Hi, I(TheBridge, see disclaimer) have been wanting to do an ayahuasca vision quest for quite awhile, but really don't feel confident at all in making the brew. This is a problem I often have with anything that I haven't already done and seems a bit overwhelming in my mind. I have 1 lb of fairly shredded yellow caapi vine(hammered myself, as I read was the way to go), 250g of chacruna, 150g of chaliponga, and also 100g of acacia bark. Also got 1g of 10x syrian rue(which I may not use). Nothing listed was Hawaiian.

I want to also express I have not yet partaken of spice, either. I felt that in some ways this would be gentler, and I'd hopefully be able to remember and understand/integrate it better, being a beginner.

I want to get it out of the way that I've read a lot, but have memory problems more than most(not to mention I've watched half a dozen documentaries), and forgotten a lot... and I plan to literally go into the wild in the rockies to be as far away from people as possible, in case I get into any loud laughing/crying/screaming, etc. With that said, I want to make this happen right, even if it fails on the first night, and I had originally planned to leave Sunday or Monday, although I am now considering Tuesday at the latest, and I want to stay out there for as many nights as seems right.

My question(s) are regarding the easiest method of brewing for a beginner. Ive read threads on such(I realize some people will be tempted to post I should use the search engine), but could use some reassurance from a kind soul or 2.

1)What size pots should I use? I have 2 21 qt pots, and 1 12 qt. I want to do all the caapi at once (454g) because of the time/work required, and want to have it all available to me on my trip. It looks like brewing separately from the light provides the most flexibility. Anyhow, I can go buy more if need be, or even return some of these. I don't know how much light I will brew, but I would like to make enough for at least 2 doses of chacruna, and 2 doses of chaliponga. I may save the acacia for a later time.

2)how much water would I use for any of this?

3)I am not sure I am understanding/remembering the directions about the filtering correctly. I bought some cheese cloth, and am i right to understand that after 3 hours of brewing I dump it through the cheese cloth and put the plant material back into the first pot and repeat 3 times... this would require a total of 4 pots? (and if I wanted to cook the light at the same time, wouldnt that require 8 pots?). I'm hoping I am understanding this wrong, but if not it's better to know so I can go buy more.

4)with the amount of caapi i'm brewing, I am just curious what you think would be the best way to divide it up... I'm so tired at the moment I'm having difficulty putting things in the words I'd like. I've also just finished my 2nd day of fasting.

5)I'll bring a cooler with some ice with me... but depending how many days I am gone, do I have to worry about any of the brews going bad or becoming less potent after the ice melts? I wouldn't mind hearing your preferred temperatures either.

6)being this will be a long drive for me and the weather is getting cold, i want to do as many sessions as possible(maybe up to 5 or 6, with a decent chance of a caapi only the first night). preferably 1 a night. Is this ok? I'm not sure how long I will stay in the wild, I am just going to have to go with my gut feeling, and if I run out of drinks. Unlike getting cultured in a Peruvian lodge, i wont have much else to do in the middle of nowhere to take nights off... so I just want to ask if this is ok if I feel inclined. I've read about the reverse tolerance of DMT and wanted to know if and how that may come into play.

7)in your experiences, is night time the only time you do it?

I'm sure I have more questions but these seem to be the main ones. I've used different psychedelics in the past, but have taken a long time out since the end of last year. I've only had weed and alcohol this year, but haven't had them in 5 months, and I want you to know this trip is very important to me. I am going on my own, as that is my only option. And being out of earshot for my first times will relieve anxiety, as past experiences with other things have often ended in blackouts. I once even found myself on all 4's, saying something like "I will not let you lie to him". If anyone reads this far, I'd like to hear your take on that. It was either shrooms or dxm, or both, if that matters. I found it disturbing, but interesting. Regardless, it makes me worry what else goes on when I am blacked out, as my apartment building has very thing walls and doors... hence me driving through the rockies for my first experiences. If it goes well, I may try it at home next time.

Almost forgot... HOW bad is the smell when brewing these various constituents? The carrying of smell in my building is about as bad as the carrying of sound, so I have a bit of anxiety about it... although I've gotten this close and really dont want to stop... and am asking if anyone has any tips.

Thanks, to anyone who read all of this, let alone answered any of the questions. If you have any other tips to add for first timers who lack confidence, feel free to add them... same with any questions. I appreciate all of your time, even the authorities, as I know they are playing their part in whatever grand scheme this universe has. I hope I can endear myself to the other members and eventually be able to post in other areas like the ayahuasca forum, which I would have rather posted this in I'm grateful for any help I can get...I have anxiety issues and want to replace that emotion with gratitude as often as possible. Thanks in advance...my questions in the future will be much more limited!!!

Alright,
First of all, do not make it more complicated than it is. I can only talk about caapi here because i do not cook chakruna etc.

Cooking
You need at least two pots if you are brewing seperatly at the same time. two bigger ones to collect your brews and two smaller ones to brew. Just put your caapi in one pot, simmer/boil for 3 hours with a little bit of vinegar (like 1tbsp per liter, worsens the taste, but makes it more potent) and then strain. Collect the brew, put the caapi back into the pot and add fresh water to it. add enough water for 3 hours of boiling. You can re-add water during the cook if too much evaps.

It does not smell bad. Just be prepared for a lot of steam.

Reducing

First, boil the collected tea to rapidly reduce it. As the brew is getting down to say...1-2 liters, you need to take greater care. Reduce heat, use smaller pots if you can etc....the idea is to prevent the brew from caramelizing. A small skin like layer forms which does not only taste bitter but is nasty to drink.

ATTENTION: As your brew slowly cools down, sediment appears. Do not filter that out!

Personally i shoot for 50ml liquid per 50g caapi, so that would be roughly half a liter for 1 pound. Some people like a thicker brew..it all depends.

Dosage

Depends on the strength of your caapi and how experienced you are with it. It seems that the consensus regards 50g as a beginners dose with full MAOI inhibition and DMT activation. I need 30g for that but 50g makes it way more visionary and that's what makes ayahuasca so great compared to smoked DMT. The more caapi, the less DMT you need. But too less DMT, and you will "sense" the visions but won't see them. You'll eventually know what i mean during your experiments because it can take a while to get the balance between caapi and dmt right. I still struggle with this. Whatever, do not ...NOT go overboard with your DMT!!!

Setting

I have not tried it in nature, but being in a quite environment is important because of the sometimes pretty stressfull comeup with lots of nausea etc. You want to be in a somehow "private" and undisturbed space. You talked about it getting cold. This isn't so good, because Ayahuasca always makes me shiver on its own. Make sure to really pack some thick blankets to stay warm...more is more here. The nighttime is superior...or use a sleeping mask. Ayahuasca to me is a fully immersive kind of experience. Not like mushrooms where you can walk around on a low dose. Prepare to be pasted to your sleeping grounds and be prepared for a psychedelic version of a stomach flu. At least in the first 2 hours.

Also, brew keeps for weeks without cooling, so do not worry about that part. Have something to chase the caapi. Minxx once recommended a small piece of ripe mango. Works great! I also like to have a small amount to eat handy to offset nausea a bit like a small amount of rice. Some people like to chew raw ginger, but puking up ginger isn't all that comforting. Prepare to puke.

Keep in mind im by no means experienced. For more guidance check the "All about aya" thread by minxx. I can also recommend posts by jamie as he is propably among the most experienced ayahuasca drinkers on the forum. Good luck and report back.

All I will say right now is that going way off into the mountains for your first ayahuasca experience might not be the best idea...a warm bed and a bucket with juice and fruit on hand and some music sounds much better. Once your more familiar with the tea and know what to expect(more or less), the wilderness sounds like a good idea.

I would avoid working with chaliponga for your first time also..go with chacruna. Chaliponga I swear has some other stuff in it and produces a more difficult experience.

Gentler yes and no. It's certainly longer. Why not try B. caapii on it' own first? then add in Acacia or Psychotria bit by bit on subsequent experiences?

What everyone else said...

About your pots- don't worry about them too much, use the smaller one (12qt) to do the 3 boils of caapi, you'll just use enough water to cover the material with about an inch of water, and continue to add some throughout the 3 hours to keep it from drying out/burning- after 3 hours, pour that liquid into another pot... I think your 21 qt sounds big (that's 5 gallons) but you can use it to hold your tea until you are ready to reduce, then transfer it all (3 boils) back to the smaller pot if it will fit. You will probably use less than 5 gallons of water total for all your admixtures. I bought a 5 g of reverse osmosis water since mine in the house is softened/ full of minerals.

It doesn't smell bad at all, kind of nice and comforting, BIG cup of tea!

As for all the other stuff... patience, preparation, warm blankets- lots, a bucket, and toilet paper, just in case, and um, patience... the other responses have lots of good advice. Be safe.

Thank you all for not being judgmental, it really means a lot to me. I have invested a lot into this, and will grab some more blankets tonight, and maybe a papaya if I can find one. I'll probably go back and read the entire all about aya thread as well as others. I hope to have a good report for you all upon my return, and more importantly hope to have a good experience. I am really excited, even though I realize the very good possibility of multiple hardships ahead. I'd love to be able to help others out in the future, and want to let you know I don't take your kindness for granted. I think I will grab some last minute supplies tonight, dedicate all of tomorrow to cooking, and leave tuesday. If anyone has any tips on memory or anything else they like to add or on anything at all, I will be quite happy to consider your advice. This site truly is a resource to the community.

Enjoy TheBridge! Thats what i <3 about the nexus too!

As long as you are a savvy wilderness traveler with your skills dialed you will be fine tripping in the woods alone, and I would recommend it. I would suggest packing like your girlfriend is going. Big tent, comfy bed, comfy chair, fresh fruits and veges, lots of water (you might need to shower/rinse off) All the blankets you can carry....ect

On the other hand, the poster who recommends you don't go into the wilderness is giving wise advice, so heed him if you have any doubts about your intended setting.

Thanks friends! Sparky, that is an awesome analogy...and I just came back from spending a bunch more(I normally spend hardly anything beyond bills and food, but this is something important to me).

I do have 1 question that wasn't answered and came to mind again if anyone knows... Is it ok to have ayahuasca more than a couple of nights in a row? I was hoping for 3-5 nightly ceremonies if I can manage the cold, or if I can find another location at a lesser altitude(warmer) that is secluded enough. I'll do some more online research. I'm curious if it is ok to go to an adjacent room while cooking, or if I truly have to hover over the stove for 9 hours plus the reduction as some say?

I do not recommend that you go into the wood for your first aya experience. I had my first experience was not long ago and I cannot tell you how much I appreciated being in my warm comfortable bed with my wife not far away. I was amazing but incredibly intense.

Perhaps when you're more experienced it maybe a good thing to try but DMT is a very serious drug and not to be taken lightly.

Be safe.

Just wanted to give you all an update. For a lot of different reasons(some personal) this turned out to take a lot longer than I expected. I started very late last night, and being I made a large amount am still in the reduction stage. A few hours ago I was joyous, like a kid on Christmas eve. I planned to get a couple hours sleep before I took off. But these large amounts are making the reduction painfully slow, even on the highest temperature. Good thing is I dont have to worry about it boiling over, until I switch from these massive pots.

The main reason(even trumping being with the plant spirits) I want to go into the wild is to be away from people, at least my apartment. The walls and floors are very thin, same with the hallway door. I have an idea what I am capable of when I black out, and from all I've read I could have overwhelming emotion from this in a number of ways. I'm guessing I may be the only one on here to have that worry, but it seems legit and not a terrible stretch to me. If the forecast here wasnt getting colder each day, I'd turn the stove off, go to sleep now, finish it later and leave tomorrow. It's just that it took a long while to get all my ducks in a row with this. I'm not sure if anyone can empathize. Sorry if I am rambling, I was behind on sleep even before this all nighter. And I'm on the 5th day of a fast to prep, so I'm not that far from tripping at the moment already I asked my buddy if he'd let me stay in his warehouse, and he stopped texting me.

Whomever said the smell wasnt bad was right!! The chacruna reminded me of a tea smell. I dont know what the caapi reminded me of, but it wasnt bad. Maybe as the reduction nears the end it could change, but I am really impressed with the experience so far. Smudged with white sage, and learned a lot so that next time will be MUCH easier...well at least much less anxiety(which I am diagnosed with, and was hoping for at least somewhat of a healing). I can see the finish line, but the clock is ticking and I am weary...literally! Maybe in the future this will help some other first timer. It's funny, I was googling a question and saw this thread!!!

Good luck buddy!

Anxious to hear back!

Also, i've also found my own DMT Nexus threads while searching things on google. lol.
Always humorous.

Good Luck and Happy Trails to you!

Check back in with us when you get return.


**oh, yes, what I have learned from others here is that you can drink the aya every day for several days. It seems that this is usually at night, shower and breakfast in the morning, light lunch, resting, then drink again at night. Don't skip eating to replenish your body, energy, and do eat and drink fruits, but not too ripe (apparently somewhat contra indicated from the diets I have read). Be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and if you skip a night, it's not a bad thing, nor a loss in any respect. Don't be in too much of a hurry to get it all done- the plants will tell you when it's time!