Spanish efforts to stamp out an Andean sacred cactus ended with it named after a saint
Andean healers have used the San Pedro cactus in ritual for thousands of years. Spanish colonisers tried to suppress it and failed; the plant even acquired a Christian name, Saint Peter. One explanation: as Peter holds heaven's keys, the cactus was said to let people reach heaven while still on earth.
Echinopsis pachanoi is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to Ecuador and Peru, growing at 2,000 to 3,000 metres in the Andes, and now found as far afield as Spain and the Canary Islands. It usually reaches 3 to 6 metres, though one specimen hit 12.2 metres, with six to eight ribs and relatively few spines, which makes it popular in gardens. Its large white flowers open at night, are strongly scented and last about two days.
Its history of use is long, though accounts differ on how long. It is often said to have been used for healing and divination for over 3,000 years, while archaeological studies trace evidence back two thousand years to the Moche, Nazca and Chavín cultures. It goes by many local names, including huachuma and achuma. In northern Peru's shamanic tradition, called mesa norteña, healers known as curanderos boil it into a bitter drink to gain what they call vista, a visionary sight used to diagnose illness and contact ancestors at sacred places such as the Las Huaringas lagoons. In 2022 Peru's Ministry of Culture declared its traditional use in the north part of the nation's cultural heritage.
The cactus's effects come from alkaloids, above all mescaline, which varies enormously from about 0.053 to 4.7 percent of dry weight and is unevenly spread even within one plant. Mescaline, also found in peyote, is a psychedelic comparable to LSD and psilocybin. A Dutch research project found ceremonial users reported strong spiritual experiences and relatively few difficult ones.
Legal status splits along intent. In countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada and Germany, growing it as an ornamental is legal, but cultivating it for consumption is not. It also serves practical ends: in Oaxaca, Mexico, it is planted in rows as an impassable fence, and in Peru a cactus by the front door is believed to guard the home.
Source: Echinopsis pachanoi
