safe): Dangerous ground to tread on.
Duration: 8-15 hours.
The effects of San Pedro are in many ways more pleasant than those of peyote. To begin with, its taste is only slightly bitter and the initial nausea is not as likely to occur. When the full psychotropic experience takes hold it is less overwhelming, more tranquil and not nearly as physical as that from peyote.