Does anyone have some tips on how to get San Pedro to produce more alkaloids? I read they release more as a defense mechanism. What threats can I introduce to make this happen?

I've heard starving them of water will make for slower growth and higher alcohol content, I haven't proven it though just some random reading though it sounds ok in theory.

I'm not sure we have any real idea how to stress the cactus to produce more alks--or even if it is possible.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the idea of stressing the cactus to produce more alks may not even be valid. It seems intuitive that the bitter alks would be for defensive purposes, but we really don't know enough.


It seems like a better motto: "happy cacti make happy people,"

rather than "torturing your san pedro."

if you torture your cactus you best pray it doesnt reciprocate the act.

To get more alks just grow moar cacti

Yeah in hot season they have more % of mescaline and other chemicals, than H20.

I read they use the mescaline compounds not only for defense but also for growth.

They never loose their mescaline content, they absorb as much water in wet season expanding and as they grow they increase in mescaline also even it out.

then in dry season they hoard mescaline salts and nutrients and slowly evaporate off H20

I am sure also that the very older ones have increased % mescaline, they get better with age.

and stress is meant to increase mescaline % but drastically slows growth.

any stress, shading them, scratching them, sun burn pests.

Much like THC in cannabis

dont torture your cacti though they are nice guys

gotta say I agree with some others here..just the title of this thread makes me cringe..I would never want to "torture" my plants. These are my teachers, not my prisoners. Not saying dont stress youre cacti, just that I would be more respectful towards my plants than just talking about torture.

I will just continue growing them with love and throw that concept out the window.
Thanks for clearing that up for me. Mescalito might get me if I do the sacred cacti wrong.
After all they do hold the keys to heaven. A friend told me to keep them in tiny pots and not to repot them until the roots almost break the pot, bring them to the edge of death then revive them, and even shooting them up with phenethylamines. I've been growing them for two years now and I take really good care of them. I was just curious if anyone else had heard of this.

Would it be ideal to make a brew in the dry season? Or does it not really matter?

I think even the curranderos in SA stress the cacti by putting them in the dark for a time, but they have deep respect for the cacti as well and would never talk about "torurting" the catus..

Be careful how you treat your cactis, i got plenty of shit during a trip for cuting down an entire cacti instead of just harevsting the middle part, i will never do that again for sure..

I never mistreated or starved my cacti, and perhaps touture is the wrong word to use. I had a friend tell me about the above mentioned nonsense and that it would raise the alkaloid content, I was just curious to know if anyone else has heard of this. If there is any sense of disgust I apologize.

I've been growing san pedro for two years and still haven't cut any of them to make a brew, but I was considering doing so for the solstice.

I just wanted to get people's opinions about this since I just heard about it, and didn't know what to make of it. I didn't mean to make anyone cringe or get all self-righteous. Just seeking the truth....

I do find it interesting that they put the cacti in the dark before chopping and brewing, Do you know the reason?

ive heard about this too and even looke around awhile before chopping down one of my pedros...

anyway it seems like it´s hard to find any decent sources about it, most seem to link to some indians doing something with it before harvesting.

it would be interesting to find out, i can't find anything about it, maybe it's part of their oral tradition....

I have read that mescaline production is aided by certian minerals, like powder from different rocks.

Over on the nook they talk about it.... What is this mineral powder people are putting in their water, does anyone know? I read about it but forgot the specific name and lost the thread ;(

not a lot of hard facts on the matter, thats for sure

over all i think its best to treat your plants really well, feed and water them a lot during the growing season, and harvest after a long dry stretch during winter dormancy

of course this is just another subjective opinion, gained from subjective observation

3rdI said:


^^Best Answer

After growing for just a few seasons, you'll be giving these guys away as gifts. I'm getting 18"-24" new growth per year on my achuma. Cut it down and 3-5 pups start up. It'll over run your yard quickly.

Just an after thought, I was told depriving the cacti of light and water, or constricting root growth by keeping them in small pots would raise alkaloids.

Some people got very pious about this, yet consider mimosa a great spirit teacher plant, and you grind it up add lye then pull it's essence with paint thinner.

That seems more disrespectful then depriving cacti for a week or so before making a brew.

a week? i'd say if you consistently water your cacti more than once a week all you're gonna get is mealy worms in its root system.. maybe it's disrespectful to assume that you know prima face what's best for something you seem not to have had very much experience with

there has been a lot of experimentation with increasing alkaloids in cacti (see here here for eg.) , many proving to be effective. most alkaloids are there to stave off predation..
Curanderos have been observed to bury a mixture of ground up bones and animal blood uphill from peyote patches, so that when it rains this nitrogen rich mixture flows down to the plants, reportedly increasing potency substantially..consider though that cacti arn't big fans of high nitrogen content, and that this pretty much amounts to a stressing technique. if you by chance don't have animals to sacrifice, a similar technique that's practiced by western cultivators is to dehydrate yourself, releasing vasopressin (or antidiuretic hormone), signalling to your kidneys to slow processing of fluids and create more consentrated, high osmolarity (and therefore high nitrogen content) in your urine, then take a wizz on your cactus.

I only water my cacti once a month, sometimes I let them go for 45 days with no water.

I know i'm not experienced with this but I was just seeking the truth, if there is any, to stressing the SP for higher alkaloids.

I also wanted to know if there was a ritual/ceremonial way to go about making the brew.

seeking sincerely...

Thanks for the link seldom, seems there is a bit of truth to stressing the cacti...