DOSE:

12 in

oral

Cacti - T. pachanoi

(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

180 lb

Preparation:

The spines were cut off followed by slowly peeling the waxy skin. The green 1/4 inch or so of material directly below the skin was sliced off into strips and and chopped. The remaining inner white cucumber-like part was discarded. The green material was boiled for 3 hours or so. The pieces looked by that time like cooked green pepper chunks. In retrospect it might be easier to just liquify the green material in a food processor raw, and swallow the resulting 'smoothie'. I don't see what cooking is really supposed to do. The chemical is in there regardless.

Anyway, the surrounding fluid was consumed, followed by about half of the solid pieces. There was some nausea for about 2-3 hours after which effects began to manifest.


Effects:

The effects were slow in rising and reaching a vague peak at about 2-3 hours after the effects first became noticeable. Then they gradually faded into a mild afterglow over the next 5-6 hours.

I found it to be the warmest of the psychedelics. Even the color 'palette' emphasized this: yellows and oranges seemed particularly rich. Very earthy compared to the cosmic pinks and whites of psilocybin, the pinks and purples of LSD, and the blacks, greens, and violets of ibogaine.

There was very little of the emotional turmoil of the tryptamines. There was a palpable feeling of radiance and joy, similar to MDMA (ecstasy) but without the over-romantic 'love and light' feeling. This was a more genuine feeling in my opinion, more grounded and balanced.

It was wondrous, even touching to see the endless stream of faces and expressions of people in Central Park. I found myself having brief easygoing bits of conversation with people while in line waiting for a coffee, sitting on a bench, watching a band play, etc. A beautiful feeling of openness on a beautiful day.

There was a strong emphasis of patterns in nature. The geometry of tree branches (still bare from winter) took on a kind of divine intricacy. The texture of rocks and boulders, clouds, even the naturally occurring arrangements of stray clumps of grass had an extra mathematical quality, fascinating to see. The patterns of stripes on animals (pet dogs, squirrels, birds) seemed clearly an extension of this ruled-based patterning that governs the plant kingdom. Finally people seemed to be included in this overarching scheme of formal structure and ornamentation. A man playing volleyball with his shirt off revealed a hairy chest with an almost zebra-like look to it. It was strikingly and immediately obvious how much humans are also animals, a product of this natural sphere. Though I am no big environmentalist, it insipred a greater degree of wonder and respect for the world.

Later I met up with a friend and it was fascinating to watch his face. His features, expressions, the texture of his skin, all seemed so real and rich to behold. I found myself giving full attention to the moment and enjoying myself thoroughly.

Compared to some of the very difficult experiences I've had with other psychedelics, this was pleasant enough to border on the recreational. Still, it would never become likely as a recreational drug because of the hassle and ordeal. I took down about as much as seemed possible before gag reflexes made it strongly undesirable to continue - yet with all that it still seemed like a low-medium dose. I don't see it as a potential source of profound personal insight, at least not at this dose but it was interesting and enjoyable.

Exp Year: 2004	ExpID: 32941
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Apr 20, 2004	Views: 29,584
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Cacti - T. pachanoi (64) : Various (28), Nature / Outdoors (23), Glowing Experiences (4), Preparation / Recipes (30), First Times (2), General (1)