Healing Shamans of Peru and Their Use of San Pedro

What is San Pedro?

San Pedro is a type of cactus native to the Andes Mountains that has psychoactive chemicals naturally produced. The psychoactive alkaloid in the San Pedro cactus is mescaline, this alkaloid will cause an intense trip similar to LSD or psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical in hallucinogenic mushrooms. The San Pedro cactus also goes by many other names, Trichocereus Pachanoi, being it's scientific name (Dobkin 191).

How is San Pedro Used to Heal?

The cactus San Pedro is eaten every night by shamans in Peru who heal people physically and mentally. The cactus can be ate raw or boiled into tea for a more pleasant experience (Waal, 2020). The cactus is also ate/drank by the patient as long as they are medically able, reasons not to would be would be pregnancy, heart problems, and seizures (Hamilton's pharmacopeia: The Cactus Apprentice). Shamans will take San Pedro and then diagnose their patients, these diagnosis can be anything from bad parenting to a spirit to physical illness. "Although the Peruvian coastal peasant recognizes empirical etiology of disease, ultimate cause of illness is a supernatural one" (Dobkin 191). This is what keeps shamans helping people, they heal the mind and beliefs of a patient, not just focusing on the physical ailments.

San Pedro's use in X-rays

San Pedro is not just taken at night with the patients it can also be taken before guinea pig x-rays, a process where a guinea pig is dragged along the body and the examined to see what is the problem with the patient. It is believed that guinea pigs are very sensitive and they can tell if something is wrong in a patients body just by being in contact with it. (Hamilton's pharmacopeia: The Cactus Apprentice). The guinea pig is killed and it's intestines and body are examined and the patients health is determined by the guinea pigs health ie. the guinea pigs bladder is swollen so the patient is taking too many prescriptions medications resulting in their bladder being harmed. The psychedelic effects of San Pedro assist the shaman in being able to read the patients future as well. Alcohol is blown out of the shamans mouth onto the intestines while the shaman asks questions about the patients future, after the intestines are thrown into a bucket of water and observed the shaman can see the future of the patient. (Hamilton's pharmacopeia: The Cactus Apprentice).

Incorporating Christianity into Peruvian Shamanism

When preforming the rituals of cleansing and healing the shamans are praying to figures such as the Romain Catholic saints, Christ, and the holy virgin. (Davis 373).

Works Cited

Davis, E. Wade. “SACRED PLANTS OF THE SAN PEDRO CULT.” Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University, vol. 29, no. 4, Harvard University Herbaria, 1983, pp. 367–86, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41762855.

Dobkin, Marlene. “Trichocereus Pachanoi: A Mescaline Cactus Used in Folk Healing in Peru.” Economic Botany, vol. 22, no. 2, New York Botanical Garden Press, 1968, pp. 191–94, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4252948.

Morris, H. (n.d.). Hamilton's Pharmacopeia: The cactus Apprentice. episode.

Seer, B., About Balam SeerBalam is descended from a lineage of medicine women from Mexico and Guatemala from his mothers' side. His great, & View all posts by Balam Seer →. (2021, June 18). The beginner's guide to healing with Huachuma (san pedro). EntheoNation. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://entheonation.com/blog/beginners-guide-huachuma-san-pedro/.

Waal, S. (2020, October 1). Tripping on san pedro: Everything you need to know. Azarius. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://azarius.net/academy/azarius-blog/tripping-on-san-pedro-everything-you-need-to-know.