Master Plants & Huachuma
Many curanderos and shamans throughout the world share the belief that for every illness and every problem, somewhere in the world exists a plant that is the cure. In most tribal cultures plants are woven into their everyday lives. It is being used throughout their entire life – from birth to death, for healing, and spiritual purposes.
Plants with special abilities for healing, as well as abilities to open gates to spiritual portals are called ‘power plants’, or ‘master plants’, ‘teacher plants’. These plants are considered to be spiritual healers.
One of the master plants is known to be Huachuma, more commonly referred to as San Pedro. It originates in the Andes and the surrounding desert areas of Peru.
Huachuma is a master plant that is being used for shamanic purposes. Some are considering this plant one of the greatest teachers.
A brew is made from cactus. The three most commonly used cacti are Trichocereus Pachanoi, Echinopsis peruviana, and Echinopsis lageniformis. A thick layer of the skin is used in the preparation, though other plant ingredients can be added.
Huachuma or San Pedro cactus is principally composed of mescaline – a psychedelic alkaloid that is also found in Peyote (another psychedelic cactus from North America, is widely used in Mexico in Shamanic practices).
Mescaline itself is non-toxic and non-addictive. The effects of Mescaline have been described as “empathogenic (said to be similar to MDMA) and potentially life-changing, healing, promoting radical introspection and sense of wonder and awe”.
A short history of Huachuma/San Pedro
Huachuma is one of Peru’s most sacred plants. Along with Ayahuasca, coca leaves, and tobacco. The use of Huachuma in Peru can be traced 4000 years back.
Huachuma has been called ‘San Pedro’ by Spanish people. After the Spanish occupation occurred, they experienced Huachuma and gave it the name of ‘San Pedro’, which means Saint Peter – the Christian saint that holds the key to heaven. It has been said since that the use of Huachuma – San Pedro – can help users to reach Heaven while on Earth.
Huachuma & its healing properties
Huachumeros (people who serve Huachuma) lead Huachuma ceremonies up to this day for the same reasons that their ancestors did: to communicate with nature and learn from it, for prayer, for gaining access to the spiritual world, expanding consciousness and healing on physical, emotional or/and spiritual levels. Huachumeros mainly work in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
What do people report after Huachuma ceremonies? Some report feelings of inspiration, having spiritual or out-of-the-body and mind experience, creativity flow, heart-opening, healing of trauma, personal transformation, self-realization, freedom from depression and anxiety, healing PTSD, mood disorders, chronic pain, and various addictions. We can also find reports of “miracle healings” with the use of San Pedro, Huachuma. Such as sudden healing from cancer, infertility, chronic issues, severe depression, and more.
Huachuma cactus has powerful antimicrobial properties. It has the potential of preventing the growth of more than a dozen strains of penicillin-resistant bacteria.
Medical research has shown that usage of Huachuma can lower high blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease. It has anti-inflammatory properties, can treat nervous conditions, anxiety, depression, hypertension.
Huachuma Ceremony, ingestion, lessons
It has been said that the goal of huachumeros is to make a participant BLOOM. Bloom with a meaning to open like a flower, open their subconscious mind & look deep inside of it.
Huachuma is ingested as a tea or dried powder, which is often mixed with water. By many it is being said that it feels easier to ingest tea rather than the dried powder, however, the powder is often found to be more potent. Tea or powder is made from the most potent parts of the cactus.
The effects can take from 30 to 90 minutes to begin and typically can last around 12 up to 14 or even 16 hours. It is a plant medicine with a long effect. There lies power in the long duration of the Huachuma ceremony. The journey that lasts around 12 hours can bring to the surface many hidden traumas, pains, treasures, and gifts. The waves of its intensity give us space and time to do the work that we come here to do through plant medicines.
Users are asked to prepare themselves for the ceremony with cleansing, special diet restrictions or even fasting in the days before the ceremony.
Traditionally, huachumeros hold ceremonies during the nighttime, but Huachuma hikes have been rising in popularity, due to the long duration of the effects of the medicine, energy boost that the medicine often gives, and a feeling of a pilgrimage walk, which brings something special and unique to the journey.
Depending on the potency of the medicine, Huachuma can produce visions and dream-like states. During Huachuma experiences many users have received valuable lessons, gained clarity, guidance, breakthroughs, healing, awareness of their divinity, unity, and ego dissolution. People attending ceremonies also report meeting their spirit guides, ancestors, spirit animals, and otherworldly beings who help them in some way. People also experience heightened senses, waves of emotions, a sense of being connected with everything, with all life, bliss-like states, gratitude, heightened levels of consciousness.
Huachuma has been called “grandfather medicine” and people often report feeling the spirit of grandfather very present during their experiences. The medicine brings the wisdom & lessons of the grandfather, in Spanish called Abuelo, and these lessons can be accessed through consumption of this ancestral and very sacred plant medicine.
Summary
Huachuma is often described as a spiritual, transcendental, enlightening, awakening, healing, and transformative experience. It is an expansion of a heart center. A powerful connection with the Universe, Heaven, Spirit World & the Earth.
The embodiment of the Huachuma process is a long one. It takes endurance. However, Huachuma is a very sacred & strong medicine that deserves great respect for its valuable wisdom, great teachings, incredible healing potential & opening the gateway to the heart space.
We hold great gratitude & respect for Huachuma, and those who work with Huachuma or have experienced Huachuma ceremonies often share this same feeling of great gratitude and respect. The grandfather spirit of Huachuma becomes a loving guide and a great teacher in your life after you have consumed it.
Working with this sacred medicine can help heal many traumas, connect deeper with your purpose, reawaken inspiration and creativity, and remember your divinity.
We believe that natural medicines such as Huachuma can help us remember. Remember the truth of who we are, where we came from, help us remember our divine purpose, and the unique gifts that we each have. It helps us remember to take care of Mother Earth and each other. It helps us heal, and we believe that we make it possible for others to heal when we heal ourselves. When we come back to ourselves, we help others come back home to themselves. When we end the suffering and start living life being wildly alive, deeply in love, present, creative, empowered, shining brightly in our light – we permit others to do the same.
Are you interested in retreats with the medicine of San Pedro? Book a call to learn more https://calendly.com/dadirria/learnmore
