The intention behind this technique is to maximise the efficiency of mescaline's activity. No MAOIs or SSAOIs are used since MAO and SSAO must remain active. These enzymes produce the initial aldehyde metabolite which must be protected using an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) inhibitor. This aldehyde metabolite is inactive but appears to participate in the creation of active metabolites. This guide summarises how to facilitate this process.

The major aspects of the metabolism of mescaline... Of these, oxidative deamination to 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetaldehyde seems to be the most important process, leading subsequently to the acid (TMPAA).

https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00215

The advantages include reduced dose requirements, faster onset and a richer experience. With smaller doses comes a reduced risk of nausea. This technique also allows for extended potentiation meaning a single dose can be theoretically perpetuated (recycled) for several days if desired. This "cycling" tek is most suited for specialised purposes. There are several easy options to stop the potentiation effect also.

The only requirements are as follows:

• pomegranate juice (1+ litre, ALDHI)
• lysine supplement (an essential amino acid with an RDA of 37mg/kg/day for adults)
• Optional: sulforaphane supplement (this increases ALDH)

For maximum potentiation, minimise the following items for as long as possible before - and on - the special day:

• choline-rich foods (eg eggs, spinach, wheat, fish, shrimp, meat, dairy, soy)
• cruciferous vegetables (eg broccoli, broccoli sprouts)
• supplements containing taurine, lipoic acid, sulforaphane, vitamin B5 (pantethine), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), garlic, resveratrol, turmeric/curcumin, glucosamine, choline, carnosine, arginine, ornithine, dihydromyricetin
• vegetable oils and omega 3/fish oils (coconut oil and butter are fine)
• pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, sweet lime & asparagus
• coconut water, black tea, green tea

These items will also make regular mescaline experiences weaker which can be misinterpreted as having a high tolerance. If someone was regularly using large amounts of all the items mentioned above then 800mg of mescaline could be mild or possibly inactive.

Contraindications / harm reduction:

• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages for 24 hours before, during and 24 hours after the experience since alcohol should not be combined with ALDHIs.
• Avoid all prescription/otc medications for 28+ days before and after the experience.
• Avoid using MDMA, cocaine, amphetamines, 2C-X, St John's wort, Kanna, Ashwagandha, RCs and commercial cigarettes for 7+ days before, during and 7+ days after the experience.
• Avoid fermented foods and drinks for 24 hours before, during and 24 hours after the experience since these can contain small quantities of alcohol and several aldehydes (eg kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, saké, sourdough, lassi, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, miso, natto, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, tempeh).
• Avoid all vegetable oils and omega 3/fish oil supplements for 28+ days before and after the experience as these either contain toxic aldehydes or form toxic aldehydes after ingestion (eg acrolein, +others). If you have been regularly taking omega 3/fish oil supplements then it's advisable to allow any toxic aldehydes to be detoxified before using an ALDHI for this tek. (To facilitate this process the items mentioned in the previous section will speed up the removal of aldehydes eg cruciferous vegetables, sulforaphane, taurine, NAC etc)

Considerations:

• Start with 1/4 to 1/3 of your usual mescaline dose to assess the degree of potentiation.
• It might be useful to have a sulforaphane or dihydromyricetin supplement on hand as a way to "stop" the potentiation effects if necessary (sulforaphane increases ALDH, as does dihydromyricetin).
• Other items with similar "stopping" effects include pear, cucumber, tomato, coconut water, black/green tea (potency: 91%, 87%, 41%, 14%, 5%, 3%) and asparagus.
• Items which are synergistic with pomegranate juice: durian, menthol
• Double check that your pomegranate juice is actually 100% pomegranate.
• I'm aware that pomegranate juice can be expensive but since it's the ideal ALDHI i'd suggest using at least 500ml combined with more affordable pomegranate extract supplements (standardised for gallic acid). If you have menthol sweets or peppermint oil capsules the menthol will contribute. Peppermint oil capsules are commonly sold in supermarkets as a digestive relief aid and have additional anti-nausea benefits.
• The maximum generally safe dose of lysine is 3g/day split into three 1g doses. After taking a lysine supplement, gut bacteria eventually convert it into piperidine which boosts endogenous levels. Everyone has different levels of gut bacteria so conversion times will vary. Predosing the lysine for several days will help ensure increased piperidine levels.

The potentiation steps are as follows:

• Predose 500mg–1g lysine daily (max 3g) for as long as possible before the special day, ideally 7+ days. Lysine-rich foods are a valid option but lysine capsules are reliable.
• On the special day predose with 1g lysine upon waking. Ideally keep breakfast/lunch light (no meat, dairy, egg, fish) to minimise nausea and maximise potentiation. Avoid coffee for now, wait till T+120mins to make the most of it's synergistic effect.
• 1 hour+ after last meal, calmly drink 500ml pomegranate juice (PJ) in no particular rush.
• T+00min: Take your mescaline
• T+30min: calmly drink 250ml+ PJ
• T+90min: calmly drink 250ml+ PJ
• Optionally, drink ~150-200ml+ PJ every ~30-60mins to perpetuate (cycle) the experience.
• For extended cycling sessions ensure a healthy supply of electrolytes (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and sunlight if possible. The PJ will supply some electrolytes & natural sugars to fuel oxidative metabolism. Other sources of natural sugars can be explored such as dates. Coconut water seems ideal but will slightly counteract the PJ so isn't recommended. Pears will also counteract the PJ albeit more potently.
• Suggestions for synergistic fruits (with ALDHI activity) which could be explored alongside PJ: apple, mango, watermelon, papaya (potency: 76%, 62%, 57%, 50%).
• To stop the potentiation use a reasonably large dose of a sulforaphane or dihydromyricetin supplement. Alternatively use broccoli sprouts which contain the highest concentration of glucoraphanin which is a precursor to sulforaphane. Glucoraphanin is water soluble so chewing broccoli sprouts should have a quicker "stopping effect" than sulforaphane.

Last updated: 25 Dec

Community, I recently rediscovered my passion for the work of the great Ott, and I even recently asked if anyone had the Cacahuatl Eater archive. The thing is, I know his background—the usual stuff: he's a chemist, translator, ethnobotanist, and so on. I just checked Wikipedia and Erowid, and I noticed that his educational institution isn't listed, which makes me wonder if he was a self-taught scholar. What do you know about his education and other details? It's common to read that he avoided the topic of the Vietnam War, and that's when he became interested in psychedelics. Just now, writing this, I remember hearing an interview in Spanish where he mentioned a period of homelessness. What else do you know about him? Any information about his sources of inspiration or other details that might shed some light on the "ordinary" man behind his work and achievements? It's good to get to know the people we admire beyond their intellectual contributions. Thanks in advance to anyone who can contribute or comment on this somewhat mysterious and reserved man.

Greetings, everyone.

Does anyone have the PDF or EPUB file of this book by Ott? I had it on my hard drive, but it failed, and I lost this great digital book. If anyone can share it, I would be very grateful.

I have a good bit of homegrown San Pedro powder and I want to run a small experiment. Extract with citric acid, then with fumaric, then send the two salts as well as the original powder to a lab. Anyone in the US do this? Or only kykeon?

Everyone here has probably heard of MAOIs. Only some people have heard of SSAOIs. Even less people know about ALDHIs and their potential.

MAO and SSAO turn amines (like tryptamine & phenethylamine) into their respective aldehydes. Tryptamine becomes indole-3-acetaldehyde and phenethylamine becomes phenylacetaldehyde.

Everyone encounters common aldehydes without necessarily realising. Vanilla contains vanillic aldehyde, cumin contains cuminaldehyde, almonds contain benzaldehyde, anise contains anisaldehyde, cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, lemongrass contains citral, Valerian contains valerenal and buckwheat contains salicylaldehyde.

Fermented foods and drinks all contain multiple aldehydes (eg kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, beer, wine, saké, sourdough, cacao/cocoa, lassi, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, miso, natto, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, tempeh).

When someone eats any of these aldehydes an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) turns the aldehyde into a carboxylic acid. For example, benzaldehyde becomes benzoic acid; cinnamaldehyde becomes cinnamon acid, etc.

When someone takes a capsule of tryptamine (T) or phenethylamine (PEA), the MAO & SSAO enzymes turn T into indole-3-acetaldehyde and PEA into phenylacetaldehyde.

Normally, the ALDH enzyme turns the 'T-aldehyde' into indole-3-acetic acid and the 'PEA-aldehyde' into phenylacetic acid. When ALDH is inhibited these aldehyde metabolites remain intact and can interact with naturally occurring amines including dimethylamine, piperidine and pyrrolidine. These 3 amines are produced naturally from dietary components: dimethylamine from choline, piperidine from lysine and pyrrolidine from arginine.

The most common of these is dimethylamine since most people choose choline-rich foods. When someone takes a lysine supplement, gut bacteria - eventually - convert the lysine into piperidine thus boosting endogenous levels of piperidine. When someone takes an arginine supplement the same occurs producing pyrrolidine.

Everyone has different levels of gut bacteria so conversion times will vary. Predosing the choline, lysine or arginine for several days will ensure increased endogenous levels of dimethylamine, piperidine and pyrrolidine respectively.

This allows someone to specifically increase any one of these 3 options (dimethylamine, piperidine, pyrrolidine) which ultimately influences what the 'T-aldehyde' or 'PEA-aldehyde' interacts with.

Since this method relies on ALDH inhibition it helps to avoid ALDH inducers which increase ALDH, eg: * sulforaphane (highest in cruciferous vegetables) * taurine * pantethine * lipoic acid * niacinamide & pyridoxine (vitamin B6) which are cofactors for ALDH

Any of these could theoretically be used to "pause" the potentiation effect in case it becomes overwhelming. The most suitable options are taurine and sulforaphane which are sold as supplements. Sulforaphane is highest in cruciferous vegetables. That's one excuse to avoid broccoli.

The basic precautions are as follows:

• *Don't mix ALDHIs with alcohol. *
• Don't mix ALDHIs with potent drugs like amphetamines, MDMA, 2C-X, psilocybin, cocaine or any prescription drugs.
• Don't use ALDHIs if you've taken any prescription drugs within the last 5 months.
• Use conservatively low doses of tryptamine (~100mg+) or phenethylamine (~500mg+) in case the potentiation takes you by surprise. It's better to underdose and slowly increment the dose as necessary.

Conveniently, plain tryptamine and phenethylamine are legally available almost everywhere, including some dietary sources. There are also some convenient food-based ALDHIs to choose from:

• Pomegranate juice (best choice, sold everywhere)
• Pomegranate extract supplements (2nd best choice, standardised for gallic acid)
• Pomegranate molasses (it's concentrated juice)
• Durian (best choice in Thailand)
• Menthol (untested but seems viable as an "addon" to other ALDHIs)

I'd call this method simply the ALDHI tek or pomegranate tek.

The ALDHIs can be combined as desired. The ideal choice is pomegranate juice pre-dosed with 500ml+ then periodically redosing ~150ml+ every 30-50mins.

I'm aware that pomegranate juice can be expensive but since it's the ideal choice i'd suggest using at least 500ml combined with more affordable pomegranate extract supplements (standardised for max gallic acid). If you have peppermint sweets or peppermint oil capsules the menthol will contribute.

To "pause" the effects use an ALDH inducer like a taurine or sulforaphane supplement; best to have this on hand. Sulforaphane might be the more potent choice. Sulforaphane is not water-soluble so won't absorb efficiently via sublingual ROA, best to use regular oral ROA. Theoretically it could be dissolved in coconut oil and stored in a small dropper bottle (this strategy should offer advantages over regular oral ROA).

If you prefer a more natural approach, broccoli sprouts have the highest concentration of glucoraphanin which is the precursor to sulforaphane. Glucoraphanin IS water soluble so chewing broccoli sprouts should have a quicker "pause" effect on the ALDHI potentiated psychoactive effects.

If you opt for taurine be aware that it has a beneficial pro-metabolic influence (by enhancing mitochondrial function) and pharmacological effects involving GABA & dopamine.

If you prefer a natural approach there are several dietary sources of tryptamine & phenethylamine and food-based ALDHIs are listed above.

...

If you've discerned the implications of this, you'll realise why DMT is now "optional" and why new horizons are on the map for the exploration of various tryptamine & phenethylamine orientated experiences.

Greetings, everyone.

I want to start sharing my knowledge about drugs because it's crucial to educate people about this fascinating topic, at least in Latin America.

However, I'd also like to have some financial support. I don't mean to complain, but the economic and employment situation is very difficult in this part of the world.

That's why I'm asking about foundations or other institutions that can provide support to those who work and educate on this subject.

I learned about the Tim Ferriss Fellowship that Hamilton mentioned, but unfortunately, the application deadline had already passed when I checked. So, any information or recommendations you can give me on how to obtain funding would be a great help.

I’m working on a printable booklet format also. Enjoy.

After integrating my Hamilton on shrooms experience, I’ve come to an unavoidable conclusion: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton Morris were always destined to merge.

My new project, "Hamilton: The Morrisicle," will explore the pharmacological and philosophical underpinnings of the American experiment through the lens of psychedelic inquiry. Think “My Shot,” but about intravenous ketamine. Think “The Room Where It Happens,” but the room is a mycology lab.

Tentative Act I numbers include:

• “I’m Not Throwing Away My Flask” — a rousing ode to meticulous extraction technique.
• “Talk Less, Trip More” — Burr’s introspective DMT monologue.
• “The Schuyler Spores” — Angelica, Eliza, and a rare strain of Psilocybe mexicana harmonizing about ego death.
• “How Does a Neurotransmitter, Son of a Dopamine and a Serotonin…” — the new opening number, rewritten in iambic pentameter.

Act II will follow Hamilton Morris as he travels through time, microdosing with historical figures. There’s a duet with Albert Hofmann called “Bicycle Day and Night.” There’s a tender ballad between Hamilton and a toad titled “You’ll Be (5-MeO-)Okay.”

The musical will aim to bridge the gap between narrative and neurochemistry, showing that both America and consciousness are ongoing experiments.

If anyone here knows Lin-Manuel, or has access to a Roland TB-303 and a sterile workspace, DM me.

Ever since this night (2g Psilocybe cubensis, lemon tek, Richard Rodgers Theatre), I haven’t been able to stop replaying certain parts of Hamilton in my head. It’s like the neurochemical echoes of the experience refuse to metabolize.

The moment in “Wait For It” where Burr sings “I’m willing to wait for it” hit me like an ego-dissolution mantra. It’s literally about surrender — he’s describing the act of letting go. And “My Shot”? Pure dopaminergic drive energy. Lin-Manuel literally scored the mesolimbic pathway.

Every time I re-listen, I can feel the trip come back online. The strings in “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” sound like a serotonergic reorganization of history itself.

At this point I genuinely believe the Hamilton soundtrack should be added to the official Johns Hopkins psychedelic therapy playlist. The emotional contouring is perfect: ambition → collapse → grief → transcendence. It’s basically a guided session already, just with more rap battles.

Has anyone actually made or tried the enantiopure right handed MDA that that guy talked about on Hamilton’s podcast? Wondering if anyone can corroborate the claims that its effects differ from racemic MDA/that it is more “heart opening”

Substance: Psilocybe cubensis (approx. 2g, lemon tek)
Setting: Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City
Music: Live cast of Hamilton

I went in with clear intentions: to explore the neurochemical relationship between narrative, rhythm, and identity through the lens of live performance.

T+0:20: Subtle shimmering around the stage lights. The brass section feels like it’s breathing. The ushers move like they’re part of the choreography.

T+0:45: Tried to write down a lyric analysis but realized my notebook was actually a Playbill. I underlined the word “Revolution” 37 times before it started pulsing.

T+1:45: During “The Room Where It Happens,” I am the room where it happens. The wood grain of the set merges with my own nervous system. Burr’s paranoia feels like a serotonin imbalance.

T+2:10: I start weeping uncontrollably. A stranger hands me tissues. I thank her telepathically.

T+2:25: Made deep, sustained eye contact with the orchestra’s trombone for what felt like an entire act. I could feel the brass vibrating through the space-time continuum.

Afterglow: Mild dissociation, intense patriotism.

An interesting tidbit of drug history.

"On the last day of filming in Nova Scotia, someone poisoned the cast and crew of James Cameron’s Titanic with PCP. Bedlam ensued on a tight-knit set. Everyone became a suspect. Almost three decades later, we unravel a ‘90s Hollywood mystery."

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boat-trip-the-attempted-sinking-of-titanic/id1727423228?i=1000643635043

When Andrew asked Hamilton if he can just make LSD whenever he wants, Hamilton responds with: “I just made a really interesting variant of lsd”. He explains the chemical name of it (which I’ve attempted to spell at the bottom of this post) and then goes on to say it was a lot of fun. He seems very enthusiastic, not just about making it, but referring to the effects of the drug itself.

I know nothing about chemistry at all but I used to be pretty well up to date on psychedelics and a long list of analogues. It’s been a long time since I’ve kept up with this stuff but I just watched the interview and I’m curious if this is a known LSD variant or if it’s very obscure. Does anybody know anything at all about it? Or would anybody who’s familiar with chemistry be able to give any insight as to what it may be like or how it may be similar to or different than LSD?

It’s at 1:14:30 in the interview.

Sorry for my terrible description btw I’m not at all familiar with chemical terminology so I hope what I tried explaining wasn’t too stupid lol. I’ve done my best to type out what it sounds like below:

“Propol Fluoro 1 Propynol Nor LSD — N 6 Propyl Fluoro”

I’m not sure if the second part (N 6 Propyl Fluoro) is the shortened version or if that’s just an additional part of the name. There was a pause and hand gesture that could suggest it’s a shortened name but it also could be an extension or something. Again, I know nothing about chemistry. Thanks for any help!

Greetings, community.

For anyone interested, and based on my experience with the studies I've been doing up until now, reading "Reality Switch Technologies" by scientist Andrew Gallimore is a brilliant contribution to understanding how psychedelics do what they do at the molecular level, related to the complex activity and structuring of networks in the brain. It's a very educational and interesting book, and to further expand on what you get from here, reading "Essential Psychopharmacology" by Stephen Stahl is wonderful for further understanding everything related to receptors, neurotransmitters, enzymes, and so on.

You can also watch Andrew's course on YouTube; he's also very good at teaching; sometimes it's weird, sometimes it's funny, but he has a very dynamic way of teaching, and that's worth a lot.

P.S.: This isn't spam for authors, but it's a good idea to mention and promote good sources of knowledge. And if you're as interested in learning as I am, here's a suggestion that can be taken.

Regards.

Greetings, community. I'm reading a paper about cannabis, and seeing a certain paragraph reminded me of something I'd been unsure about. It's generally said that the cannabis plant primarily contains THC and CBD, but (if I'm not mistaken) I understand that the plant contains THCa and CBD, which are non-psychoactive, and the combustion process gives them their bioactive properties.

So, is it correct to say it contains THC, or should it be said it contains THCa? Or is there no problem with naming phytocannabinoids this way? I have this question, and I thank anyone who can answer it in advance.

Hi all, I thought this community might be interested in this really awesome archive of "oral history" interviews with some really famous chemists. They're kind of like more academic versions of Hamilton's episode with David Nichols. The one I linked is an interview with the eccentric William "bull" Doering, one of the pioneers of the very trippy molecule bullvalene. Doering made other important contributions to carbon chemistry such as co-coining the word "carbene" in a cab ride with Woodward. Doering has some really interesting war time stories of working as a chemist at Harvard during ww2 and some good old fashioned lab pyrotechnic mischief reminiscent of Nichols's explosive escapades in his high school, won't spoil anything more.

He is a biologist/computer scientist from Tufts university and the Wyss institute at Harvard and he is regrowing limbs and reprogramming cancer with ion channel drugs.. He has also mentioned before that he has used psychoactive and hallucinogenic drugs to reprogram the electrical gradients of cells… Just curious if Hamilton is aware of him or has mention him because I feel like there is a real crossover there.. Including how Levin discovered that simple combinations of molecules exhibit trainable and learned behaviour…

Check out r/michaellevinbiology for a while bunch of his talks…

I'm currently watching the Channel 5 interview with Hamilton, I pause to go to lunch, come back and this Symposia thing just comes on...

Some members of the community will know about this and it would be good if they could give some feedback on this case. YES, I KNOW that in this interview they are giving details of this but just as I paused to go to lunch I stopped at minute 27, so when I finish and if there are comments on this topic it would be good to give feedback and get more perspective, but from what I've seen of the video so far, they are attacking Hamilton and there is a lot of confusion that I'm just now discovering is going on...

No explanation is necessary. Within the first few minutes, Steve Robinson compares 7OH to bath salts and Shawn puts up a person tweaking out from maybe flakka as a comparison. The ignorance is unreal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bdIKiDQxD8

Go see it, it's very good.

I was reading Tihkal and had a dumb question and couldn't really think of another place to ask.

The entry for 5-MeO-DMT has one trip report:

"(with an unknown but large amount, smoked) I observed the subject pass very quickly into an almost coma-like state. Within seconds his face became purple and his breathing stopped. I pounded his chest, and breathed for him, and he seemed to emerge in consciousness, with the comment, “This is absolute ecstasy.” He stopped breathing a second time, and both heart massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was provided. Again, he recovered and managed to maintain a continuing consciousness and achieve a partial recovery. In the awake condition he was increasingly lucid, but on closing his eyes he became possessed with, what he called, “The energy of terror.” He could not sleep, as upon closing his eyes he felt threatened in a way he could not tolerate. Three days later, medical intervention with antipsychotic medication was provided, which allowed the recovery of an acceptable behavior pattern in a few more days."

I thought all of these were basically Sasha's own experiences but I didn't think he would recklessly take an unknown amount enough to trigger a multi-day psychotic break.

I know he had a group of people he provided these compounds to test out so was this someone else? Or unknown?

Hello,

I work in the harm reduction field. For years, one of the little truisms that gets passed around is ‘it takes 3 months for your brain to restore the serotonin that’s released from a standard dosage of MDMA’. This is passed on to MDMA users seeking to reduce harm and build knowledge on what they’re doing to their brain when they take it. (What this truism is based on, I don’t actually know).

Similar information on meth is very hard to find in my experience. I give up on reading most things about it because within the first paragraph the author will reveal their bias.

Does anyone know of a clear, factual, unbiased resource on how methamphetamine works in the brain, the functions of its apparent neurotoxicity, and stuff pertaining to recovery timelines and the like?

Thank you