I have a couple of questions about creating my first Changa blend.

My DMT quest actually began a few months ago, but I haven’t even tried it yet, just been sitting on the freebase this whole time because I'm in no rush and wanted everything to be "right." Early on, I determined that I wanted to start with Changa rather than simply smoking the freebase for various reasons. This turned into quite a hobby for someone that's never even smoked the stuff yet. I’ve been working with entheogens, herbs and native plants for a long time and so I became very involved with the quest for the perfect plants to include in my blend. I grew/foraged/procured various herbs during this time, and tried smoking them alone as has been recommended to judge their effects and determine what I really wanted to include, made some IPA infusions per Olympus Mon's guide and so on. My early research on Changa lead me to choose caapi vine instead of leaf for the harmala component, based on the effects supposedly being a little different as mentioned in the sticky by Chocobeastie and repeated elsewhere on the internet. Based on that information, I also thought it might be possible to make a good Changa without enhancing the vine, since the Chocobeastie sticky goes into this topic at some length. Originally, I was just going to make a significant percentage of my blend caapi vine and forget about anything more complicated.

But, further research made me doubt this. It seems everyone has an opinion on what they like best, but that most were using 10x enhanced caapi. Some time ago, I had read Dorge’s menstrum tek, so I threw 10g of caapi vine in a mason jar with some IPA and set it in my closet. It’s been in there for a couple months now and I think I’m actually ready to make my Changa now. But, I’m still a little confused about the best way to proceed.

First, I haven’t been able to find Dorge’s menstrum tek for a while and am guessing it’s been taken offline? When I tried to research the menstrum method elsewhere it seemed that most use leaf instead of vine, and stick to Gibran’s tek with the vine. Yet I have 10g of vine that’s been sitting in IPA for a long time and if it’s possible to go ahead and use it, I would like to try. There isn’t a lot of liquid in the jar, probably less than a cup now as it took much less to cover the vine than it would leaf and it’s evaporated some since then, but the menstrum doesn’t show a red/green color shift in light like others describe; it’s just a uniform brown color. Is that because I used vine instead of leaf? It’s definitely caapi and not the wrong plant. If it is usable, then is there any reason why I couldn’t heat the menstrum after straining it, and dissolve the spice directly into that since the menstrum is already IPA based? Or is it best to let the menstrum dry onto the herbs first, then add the spice/IPA solution and evaporate a second time?

My next question is about the harmala content for a first time Changa blend, if vine is being used. It seems to be well established that the vine has a higher alkaloid content than the leaf - wouldn’t this by necessity mean that Changa made with 10x caapi vine would have more potent harmala effects than Changa made with 10x leaf? If so, would it be possible to overdo the harmala effects for a first timer? During the time I was choosing my herbs, I tried smoking caapi vine to make sure it agreed with me. I was surprised to find that a bowl of caapi vine had definite psychoactive effects. I smoked it alone a few other times, and each time I definitely felt it. I once even had some sudden and intense hypnagogic imagery while falling asleep after I smoked a bowl of weed a few hours after the caapi. If a bowl of unenhanced vine can do this, might the vine menstrum be too much? Does anyone know from their direct personal experience whether or not the vine can be used in Changa without enhancement, and still provide harmala effects?

If it helps, what I am looking for with my first batch is something that I can breakthrough with, but also use at lower doses for meditation if possible. Would you still recommend I go with a 1:1 ratio of spice to 10x caapi enriched herbs?

well i can tell you from my experience with the blend i use, roughly a 30x blend. something like 120 grams of vine to 5 grams of leaf. was just trying to make alot so i only had to do it once. it doesnt make it unpleasant in anyway i have noticed, smokes fine, tastes good(although i will say smoking it alone was kinda harsh but shredded and blended with herbs was fine).

The reason i do so much was because learning about amazonian traditions, sometimes they prefer to make their brews of ayahuasca very vine heavy. The say the vine is the power, and the dmt containing plant( chacruna) is the light. Too much light in my experience( pure vaporised dmt) can be overwhelming, overstimulating, and tough to process. So just through my own beliefs i view the vine a stong grounding and guiding force for the changa blend.

I think you will be just fine with that blend, although i do suggest you evaporate that alcohol onto leaf, easier to smoke than vine for sure Good luck with your blend! i very much admire your approach with the plants. a method i am beginning my self. including growing my own ayahuaca vine and harvesting my own acacia. wanting to slowly understand each plant and make that connection infinitley deeper with the medicine

cheers!

Thanks for your response and recommendations. One of my reasons for wanting to start with Changa rather than freebase is that I'm seeking a more Ayahuasca-like experience to begin with, and I like the idea that the caapi sounds like it may mellow the DMT experience somewhat. I love the plants and really believe that putting a lot of effort into our relationships with them makes a difference to the experience and to life overall; it's good to find others that feel the same.