entheogenic-gnosis
Rising Star
It has long been speculated that mescaline is a product of the stress response system of the mescaline producing cacti, similar to to how humans produce cortisol as a stress response hormone...
Mescaline is also the end of a fairly long biosynthetic pathway: tyrosine (tyrosine decarboxylase) to tyramine, which will undergo oxidation at carbon 3 (monophenol hydroxylase) or first be hydroxylated (tyrosine hydroxylase) to give L-DOPA, and is decarboxalated (DOPA decarboxylase) to give dopamine, which is methylated (catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) by an S-adenosyl methionine (SAM)-dependent mechanism ) this intermediate is then is then oxidized at carbon 5, and then methylated (COMT), the last methylation at carbon 4 (guaiacol-O-methyltransferase, which also operates by a SAM-dependent mechanism) finally gives 3,4,5-tri methoxy-phenethylamine (mescaline)
So time for this to occur is a plus. It seems that older cacti that have been stressed and recovered are the best candidates for high mescaline content.
(Before I harvest my trichocereus cacti they are placed in the dark for around 5 days, I can't say whether this actually increases alkaloid production, but I have always practiced it.)
You could also inject your cacti with precursor compounds which the cacti will then convert to the desired active.
I found an erowid page which elucidates the potential means by which one could increase alkaloid production, either through stress, or by providing chemical precursors to the cacti
Is there any research confirming any of this? (Confirming that mescaline is produced as a means of stress response? )
You could take 10 cacti and keep them in standard conditions, and take a separate 10 cacti of the same species and keep them in stressed conditions, tests would be done at the beginning before stressed/standard conditions were applied to determine alkaloid content, then tests would continually be taken from samples from both sides over an extended period of time being in either stressed or standard conditions...
It should then be fairly easy to confirm that stress increases mescaline production...
Has this type of research already been conducted?
-eg
Mescaline is also the end of a fairly long biosynthetic pathway: tyrosine (tyrosine decarboxylase) to tyramine, which will undergo oxidation at carbon 3 (monophenol hydroxylase) or first be hydroxylated (tyrosine hydroxylase) to give L-DOPA, and is decarboxalated (DOPA decarboxylase) to give dopamine, which is methylated (catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) by an S-adenosyl methionine (SAM)-dependent mechanism ) this intermediate is then is then oxidized at carbon 5, and then methylated (COMT), the last methylation at carbon 4 (guaiacol-O-methyltransferase, which also operates by a SAM-dependent mechanism) finally gives 3,4,5-tri methoxy-phenethylamine (mescaline)
So time for this to occur is a plus. It seems that older cacti that have been stressed and recovered are the best candidates for high mescaline content.
(Before I harvest my trichocereus cacti they are placed in the dark for around 5 days, I can't say whether this actually increases alkaloid production, but I have always practiced it.)
You could also inject your cacti with precursor compounds which the cacti will then convert to the desired active.
I found an erowid page which elucidates the potential means by which one could increase alkaloid production, either through stress, or by providing chemical precursors to the cacti
CONCENTRATING AND INCREASING ALKALOID LEVELS
There are several different methods of increasing the concentrations of alkaloids in most if not all species of Cactus. One of the main defenses of Cacti is to increase the production of protective alkaloids in response to numerous external stresses. The growing Cactus plant can be "stressed" in a number of ways to help increase the concentration of alkaloids prior to harvest. It should be noted that, since Cacti have a slow metabolism, it may take an entire growing season of stress to significantly affect alkaloid levels. Here are some of the most common and widely tested methods:
Shade - There have been several reports that leaving live, or cut Tricocereus in the shade for several months prior to harvesting does increase the percentage of alkaloids in the tissues of the plant. It is also common in Mexico and South America to leave cut Cacti in large covered stacks for some time prior to being sold. There may be a good reason for that practice.
Excess Sun and Heat - Too much Sun or heat will most definitely stress a live Cactus. It must be realized however, that increasing the alkaloids through stressing will greatly affect the plants growth rate, and might just kill it. Cactus can and do get sunburned, which can be fatal.
Nutrient level variations - Different formulas of fertilizers will affect the growth rate, and therefore the alkaloid mix and percentages. Very high Nitrogen levels in the soil would help to draw water out of the cactus, and promote stress. Use caution as too much Nitrogen will burn your plant. Remember though, a fast growing Cactus is also lower in alkaloids per volume.
Mechanical stress - A much ignored method of significantly increasing alkaloid buildup. The Cactus is cut or gouged in several places to simulate predator damage. The stem can also be girdled by wire, twisted or bent. Care should be taken when penetrating the skin, use sterile techniques to minimize the chance of infection. Although infection would be a major stress on the plant, it would probably die before any useful effects were manifest. Stressing has been practiced on Marijuana for millennia in certain parts of the world, to increase potency.
Watering stress - Depriving the intended victim of water is the most widespread method of trying to increase the alkaloid content. Many people advise to buy your Cactus at least one growing season in advance, and then let them sit, without water, until they are ready to harvest.
Chemical doping - There has been some pioneering work in this area done by Adam Gottlieb.
Increasing the levels of the precursors that lead to mescaline has proven to be a relatively quick and effective way to significantly increase the level of mescaline in a Cactus. There are three major precursors to mescaline, namely dopa, tyramine and dopamine. During mescaline synthesis in the plant, tyrosine is broken down into tyramine and dopa. These then combine to form dopamine, which is later converted to nor-mescaline, and of course mescaline.
It is possible to take advantage of this synthesis route, and use it to vastly increase the mescaline content of the Cactus that will be harvested.
This method can be used successfully on any mescaline bearing Cacti. The steps are as follows:
1. Withhold water from the plant 2 weeks prior to doping. This helps the plant to absorb any injected material more readily.
2. Prepare a saturated solution of free-base dopamine in a .05 N solution of HCL. If dopamine is not available a second best alternative is to use a mixture of tyramine and dopa.
3. Inject approximately 5cc of the solution, half towards the bottom of the plant by the roots. Inject the other half into the green tissue at the base of the plant, and in several other spots up the stem. Do this slowly ,carefully, leaving the needle in place for a few seconds to allow absorption.
4. Wait 4 to 8 weeks before harvest to let the additives metabolize and convert to mescaline. I would not stress the plant during this period, as an actively growing plant is necessary for efficient metabolism.
5. The harvest can be delayed further and a series of booster injections can be given every 6 - 8 weeks to bolster alkaloid levels even more.
Unfortunately many of these precursor compounds are hard to come by or controlled.
Erowid Cacti Vaults : Visionary Cactus Guide - Concentrating and Increasing Alkaloid Levels
Is there any research confirming any of this? (Confirming that mescaline is produced as a means of stress response? )
You could take 10 cacti and keep them in standard conditions, and take a separate 10 cacti of the same species and keep them in stressed conditions, tests would be done at the beginning before stressed/standard conditions were applied to determine alkaloid content, then tests would continually be taken from samples from both sides over an extended period of time being in either stressed or standard conditions...
It should then be fairly easy to confirm that stress increases mescaline production...
Has this type of research already been conducted?
-eg