Trichocereus Cacti Activity Based on Physical Appearance (Phenotype)

As one begins to explore the world of Trichocereus cacti, it soon becomes clear that much uncertainty exists among new enthusiasts regarding which species and clones have the best and most reliable psychoactivity. There are many accounts of cactus being used, only for the final result to be dissappointingly weak and underwhelming.

Having already gone through the process of collecting many different types of Trichocereus, and having evaluated the psychoactivity of many of those cacti, here are some general guidelines that I have learned to follow which have been helpful to me, and which hopefully other people will find helpful as well.

For practical purposes, I am excluding the slowgrowing "giant" Trichocereus such as Terscheckii and Pasacana. These just grow to slowly to merit discussion here.

Instead I will focus on the faster growing Trichocereus species that are more commonly grown for entheogenic purposes, namely: Trichocereus Pachanoi, Peruvianus, Bridgesii, Scopulicola, Cuzcoensis, and Macrogonus. There are other less common species such as Chiloensis, Riomizquensis, Santaensis, and others, etc. However I know much less about these, and they are often regarded as subspecies of Peruvianus or the other more well known Trichocereus species.

Here is what I have learned: in terms of consistency and potency the 3 most promising species are Bridgesii, Pachanoi, and Scopulicola. The physical characteristics that these species share is: small areole size and 4 or fewer spines per areole in the majority of specimens. These are visual cues that one can use to "spot" a Trichocereus that is likely to have good potency, even if one knows nothing else about the plant's genetic lineage. Search the internet for "Juul's Giant". This is the Pachanoi phenotype that is most likely to be active. Pachanois with that look, as well as Scopulicola and Bridgesii, are the plants to really focus on if one is seeking reliably active Trichocereus. IF YOU FIND A BRIDGESII OR A SCOPULICOLA OR A PACHANOI WITH THAT "JUULS GIANT" LOOK THEN YOU CAN ASSUME THAT IT WILL HAVE GOOD POTENCY. This assumption cannot be made about other Trichocereus, as more must be known about a plant's lineage to determine if it is likely to have good potency. With Bridgesii, Scopulicola, and Pachanois of the Juuls type it is safe to assume that the activity will be good.

This is what I have observed in my collection. It is also consistent with what I have seen in online reports. I am not saying that other types of Trichocereus are not worth exploring. Surely they are. And surely fine specimens exist outside of these narrow parameters.

But for the beginner who is starting out, you will have the most success by sticking to Bridgesii, Scopulicola, and Pachanois of the Juuls Giant type.

I hope that this knowledge is helpful. And it is the deep desire of my heart that these cacti spread throughout the world and bring more and more healing and insight to people all over our planet.

Thanks for sharing. Some good info!

Thanks Grey Fox. I wonder if you may also have observed any difference in potency from the same cacti depending on the cut being from the tip or farther down the column?

No I havent noticed a difference. Usually I brew the mid cuts and plant the tips. But sometimes I brew the tips and the potency seems to be about the same.

I have noticed that cacti get more potent as they grow older and larger. I think the most potent cuts will come from big, old plants that have good genetics. I like fat cuttings that have a healthy blue green color, and that dont have corking or scars. Bridgesii has consistently been the strongest for me.