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Extraction of mescaline from Trichocereus

panchanoi
by

David Barlow

Introduction

San Pedro (Trichocereus or Echinopsis panchanoi) is a fast-growing columnar cactus native

to the Andes of Peru and Ecuador. Peruvian Torch (Trichocereus peruvianus or Echinopsis
peruviana) is a similar species with longer spines. They can be grown indoors in the UK and
are also available in powdered form. Estimates of mescaline content vary but most contain
around 0.5% by dry weight (cacti are at least 90% water). Eating the raw cactus is very
nauseating and delays the onset of effects, while aqueous extractions are inefficient and give
poor yields. Chemical methods however are highly efficient and even crude extractions
reduce the amount of material consumed to minuscule proportions.

Theory

Traditionally an acid-base extraction is used, although acidification is not strictly necessary.

After removing the spines the cactus is chopped up and pureed in a blender with deionised
water. It is then basified with sodium hydroxide and extracted with a non-polar solvent,
usually at least three times - shaken, not stirred! The mescaline freebase is highly soluble in
the non-polar but virtually insoluble in the aqueous phase, so the non-polar is separated off
and evaporated to give a crude extract. The preferred choice of non-polar for this application
is xylene, as freebase mescaline is virtually insoluble in the more readily available naphtha
(lighter fluid). Toluene can be used as a less smelly alternative to xylene but forms an
emulsion after shaking and can't be fully separated with a pipette from dilute acid. Mescaline
will remain in solution when xylene is placed in a freezer, so this is a convenient method for
separating the phases and reduces fumes. Mescaline salts can be produced, if required, by
shaking the extracted non-polar solvent with a solution of a volatile or non-volatile acid. A
pH meter can be used to determine when the extraction is complete, as the reading should not
increase after shaking with the non-polar and separating off. (Ensure that the meter is dried
thoroughly after use as any residual xylene will attack the plastic casing.) Citric acid is safest
to use, although non-volatile, so any excess acid will be present in the end product.
Hydrochloric acid is volatile and should be evaporated off in a fume cupboard ideally, as the
fumes are extremely hazardous. Acetic acid (distilled vinegar) also creates highly acidic
fumes when concentrated but is less suitable as the resulting salt absorbs moisture from the
atmosphere.

Chemicals and Equipment

Deionised Water (from any car accessory shop)

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Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda - for unblocking drains from DIY stores)
Xylene (xylene paint thinners) or Toluene (less smelly but forms emulsions)
Hydrochloric Acid (optional)
Acetone (optional)

Safety goggles and rubber gloves

Preserving jar or bottle
Funnel
Rectangular Pyrex dish
Cloth to cover dish
Single edged razor blade
Scalpel
Fume mask when using xylene

Cactus Powder Chemicals

Method

SAFETY GOGGLES AND RUBBER GLOVES MUST BE WORN AT ALL

TIMES
WHEN HANDLING CAUSTIC SODA AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID

1. Add 500 ml deionised water to a preserving jar or bottle. Then add 25 g of caustic soda
while wearing protective goggles and gloves. Allow enough space for shaking. Once the
caustic soda is dissolved, add 50 g powdered San Pedro - a large bore funnel is useful if using
a bottle. Initially the powder will form into a solid lump. Leave the basified cacti for a few
days to thin out.

2. Add at least 10% xylene to the volume, recap the jar or bottle and warm to hand hot in a
water bath (around 50 ºC). Remember that xylene fumes are flammable. (Storing xylene in a
freezer will reduce the fumes or wear a mask with a charcoal filter.) Loosen and retighten the
lid to release any pressure. (If necessary, wrap PTFE plumbing tape around a plastic wine
cork to get a tight fit, but ensure that it is held firmly during agitation.) Care is required if
using plastic screw cap bottles as they can deform and leak when heated excessively. The
bottle must now be shaken vigorously for at least a minute while wearing protective goggles
and gloves - the mescaline shuffle! Vigorous agitation will create an emulsion but gives a
much greater yield than gentle agitation. Heat will not clear the emulsion but it should resolve
gradually by repeatedly freezing and thawing. Once frozen there should be a clear partition
between the solid caustic soda solution and the (now green) xylene floating on top, which can
be poured in another sealed container. A number of freezing and thawing cycles are required

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to remove all the xylene - avoid hot water with frozen glass bottles as they may crack. The lid
should be tight, although it may need hot water to unfreeze it, as xylene vapour will taint any
food in the freezer. If the lid is left loose then secure Clingfilm over the opening with an
elastic band or use plumbing tape to prevent fumes.

3. Pour the collected xylene into a rectangular Pyrex dish. Cover the dish with a cloth to keep
out dust and insects and leave in a well ventilated area until all the xylene has evaporated
(preferably outdoors in a garage or shed). Remember that xylene fumes are flammable. You
should be left with waxy deposits with tiny crystals which can be scraped up with a single
edged razor blade. The extract can be scraped off the razor with a scalpel into a Rizla paper -
keep the scalpel blade in a wine cork when not in use. The process should be repeated at least
once. The most active extract is dark in colour, while later extractions will consist of green
waxy material.

If hydrochloric acid is available a hydrochloride salt can be produced which makes

measurement of dosage more accurate and enables the xylene to be reused. To create pure
white crystals hydrogen chloride gas is bubbled through the non-polar solvent. Aqueous
extractions will produce a brown powder which although less attractive is perfectly adequate
and far less hazardous to produce. Ten drops of 10% HCl solution by volume (v/v) are added
to deionised water and shaken in a sealed container with the collected xylene, after warming
to hand hot in a water bath. The phases are separated by freezing. Pour the xylene back into
the basified cactus container and thaw the aqueous phase - avoid hot water with frozen glass
bottles as they may crack. The liquid is then evaporated in a rectangular Pyrex dish on a
hotplate outdoors or in a well ventilated area, away from people or animals. The resulting
extract can be rinsed in acetone to remove the sticky green material, making handling easier.
Scrape all the extract into one corner of the rectangular Pyrex dish, tilt and add acetone with
a pipette (as it is difficult to pour). Mix the extract thoroughly in the acetone, allow to settle,
then slowly tip the acetone out of the opposite corner of the dish, removing any residue with
a tissue. Repeat if necessary. Dry the dish on a hotplate, then powder the extract by chopping
with a single edged razor blade. The (now yellow) xylene should be reused to extract the
remaining mescaline from the basified cactus powder.

For health and safety reasons the amount of HCl used should be minimal and safety goggles
and rubber gloves must be worn at all times.
Mescaline freebase is C11H17NO3, molar mass 211 g/mol. HCl has molar mass 36.5 g/mol.
(H=1, C=12, N=14, O=16, Cl=35.5)
50 g of dried San Pedro might contain at most 1% mescaline = 0.5 g.
This would be neutralised with a solution of deionised water containing 86.5 mg HCl
(36.5/211 x 500 mg).
A 10% solution by volume (v/v) of HCl contains 105 g/litre, so this would require 0.824 g of
solution (1000/105 x 86.5 mg).
A drop weighs around 50 mg so around 16 drops of 10% HCl solution would be required in
total.
The freebase content of mescaline hydrochloride is 85% (211/247.5).

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Magnetic Stirrer Before shaking After shaking After freezing

Dried Extract Shavings

These pictures show a bulk extraction using a gallon demijohn with a magnetic stirrer. The
previous demijohn cracked under heat and the caustic soda removed the paint from the top of
the hotplate - so this one is not being heated! Use a cork bung in preference to a rubber one
which will swell from xylene exposure. It is left on slow stir for several hours which is
preferable to shaking as it doesn't create any emulsion. Getting the stir bar centred is quite
tricky - it can be held with a strong magnet on the outside and lifted to the top centre of the
demijohn and dropped back in. Once it falls into the right position avoid turning the speed up
too quickly or you will have to start again! It can take 24 hours to freeze the basified cactus
in the demijohn. It's best to pour the xylene off into the bottle first before adding dilute acid,
in case the aqueous phase in the demijohn hasn't frozen completely, so you can pour it back
and freeze it for a bit longer if necessary. Once the dilute acid in the bottle has frozen, the
xylene is poured back into the demijohn for a second extraction. Repeat the process until no
more extract is produced. (Almost all of the mescaline should be removed from the xylene in
a single extraction if the bottle is warmed and shaken vigorously - wear safety goggles and
rubber gloves.) A small quantity of yellow xylene will remain on top of the dilute acid after
separation by freezing. The bulk of the dilute acid can be removed with a glass poultry baster
and a pipette will separate the last portion (impossible with toluene as it forms an emulsion).
The dilute acid is thawed and evaporated on the hotplate outdoors.

To remove some of the impurity before extracting with dilute acid, the xylene can be washed
with deionised water with a little caustic soda added (to ensure that the mescaline remains in
freebase form). Again the phases are separated by freezing. The extract shown above in the
Rizla was produced by this method. The shavings shown above were produced without

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washing the xylene first. Acetone will remove the sticky material but not the dark colour.

It can take several xylene extractions to remove all the mescaline from the basified cactus,
although the process could be expedited using a 5 litre borosilicate Erlenmeyer flask, which
can be heated safely while being magnetically stirred. Phase separator paper can be used as
an alternative to freezing or using a separatory funnel. The paper is impregnated with silicone
which retains the aqueous phase while passing the solvent phase through. Available from
Camlab - at a price!

Using mescaline

The usual caveats apply with any psychedelic about being in a safe environment and having
someone with you, particularly if you are inexperienced. The extract from 50 g of powdered
San Pedro should produce powerful effects - best to start at half this dose. It can be taken
wrapped in a Rizla paper or in a gelatine capsule to avoid the bitter taste (although capsules
can disintegrate if stored). Effects start to kick in within an hour and should last around eight.
Mescaline has a noticeable stimulant effect, unlike other natural psychedelics such as
psilocybin and DMT. Higher doses can be overwhelmingly powerful and have considerably
longer duration. If insomnia is a problem afterwards, the sedating antihistamine
cyproheptadine (Periactin), or diphenhydramine (Nytol, Paxidorm), can give a pleasant
comedown, without the hangover of benzodiazepines. Zolpidem (Ambien, Stilnox) is a more
effective sleeping tablet, but rather pricey. Available from online pharmacies.

In case of adverse effects, have drinking water handy in a plastic cup or bottle. Absolutely no
glass. Caffeinated drinks should be avoided as should alcohol, cannabis or any other drugs.
Psychotic symptoms can be overwhelming but should improve over time if the person is kept
calm, ideally with the minimum of illumination. In this event any future experimentation
should be undertaken at a reduced dose.

Mescaline and the Law

In Britain mescaline is classified as a Class A Controlled Drug under the Misuse of Drugs
Act. Its possession is punishable by up to 7 years’ imprisonment. Producing mescaline or
supplying it (including possession with intent to supply) carries a maximum term of life
imprisonment. Sadly our government has little interest in civil liberties and ignores the
overwhelming evidence that psychedelics are less harmful for most users than tobacco or
excessive drinking. In the current political climate I think it would be prudent to adopt a
strategy to minimize our risk exposure. Here's mine:

Avoid synthetic psychedelics as the risks to the manufacturers and distributors are
enormous
Never sell mescaline to anyone - encourage them to produce their own
Only produce and store small quantities
Be aware that communications can be monitored - use PGP encryption (see PGP
Guide) or a Hushmail account for sensitive emails

It should added as a footnote that a recent order from Compras Peru failed to arrived.
Whether it was lost in the postal system or unlawfully seized by HM Revenue and Customs is
not known, but a full refund was obtained on the purchaser's Visa debit card.

Resources
Erowid Psychoactive Cacti Vault

Compras Peru

Firwood 113

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MSDS Firwood 113

NWE Paints Ltd

NPD Pharmacy

Pharma2u.com

David Barlow
(started December 2007)

Comments/suggestions/contributions to davidbarlownospam17@yahoo.co.uk - remove

nospam for address.

My PGP Key PGP Guide

Other sites by the same author:

www.colourcasts.20m.com

www.dmt.20m.com

www.eugenics.20m.com

www.euthanasia.20m.com

www.lsd25.20m.com

www.mushrooms.20m.com

www.nasalpolyps.20m.com

www.nuclearfusion.20m.com

Rubber Gloves Soda Sodium Cacti Razor Xylene

Sodium Hydroxide Cactus Dish Polar

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