Fable’s
Mescaline Extraction
April 2007
A foot long (30cm) mid section of Trichocereus bridgesii was taken from a fairly mature plant (Not new growth). The section was approximately 7 cm in diameter and weighed 725g.
The spines were removed, then cutting downwards into the natural rib sections, the woody core was removed and discarded, the rib slices were chopped into small sections, the raw cactus pieces weighing a total of 620g. This was dried outside for 1 day then dried in the oven on low (120 Deg C) for an hour and a half. The almost dry pieces were left outside the following day in 30 Deg weather, at this point the pieces were crisp and brittle. The pieces weighed 43g before being transferred to a desiccating chamber for an hour and then blended in a food processor.
After blending and further desiccating, the powder was weighed at 40.9g.
The pulverised cactus material had an almost sticky texture.
One (1) litre of filtered water was put in a pot and the pH lowered (using HCl acid) to approximately 3 the water was then heated to approximately 65 Deg C and the cactus material added. After stirring for a couple of minutes the pH was checked, it was noticed that the pH was now approximately 6. The pH was then lowered to 4 with further agitation.
After 5 minutes the contents of the pot were transferred to a flask to further digest overnight.
While pouring the mixture into the flask a fine white residue was noticed at the bottom of the pot. Initially believed to be the HCL Mescaline salt however this remained unconfirmed. As the pot was still hot the residue dried quickly and was collected into a white powder. Some of the powder was taste tested; it had almost no taste and had a gritty texture. The mixture was then crudely filtered and the liquid portion transferred to a 1.5l flask.
Another litre of filtered water was heated and the strained cactus sludge from the previous extraction added to the pot. The pH was re-adjusted back to between 3 to 4 and left to further digest for 3 days. The mixture was then filtered using a stocking and the bulk of the sludge discarded. The two volumes (now around 2 litres) were added in a pot and left on the stove at a low setting for 2 hours and reduced to 900 ml. The hot solution was then pH adjusted to 10 and transferred to a 2L sep funnel where 400ml of naptha was added. Prior to the addition of the naptha a pungent alkaloid smell was noticed. The sep funnel was shaken numerous times over a period of 10 minutes with the pressure being released regularly, pressure was mostly due to the liquid being 70 Deg C while in the funnel. Approximately 3 hours later the liquid was removed to a flask and the naptha (which now was cloudy with a mild olive tinge to it) was poured into an evaporation dish. This was left for 2 days to evaporate leaving an opaque residue in the dish.
1 tsp of tartaric acid was added to 180ml of very hot water, not all of it dissolving. The resultant acid having a pH of 3.55, this is a known pH of a saturated tartaric acid solution.
Then approximately 150ml of the hot acid solution was added to the evaporation dish and agitated. To help speed up the reaction a scraper was used to lift the residue into the solution.
A white crystalline product quickly started precipitating and the more the residue was disturbed the more precipitate was formed. When the entire residue had seemingly converted to a crystalline salt, the remaining liquid was removed and the precipitate dried and weighed. The salt has a mild olive tinge
3.2g of bridgesii alkaloid salts were recovered.
Mescaline weighs 211g/mol
Tartaric acid weighs 150g/mol
Mescaline tartarate should therefore be in the order of 360g/mol
If we assume that 50% of the final weight is mescaline then 1.6g is mescaline tartarate.
(1.6/360) x 211 = 0.94g of actual mescaline.
(0.94/40.9) x (100/1) = 2.3% Dry Weight
Bingo, a reasonably potent cactus.
Tartaric acid was used to yield the mescaline salt as the molecular weight is high. The mescaline tartarate having a higher molar weight has greater volume when dry than say the hydrochloride salt, so the percentage due to losses should be less.
Mescaline tartarate is sparingly soluble in water so is easily recovered from the solution at room temperature.
After 1 week the 900ml of basified cactus solution was further basified from pH 10 to pH 13, heated to 50 Deg C and 200ml of hot naptha was added (50 Deg C). This was left for 6 hours the naptha taking on an olive tinge. The naptha was removed and evaporated with an oily residue being evident after 24 hours. As before hot concentrated tartaric acid was added however no reaction occurred and the oily residue remained an oily residue. It can be concluded that almost the entire mescaline content was liberated at the first pull and that only plant oils remained in the second pull as no oily residue reacted to form mescaline tartrate.
For a bioassay of similarly extracted T pachanio see the below Erowid entry.
http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=62183