So, good and bad results from 69Ron's limonene tek on some bridgesii

Two separate trials with the tek's product produced long-lasting psychoactivity, but were quite weak and idiosyncratic.

I have taken mescaline containing cactus of various species at doses from mild to wild. It's gentle, empathogenic, healthy, spirit-cleansing, life-enriching warmth makes it makes it arguably my favorite of all of the forty or so psychoactive materials that I've tried. These experiences did not resemble it.

1st trial: 330mg divided in three 110mg doses over an hour on an empty stomach produced a 10-12hr phenethylamine experience. However, it was quite weak and hollowed out. Like mescaline, it took a long time to come on (in this case, 3hrs on an empty stomach.) Over the next four hours, it built to a crescendo that left me altered enough to be unable to enjoy day-to-day activities, but not left in any remotely satisfactory space. It was tiresome, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. There was no warmth, empathy, visual activity, eroticism, energy, joy, insight, euphoria, anything. It was just muddled thinking, like a 2c-x or DOx compound with no character or substance whatsoever.

2nd trial: Thinking the dosage might have been affected by impurities or that I may have been experiencing some very long-lasting and improbable tolerance, I waited six weeks and re-washed the material. 350mg was then taken on a slightly full stomach in two divided doses over 15 minutes. Again, nearly immediate and long-lasting alerts, onset at +3hr, peak at +5hr, down at +10hr. Constant mild headache and some jaw tension around +5hr were experienced, but mostly it was an even weaker experience than before. It was definitely psychoactive, a Shulgin +, but unsatisfying and utterly without substance. This time, a friend with no tolerance followed the same dosing schedule and had the same level of experience.

I can't figure out what's going on here. I've ruled out impurities, I've ruled out tolerance, I've considered the use of proton pump inhibitors affecting the digestion of the carbonates (but ruled it out by going off of them for some time before), I've considered the difficulty of digesting larger carbonate particles (but no one else has had this problem). I'm not a hardhead when it comes to mescaline or PEAs in general. Although I didn't expect pure, extracted mescaline to be a perfect simulacrum of the cactus experience, the trip reports of others make it sound very similar. Nonetheless, 350+mg of it should NOT be a mere +. I've read that the molecular weight should be pretty close to that of the HCl, as well, but I'm considering converting it to the HCl to see if that helps. The only other theory I have is that maybe the water used had a large amount of dissolved minerals that diluted the final product? It's unlikely, but I'm running out of plausible theories. I'm already sad to have lost so much precious material already to such underwhelming experiences. Mescaline has always been something to cherish!

Below is a quick rehash of my extraction. It's not my first natural product extraction rodeo, either, which makes it even stranger.
Quick rehash:

Straight to base with calcium hydroxide, 15+ limonene pulls, pressurized carbonated water used and combined for evap. Yield was about expected weight in beige, crunchy powder. Powder cleaned up with 5 washes of dry isopropyl alcohol (conserving the non-mescaline alkaloids) Left with offwhite crunchy powder.

Any ideas as to what is going on here are very much appreciated!

So I'm certainly no expert on mescaline but your dosage seems low. 350mg has popped up again and again as a recommended starting dosage in my experience and that dosage itself is related to mescaline hydrochloride, not just any form of mescaline salt. I forget how exactly to look it up right now but I suspect that acetates may be heavier than hydrochlorides. For example my mescaline fumarate is 91% as potent as mescaline hydrochloride (HCl). That means I'm going to have to take 9% more to equal the same dosage as HCl. I think that may very well be your culprit although there are other factors as well. Many people prefer the tea to the extracted alkaloids perhaps for the same reasons you found your dose lacking.

Than you for your reply! I really appreciate it. The product should in theory be mescaline carbonate, though, instead of mescaline acetate since carbonated water was used as the acid. From what I can tell, the molecular weight of mescaline carbonate is supposed to be about the same as that of mescaline HCl, so that shouldn't be a factor. I only decided to go with extraction due to the appeal of having dosages that are not just a shot in the dark and due to my dissatisfaction with the quality of the cactus I have been able to find for some time. I've only read a small number of reports of people finding mescaline doses to be subpar until 450mg. Most characterize 300-400mg as strong, but perhaps that's the case. I'm generally quite the lightweight, with 20mg of related compound methylallylescaline enough to bring me to a ++, 30mg to a +++; Shulgin described a dosage range of 45-60mg with that material.

I wouldn't compare experiences of completely different compounds with mescaline. They may seem related but they really have very little to do with each other. Mescaline is not very potent. If you have had significant trips then 350mg is not a great place for you to start in my very humble and inexperienced opinion. For example I just finished my first extraction on some peruvian torch and was readily recommended that I down 500mg to make sure I had a significant experience. That recommendation does not seem out of line with the information available. 350-450 for a beginner experience. 450-600 for a moderate to strong experience. 600 and up for a stronger or visionary experience.

Please take into consideration that these are dosages I have culled from available information and not from personal experience.