I ended up taking 100mg rectally, after 1.5 hours and experienced nothing. I then ate 300mg and all I got was the feeling of body load and a slight head change. No visuals at all. I think I would need to take at least 1 gram of this stuff to have a good trip. I think I am done with San Pedro, too inconsistent, any new cactus work will be with Bridgesii.
In my experience, Peruvianus is the most consistently weak type of the "big 3" (Pachanoi, Bridgesii, Peruvianus).
Often it's almost zero on the alk front-- like most PC pach.
Bridgesii is consistently at least moderately good on alks, and additional chemicals that are present in that type are alleged to behave like MAOI's, which helps explain why even Bridges that test pretty low on mescaline alks still result in solid trips.
As for Pachanoi-- I'll only say this: if you don't know the origin of that plant, it's very hard to judge what to expect. Was it a PC/inctive? "True" Pachanoi, as in pure lines from Peru or Ecuador for example, or any of the well-researched/popular named clone types out there can be every bit as powerful (and even more-so) than a generic Bridgesii.
Scopulicola is another less common in the US (but really phenomenal!) type that has some of the best attributes of both worlds-- very consistent alk production, but less "speedy" than Bridges typically are--more Pachanoi-like. I wish they were more popular than they are-- everyone that loves visionary cactus should be trying to grow them. (also, they are usually spineless as adults :) )
I guess what I'm saying is that once you learn to properly ID Pach's, you can get good results by seeing what type they are... but as with everything in the plant world, potency will always involve the sum of that plant's unique experience from seedling to processing. Genetic lottery between father and mother plant, growing conditions/nutrition, and (many believe) the amount/kind of stressing/darking of the cut prior to boiling.
I might mention here that I never do extracts from cactus-- I only boil. As others have said, I get a very full experience from properly boiling down a cut, and the end product is surprisingly thin and palatable.
I never blend the flesh, just slice ~1/8 inch slices tip to base, put in a big stock pot, add as much water as necessary to submerse the plant ~3" underwater, add an ounce of white vinegar, put the lid on, and slow-simmer for about 24 hours (usually over 2 days).
I only add water to keep it above the flesh during this time, and I usually only have to do that a couple times. Then towards the end I'll let the level boil off by cracking the lid for the last several hours.
Once I'm around 24 hours, I simply pour the liquid into a pot, and use a wire mesh collander/strainer to catch the flesh-- then use a big spoon to squeeeeeeeze every last drop of liquid still within the flesh.
You'll be left with a ball of flesh around the size of your fist as trash.
Then I just simmer the liquid down to a few hundred ml-- maybe a pint or so, and put it in a jar to sit for a few days.
Sediment will fall out during that time, and much of the bitterness/nastiness that makes people ill will comprise that layer. The longer you sit it, the better your sediment will settle out.
When you're ready to drink, pour the clear 9/10 into your new vessel, ADD a ratio of 1:1 freshly ground, strong brewed coffee (preferably from the region home to your cactus line!) and (optionally) Mexican Terragon concentrated tea (a symbiotic herb often added to Cimora brews).
Your final result will taste astonishingly palatable served hot. It will not be snotty or slimy, just kind-of thick-- maybe slightly syrupy.
The coffee mitigates MUCH of the bitter taste, and I have never gotten sick after preparing my cactus brews this way-- probably over a dozen times now over the years.
Anyway-- I know this wasn't really germane to the conversation, but I find that a lot of people end up over-complicating cactus preparation (extracts and what-not) because they fear the taste of a simple boiled extraction-- so I always want to make clear that boiling, filtering/sedimenting, and mixing your brew properly will eliminate 90% of the problems most people have with it.
Cheers, and good luck with your efforts!
