Very Intense Stuff

Huasca Brew (Syrian Rue, B. caapi, & P. viridis)

Citation: Andy Pacer. "Very Intense Stuff: An Experience with Huasca Brew (Syrian Rue, B. caapi, & P. viridis) (exp22348)". Erowid.org . Jun 2, 2003. erowid.org/exp/22348

DOSE:

1 Tbsp oral Syrian Rue (tea) 3.0 g oral Banisteriopsis caapi (tea) 6.0 g oral Psychotria viridis (tea)

BODY WEIGHT: 124 lb

Preparation: My friend and I first crushed up 2tbsp of Syrian Rue Seeds, this proved to be difficult since we didn't have any proper device. We tried a makeshift mortar & pistol, which worked ok, and then we put the seeds in 5 layers of zip lock bags and smashed them with a hammer. We would then separate the powder from the seed with a sifter. In the end we weren't satisfied that we had crushed every seed, so we just put all the seed and powder together. We then took about 12g of P. viridis whole dried leaves, and put it in a pot with 4 cups of water. We threw in the Syrian, and about 6g of shredded B. caapi. We let the mixture boil until about all but 1 cup of water had evaporated. We then strained the mixture, and put the liquid brew into a small bowl. We put then put the mixture of herbs back into the pot with another 4 cups of water and strained it again when about 3 cups evaporated.T+0:00 We let the brew cool down in the fridge before we drank it. It had the worst taste of my life. It was extremely bitter but wasn't hard to get down since there was only about a cup to drink. My friend had a harder time as he took smaller gulps. The taste in my mouth went away quite quick, and didn't make me nauseous at all. We then went to my room.Setting: My room has a large couch comfortable for two, a TV and surround speakers, and a computer. The lights weren't anything special, a white light, and some normal more yellow ones. The music was a mix of ambient electronic, and alternative. The TV remained off until the end.T+0:30 Effects came on suddenly. We were worried about taking too much, and then not enough. But now we realized the effects were very real. At first I felt very light headed and a started feeling disconnected from reality. We started laughing at everything, and making jokes. It was very euphoric. Soon though the effects got stronger and I was a bit uneasy. My heart started beating a lot faster and I didn't know whether I liked the feeling. I figured this was simply the 'detached, not in control' feeling that my body wasn't used too. My friend however, didn't feel any of this, and was quite blissful.T+0:45 I started calming down and just went with the effects. My friend told me to look at the ceiling. He said it was moving. I looked up and started staring. Shapes and colors started appearing. I saw what looked to be figures standing around me; it wasn't really a hallucination, more just my imagination playing with the tiles on the roof. I still however felt like these inanimate creations had 'being' to them; like I was in a room with lots of people. My friend said that he saw the roof kind of cave in, so like the roof was concave in parts. I also at one point felt like the roof was changing, it felt like it was suddenly lower; like the whole room was smaller; almost like everything was smaller and so was I, like a little ant in a match box. The feeling eventually went away, and didn't last long. Colors also started changing slightly. The right side of the room would look very red at times. Also appetite was completely suppressed.T+1:00 Talking seemed very difficult. And keeping my mind on one subject was getting harder. I suggested we go upstairs and get my dads video camera, because we might want to see what the experience looked like from the outside later. Euphoria had set in completely. And when my mind wasn't racing, it would stop and everything would be 'perfect'. Up until now we were listening to an ambient electronic song my friend had created. It sounded amazing, but after about 6 times on repeat, we put Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92, which proved to be the best music to listen to on Psychoactives (as I have heard)(Though it was a little annoying on Weed). Around this time my sister came in to record a CD on my computer. I had asked her to stay out. She knew what we were doing and was pretty comfortable with it. I felt very detached from her like she was in a different world. It was very trippy. I was quite comfortable with her being around. But looking back I think it would have been better (less distracting) if she wasn't there. My friend felt uncomfortable with her being there at first, but the feeling soon subsided.T+1:30 We decided that it would be ok to go get my dads camera now. Upstairs there was no noise (downstairs there was a constant humming from the PC and the CD player that I usually don't notice, but now I did) this allowed auditory distortions to manifest themselves much clearer. Though I didn't have any hallucinations, everything sounded much different. Music sometimes seemed out of pitch. When I talked it would echo like a high -- very metallic -- reverb was on my voice. I also found that I repeated myself when I talked. Not as if I just said the same things twice, but just that at the end of my sentences I would echo the last word, this seemed to be because the last word I would say would echo in my head. Other words echoed in my head too, so from time to time I would just say them, as it seemed comfortable. By this time keeping one train of thought was impossible.It was as if my thoughts all went in cycles of which I had no control over. This made things like 'mundane tasks' almost impossible, for example getting my dads camera. I would think we needed to go get it, but then my thoughts would change and it would seem dumb, or I would forget. When my thoughts went full cycle I would remember, and again say we needed to go get it. Eventually we did. But then trying to work it was impossible. It took me about 20 minutes just to plug it in. Then when it was taping, I would think 'I need to put this on a stand' but soon my thoughts would change, so Id just set it down on the couch letting it waste tape, filming nothing. Eventually I put it on a stand.T+2:00 We changed the music from Aphex Twin to my own album I had just finished recording. The album was very light rock. I didn't like so much of what was being played, but my friend thought it was great. My sense of touch seemed greatly increased and playing with things in my hands seemed quite pleasing. At one point i picked up a cold piece of cooked cauliflower and it seemed to have the coolest texture.Time at this point was quite abstract. It seemed to slow down a lot. And now looking back it seems like a blur.T+3:00 My sister had left now and me and my friend were left to listen to music and our thoughts. Talking dropped off and many thoughts whirred around in my head. I discovered many things during this period, and for the rest of the night. These thoughts still are with me and Im still thinking about the night. There wasn't much blurring of vision at all, which was quite weird, it made it so that the rest of the world was detached, yet not detached. My friend started having scary thoughts about life and even cried for a short period. I only found this out the next day. He could only recall one of the 'disturbing' memories, which makes me wonder if he was receiving suppressed feelings.T+4:00 We decided to put on a movie, Waking Life seemed suitable since it was colorful, kind of trippy, and it didnt matter if we missed certain scenes since there is no huge plot. In retrospect I wish we had watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. We didn't talk much during this time. At one point I let the movie continue but changed from the movies soundtrack, to Radiohead: Kid A. I didn't particularly enjoy this music either, and preferred Aphex Twin. Sometime during the movie, I thought ice cream would be really nice, so i went upstairs and got some. The ice cream tasted extremely good, not only in taste, but texture too.T+4:30 The effects now were slightly wearing off. This lead to more of an 'impaired' feeling, then a before, and I disliked that a little. Things that I'd laugh at, i would suddenly feel dumb for laughing at, whereas before there was no mixed feelings. My friend realized he had planned to go home tonight, but was now wondering in how long, because he thought the effects would be gone by now. This made his uncomfortable, and is a reminder to us to not have any 'plans' or things you need to do while on such substances, for they can bring you down.T+5:30 The movie was over and we simply laid there as if to sleep, but without sleeping. I wasn't tired at all really, but I felt very impaired and I didn't like the feeling so much at this point. My friend was tired but thinking he needed to stay awake to drive home kept him up.T+6:00 I went to bed and my friend decided he would stay and go to sleep as well. Sleeping proved a little difficult, but not overly.The next morning we both woke up at 8, and on a Saturday that was very, very uncommon. We stayed up all day. For me there were still effects from the night before. In the early hours I felt very mellow and light. Later we both focused a lot of attention on remembering the night before and examining it. I however also had a feeling of which I can't quite explain. I felt in some ways bad about the night, not like I had done something bad, but like it had changed me. Consciously I thought it changed me for the better. But I still simply felt just kind of 'blah' - not myself - the whole night, and figured it might have had something to do with the night. Today I feel great.We both completely loved the experience and will try it again in the not so distant future I imagine.