Peru

Many travelers to Peru to change their lives or even their minds forever. The psychotropic medicines on offer can send you on a voyage within a voyage but go easy, shamanism really isn’t for everyone.

Coca leaves

Coca leaves are not really a “drug” as such, as the effects are something similar to caffeine in the raw, natural state. “Mate de coca,” or coca tea, is common throughout Peru and is a very mild form of the plant, helping to increase energy and deal with altitude problems.

The leaves are much more powerful if ‘chewed’ (the process is more like turning the leaves in the mouth over and over with the tongue and occasionally adding sodium bicarbonate to isolate the cocaine). When chewed, coca provides a strong energy boost and eliminates hunger and thirst. It’s excellent for hard treks or climbs in the Andes but makes you lose your teeth and drains your kidneys.

San Pedro

Editor’s note: Be warned, San Pedro is not a substance for beginners. Only seasoned pyschedlic space cadets should go anywhere near it.

San Pedro is a cactus that grows everywhere in Peru. It’s easiest to find it in the low parts of the Andes, rarely growing above 2500 meters. The process is to pick a plant with 5 or 7 sections (which is the traditional method to control over-harvesting) and peel off the tough skin.

The thin green section just underneath is very rich in mescaline, and can be cooked into a tea (for 6 hours) or dried to have a more concentrated effect. It takes about 45 minutes for the cactus to take effect once ingested and it’s common to vomit.

The experience can be deeply spiritual and insightful and it’s important that you take it in a positive state of mind. As the mescaline increases the effect of light, the sunset and nighttime stars can blow your mnd. High in the Andes is an excellent place to try the cactus but be ready for extreme cold.

Ayahuaska

Editor’s note: Ayahuasca is serious shamanic medicine. Don’t take it on a stoned whim.

Ayahuasca may now be in fashion in alternative scenes around the world but is still an unknown ‘menace’ to governments around the world.

The process for finding and extracting Ayahuaska is something of a mystery as tribal shamans protect the plant for their own use and that of the tribe. There are places where backpackers can purchase a shamanic experience, though you should be careful who you go with. Ayahuasca can take you to other shamanic worlds and there’s no guarantee that you’ll return in one piece.

Other herbs

Peru has a wide variety of miscellaneous plants, trees, and animals that by consuming will make you hallucinate. For god’s sake be careful if you try any one of these if you don’t want to be running around as a mad-man in the jungle for the rest of your short-lived life.

Alcohol and weed

No problems here. Alcohol is extremely plentiful, many local people in the mountains and jungle making their own hooch out of whatever they may have. The national brews are much safer.

Pot is everywhere and if you just walk around someone will probably ask you if you want some. Learn the prices or you will get badly ripped off

M.J Lloyd was born and raised on a small farm in rural Ohio. At the age of 18 he hit the road to Alaska with a meager savings and no plan. Over the next 2 years he wandered in search of real answers and a livable life. The journey has taken him through three continents, various loves, battles with the loneliness and insanity of the road, and extreme poverty. Though the lessons haven’t been easy, he has learned much from the trail, and has reached a much happier and more peaceful understanding on the nature of his life.

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