preparations for san pedro

ive just ordered 2 feet of san pedro for me and a friend (a foot each). this will be my first true psychedelic ever used and im really excited. im kinda nervous about the preparation however, i DO NOT want to mess it up as im so excited to trip. i plan on using this method
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cacti/cacti_preparation5.shtml

if anyone has used this before please let me know how it went? any other method reccomendations are welcome, but time is of the essence, i need the quickest (yet still efficient) method possible due to little time available (my parents aren't out that long so i needa make this thing quick and drink it hoping it wears off in time) =P

 

Well you can't really rush the preparation. You have to peel the thin waxy skin off, chop it up, you want mostly only the green under the skin, not the white core. I found that freezing the chunks then blending them makes much less foam. Then simmer for at least 4-5 hours.
The experience can last 12 hours or more. Last time I did it I had about 36" and was high for over 18 hours. So hoping it will wear off in time is fine, as long as you have at least two days to devote to prep and use.

 

this method sounds alot simpler. no peeling or anything.. just slicing, blending boiling.. and 1 foot wouldnt make me trip for 12 hours would it?

 

You peel the skin off because it reduces nausea.
Same with the core, the nausea outweighs small amount of alkaloids possibly gained.
As far as what one foot will do, It might, ya never know

 

hmm.. ok, i may do that then, but could you please look at the method i intend on using and tell me if you think it will work? it seems i only need 2hrs 30min - 4 hours of boiling.. that doesnt seem too bad.. i was planning on going with 3 hours.

 

I used the method you linked and it took me about 5 1/2 hours to prepare 36" of cactus, or just under 2 kilos worth. The boiling period is going to vary depending on conditions like the actual mass of your cactus, your pot and stove, stuff like that. 3-4 hours is probably a reasonable estimate for how much cactus you have but I don't know that I'd count on it.

You do NOT want to end up with a lot of this shit to drink, it is beyond foul. I boiled it down to only about two shotglasses full and that little had me gagging so bad it was hard not to throw everything right back up. I usually consider myself to have a strong stomach but this stuff... ugh.

Also, when I did this I just used the whole cactus, skin and core and all. I was nauseous for the entire trip. Sometimes it was just mild and in the background but other times it took all of my willpower not to throw up (I really, really, hate throwing up). My friend threw up a few times but he said it was only a temporary relief, the nausea always came back before too long. Even with the nausea the trip was still well worth it but if you core and skin it I think you'll enjoy yourself a lot more. We had thought the filtering step of the guide would be enough, we were wrong.

Finally, the trip for me lasted about 6-7 hours after the effects kicked in. We started making the cactus at around 6:30am, drank it around noon, and started feeling effects around 2. By around 9pm I was able to act normal though I felt a bit spacey till I fell asleep around 1am. I don't know how much time you'll have available but for San Pedro from scratch you're going to need a minimum of the better part of a day.

 

That's the method I've used to tremendous effect however it is time-consuming and produces a glass of hideous liquid. I'd core it at least (pealing is a ridiculous pain in the ass), but either way you have quite a day ahead of you. A foot should be good, but if it's real pachanoi then I wouldn't worry too much about losing control. Mescaline is gentle and good for a first-timer.