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Is it true that only some parts of a San Pedro cactus contain Mescaline?
Q: I was told that the only part of the Trichocerus Pachanoi that contains mescaline is the thin green layer under the waxy surface and above the white core. Firstly, is this true?

Also, you say that 300mg of mescaline is contained within 100g of Trichocerus pachanoi, so would that 100g be 100g of that green substance which was previously mentioned or are you comparing that ratio to the weight of the entire cutting itself?

A: It is reasonably well supported that the highest concentrations of active alkaloids (such as mescaline) are contained in the layer you mention. This does not mean that there the rest of the cactus does not contain any alkaloids, just that the concentrations are significantly lower there. Because the volume of material required to achieve an active dose of mescaline is relatively high, and the cost of a cactus is relatively low, some people prefer to use only the parts with the highest concentration of alkaloids. The down-side of this method is that some mescaline is wasted.



The estimates given for the amount of mescaline contained in Trichocereus pachanoi come from a small handful of published test results. Looking at the total percentage of mescaline contained in whole, dried T. pachanoi samples, results ranged from .33% mescaline to 2.3% mescaline. In 100g of T. pachanoi (full plant), that's a range from 300mg to nearly 2.3 grams (2300mg). There is some reason to believe that the "average" T. pachanoi contains closer to the lower of these numbers.



There is little data to suggest what the actual percentages are in the green layer under the skin. All we have is somewhat consistent anecdotal evidence to suggest it is significantly higher than in the white core at the center of the cactus.


Asked By : Andy
Answered By : fire
Published Date : 2 / 25 / 2002
Last Edited Date : 2 / 25 / 2002
Question ID : 2942

Categories: [ Dosage ] [ Cacti ]



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