I've been experimenting with the San Pedro Cactus for the last two weeks, and have yet to have a significant experience. Last week I began by preparing a pound of fresh cactus, and today (one week later) I tried a pound and a half. I'm afraid to escalate further without understanding why there seems to be a lack of results.
I've
linked to a picture of my cactus which came from sandmancactus.com. It's a thicker cactus, approximately 6" in diameter. The two 12" cuttings I received weighed in at 9 lbs total. Due to it being unusually thick, I went by weight rather than the common 12" cutting suggestion. A pound and a half was only about a 6-7" section of cactus. On the first attempt I blended the entire cactus. On the second I cut out only the very core, leaving all green matter in tact, even the skin. I blended it with water, and then gently boiled it for 4 hours, then strained through cotton fabric. Each time I've had sensations of warmness and a cozy sense of calmness, but nothing close to what I had anticipated. I'm wondering if my cactus may be less potent, or that going by weight versus length was the wrong choice? One other variable that I should share is that I have taken an SRI called Lexapro for several years and I understand that it can impact San Pedro. I weaned off and then fully discontinued Lexapro 9 days ago and judging by the half life, I feel it should be entirely out of my body, but I'm wondering if it's possible there's a lingering interference with my receptors. Thoughts gentlemen?