Welcome to Huachuma
The Cactus of Heaven
Introducing Echinopsis/Trichocereus pachanoi ~
SAN PEDRO
Huachuma, more commonly known as San Pedro in the Western world or currently known as Echinopsis pachanoi in the scientific literature, is a tall (up to 20 ft), light green, night blooming, nearly spineless, columnar cactus native to the Andes Mountains. In its native habitat it grows at altitudes of 6,600 – 9,800 feet. This cactus is found in parts of Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, but is also cultivated in neighboring countries and many other parts of the world. It is considered the most ancient and revered plant teachers amongst the shamans of northern Peru.
In the US it is legal to cultivate San Pedro for landscaping purposes, however, this is a psychotropic plant. Like other psychotropic cacti, it contains several psychoactive alkaloids, the primary being mescaline. Although the cactus is legal for home gardening, extracting the active constituents is illegal. Mescaline in all of its extracted forms is a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Check your local laws and use only when it is lawful to do so. Otherwise, you can travel to Peru to experience an authentic huachuma (San Pedro) ceremony.
The fact that San Pedro grows vigorously in the wild or cultivated in a home garden makes it a better choice for consumption over its slow growing and endangered cousin peyote. Like peyote, San Pedro cactus has a rich history of traditional shamanic use. Despite the two sharing mescaline as their primary active alkaloid, there are substantial differences between the other psychoactive compounds found in each of them. This results in the two having very different characteristics. When ingested, huachuma is usually described as the gentler of the two, but its effects can be felt a little bit longer than that of peyote. The effects of peyote can be felt about 10 to 12 hours while Huachuma can last between 12 to 14 hours or more depending on dosage.
San Pedro cactus has been used ceremoniously for around 3500 years by indigenous groups in Peru. The earliest known use comes from a stone carving which dates back around 1300BC. It very clearly depicts a huachuma shaman holding a tall San Pedro cactus. The carving was found at the Jaguar temple at Chavín de Huantar in Northern Peru. This carving comes from the Chavín culture.
Another notable discovery made at the Chavín site by Peruvian archeologist Rosa Fung was cigar butts made from San Pedro cactus. This sacred cactus is seen later as a decorative motif on Peruvian ceramic traditions like the Salinar style of 400-200BC and the Nasca urns of c. 100 BC-AD 700.
Unsurprisingly, colonial oppression nearly led to the extinction of the sacred huachuma ceremonies, but as always, the tribes that used huachuma carried on in secret as directed by the plants themselves.
EFFECTS OF SAN PEDRO
Scientific data regarding the use of E. pachanoi (San Pedro) has proved to be quite elusive or is virtually nonexistent. This is a tragedy because this plant has several real medicinal and psychotherapeutic uses. This plant like so many others deserves scientific investigation so that it can be properly integrated into our societies.
The most prominent information about the uses and effects of San Pedro comes from traditional or folk medicine people. Over thousands of years of first-hand experience, South America shamans have developed a way to use San Pedro to diagnose and treat diseases.
“Cactus flesh are used in a limited degree as aphrodisiacs and tonics.” — Dobkin De Rios
The following alkaloids are generally found within E. pachanoi: Mescaline (25 or more mg per 100 grams of fresh cactus), 3,4-Dimethoxyphenethlamine, 3-Hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, 3-Methoxytyramine, 4-Hydroxy-3,5dimethoxyphenethtlamine, Anhalonidine, Hordenine, and Tyramine. The concentration of these alkaloids can vary widely for each plant.
50g of dried cactus can contain anything from 150mg to 1.2g of mescaline, ranging from a threshold dose to a potential overdose. A threshold dose of mescaline is about 100-150mg, but this quantity of mescaline could be present in anything from 5-50g of dried cactus. Therefore, you should start with a relatively low weight, such as 10g of dried cactus, and increase the dose next time if you want a more intense experience.
San Pedro has been used by indigenous shamans for thousands of years in healing ceremonies. Throughout that time, there have been innumerable accounts of “miracle cures” to a wide variety of illnesses which include beating addiction, cancer, paralysis, and diabetes to name a few. The plant medicine of San Pedro doesn’t stop there it is also used to treat emotional issues such as grief and psychological problems like depression. 1
HISTORY OF SAN PEDRO USE AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
San Pedro/ Huachuma use as a sacrament has been used by shamans since the very beginning of the Andean civilization. The shamans of that time considered it “Materia prima” which is, “a formless primeval substance regarded as the original material of the universe.” (Ratsch/ Hoffman 505)
San Pedro use has been uninterrupted since the 1400s. Although the Chavín site may be from a time closer to 3500BC, San Pedro has been used traditionally for 2000 years or more. Primary use has been noted in Peru, the Central Andes and surrounding deserts. It’s no doubt that San Pedro use originated or was discovered by the ancient people of these areas.
Two highly developed coastal region cultures known as the Nazca people of 800 – 300BC and Paracas people of 750 – 100BC. used the San Pedro cactus to adorn both ceremonial and burial ceramic vessels. Mummies discovered in the Nazca region were buried with San Pedro cactus coming out of their shoulders. “Symbols that the deceased would be born again out of darkness, just as the cactus blossoms emerge in the early hours before dawn. (Davis 1998: 7)”
The Nazca lines are another interesting phenomenon to note. There are a lot of different opinions about the Nazca lines. “In order to understand the Nazca lines one should first understand the culture that preceded them” and I seem to have stumbled across one such source. Below is a link to a wonderful little article with lots of pictures of some of the ceramics mentioned above. Further evidence of the importance of the San Pedro cactus for the Nazca and Paracas cultures. 2
Traditional use is still ongoing even today by the descendants of these ancient huachuma shamans. The Lambayeque culture of 1200 – 800BC developed lunar rituals/ rites involving the use of the sacred huachuma cactus. Amazingly, yet not surprisingly, these lunar rites are still being honored today (Trout 2005: 106 & 110.).
It’s important to note that the Catholic “conquistadors” and their “priests” condemned the ritualistic use of San Pedro as being “devil worship.”
“Its perceived diabolical nature once again justified the “god-given” right of the oppressors to force Christianity on the natives, steal their land, and persecute any individual or group that did not conform.”
This again is not surprising because we see the same persecution against virtually all indigenous peoples that used plant based entheogens for medicine and spirituality.
SHAMANIC USE
San Pedro has a rich history of sacred shamanic use. It has been used to treat various ailments such as cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, fever, paralysis, problems with joints, high blood pressure, cardiac diseases, burning kidneys, and bladder to name a few. San Pedro is also a powerful antimicrobial that inhibits 18 or more penicillin-resistant bacteria.
These scared cacti like other indigenous entheogens are miracle plants. San Pedro has also been noted to cure drug addiction and alcoholism. Why then have these plants not been integrated into Western medicine? San Pedro at the very least deserves more attention from the scientific and psycho-medical communities.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONNECTING DEEPER!
In the loving,
The Earth Temple; Center of Prayer & School of Shamanic Arts