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.
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