24) w03

THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEWVolume XII, Number 4 Winter Solstice 2003 ISSN 1066-1913

The Journal of Unauthorized Research on Visionary Plants and Drugs

ETHNOGARDEN BOTANICALSPOB 27048

Barrie, ON L4M-6K4CANADA

[email protected]

ETHNOGARDENBOTANICALS

Offering you rare and sacred plants,herbs, seeds, and extracts

from around the globe!

Tabernanthe iboga productsLophophora williamsii cacti

Sceletium tortuosumAyahuasca herbsResin Extracts

Dry extractsErythroxylum novogranatense seeds

and many other rare and hard to find plants.

Payment accepted includesVISA, MasterCard, American Express, and money order by mail.

Wholesale inquiries welcome and encouraged. Please call for catalog: (705) 735-0540.

Sources also welcome to contact us offering supply.

http://ethnogarden.com

CONTENTS

The King of Blotter Art: Mark McCloud Speaks 109

The History of the First Salvia divinorum PlantsCultivated Outside of Mexico 117

Documentary Fundraising:Ann & Sasha: A Chemical Love Story 119

Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation: Means and Benefits 120

Network Feedback 132

Memantine Hydrochloride: A Few Words of Caution 132

Enzymes, Metabolism, and Bioavailability 134

Butorphanol 135

Events Calendar 136

Sources 137

Book Review 139

Bibliography 140

Index 141

Disclaimer:Disclaimer:Disclaimer:Disclaimer:Disclaimer: Information presented in The Entheogen Review comes frommany different sources and represents the opinions and beliefs of a highly diversegroup of individuals. The Entheogen Reviews editors assume no responsibility forthe accuracy of any claims or representations presented in the text, illustrations, oradvertisements of this journal, nor do they encourage illegal activities of any type.Manufacture, possession, or sale of a controlled substance is a crime that can resultin a lengthy prison term and significant fines.

Statement of Purpose:Statement of Purpose:Statement of Purpose:Statement of Purpose:Statement of Purpose: This journal is a clearinghouse for current dataabout the use of visionary plants and drugs. Think of it as a community of subscrib-ers seeking and sharing information on the cultivation, extraction, and ritual use ofentheogens. All communications are kept in strictest confidencepublishedmaterial is identified by the authors initials and state of residence (pseudonym orname printed on request only). The mailing list (kept encrypted) is not for sale,rent, or loan to anyone for any reason.

Submissions:Submissions:Submissions:Submissions:Submissions: Your input is what keeps this journal alive. Dont hesitate toshare your experiences, inspirations, and questions. Confidentiality respected; af-ter transcription, all correspondence is shredded and recycled or incinerated. Al-though we may edit for brevity or clarity, keep those fascinating letters coming in!

Subscriptions:Subscriptions:Subscriptions:Subscriptions:Subscriptions: $25.00 (USA), $35.00 (foreign) for one year (four issues). Cash,check or money order made out to The Entheogen Review should be sent to The En-theogen Review, POB 19820, Sacramento, CA 95819. Please notify us if your addresschanges.

Back-issues:Back-issues:Back-issues:Back-issues:Back-issues: A limited supply of back-issues of The Entheogen Review areavailable. See www.entheogenreview.com for descriptions and prices.

Copyright 20032004 by The Entheogen Review. Nothing in this journal may be reproducedin any manner, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the editors. All rightsreserved. All advertising and advertised products void where prohibited.

The Entheogen ReviewThe Entheogen ReviewThe Entheogen ReviewThe Entheogen ReviewThe Entheogen ReviewThe Journal of Unauthorized Research

on Visionary Plants and Drugs

Editor:Editor:Editor:Editor:Editor: David Aardvark

Technical Editor:Technical Editor:Technical Editor:Technical Editor:Technical Editor: K. Trout

Copy Editor:Copy Editor:Copy Editor:Copy Editor:Copy Editor: E.V. Love

ContributorsContributorsContributorsContributorsContributorsMark McCloud

Jon HannaDaniel J. Siebert

Connie LittlefieldTyler D. Flyer

LazyveganA.Q., TXD.H., CA

Jay Yasgur, R.Ph, M.Sc.

Design & LayoutDesign & LayoutDesign & LayoutDesign & LayoutDesign & Layout

Soma Graphics

AddressAddressAddressAddressAddressThe Entheogen Review

POB 19820Sacramento, CA 95819

USA

WebWebWebWebWeb

www.entheogenreview.com

Front CoverFront CoverFront CoverFront CoverFront CoverBlotter Collage

by Mark McCloud

Back CoverBack CoverBack CoverBack CoverBack CoverMayan Blotter

by Mark McCloud

109THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW, POB 19820, SACRAMENTO, CA 95819-0820, USA

VOLUME XII, NUMBER 4 WINTER SOLSTICE 2003

The King of Blotter Art:Mark McCloud Speaks

Interviewed by Jon Hanna

MARK MCCLOUD is a 50-year-old artist and former art professor who has thelargest collection of LSD blotter art in the world. This art collection has causedMCCLOUD to be busted (and acquitted) twice on charges of conspiracy to distrib-ute LSD: first in 1992, and then more recently in 2000. Having dodged a Federalconviction two times may be more unlikely than lightning striking the same spottwice. MARK told me that, historically speaking, the Feds rarely lose their drugcases: They dont want to put up a fight unless they feel confident of a convic-tion. His most recent trial took place in the conservative Midwest, in Kansas City.MARK believes that the prosecutors made a strategic blunder when they arguedthe legal merits of their case during the first half of the trial, and presented theevidence during the second half. Hundreds of framed blotter art images were freshlyimprinted on the jurors minds just before they left to deliberate. It wasnt possiblethat they could see these as anything other than art. The judge wasnt pleased.When the verdict was read, MARK jumped up with arms open and rushed towardsthe jurors, as if to give them all a big hug. Mr. MCCLOUD, if there is one word outof you, Ill hold you in contempt and throw you in jail, justice GARY FENNER snarled.MARK considered for only a couple of seconds. He had been facing a life in prison,and now the judge felt that a few days in jail was some kind of threat? Yourhonor, MARK spoke up slowly and clearly, Where Im from, when someone savesyour life, you thank them.

With his generous heart, MARK is some-one that you immediately fall in lovewith. His abilities as a raconteur rivalSPAULDING GRAY, TERENCE MCKENNA, orNICK SAND. You can listen enthralled forhours to all manner of stories, as timeslips away unnoticed. For example, herecently told me about how politiciansin a specific area of South America taketheir job more seriously than those inthe United States do, because if thetownspeople are displeased at the endof the politicians terms, they will stripthem naked, smear honey on their geni-tals, tie them to trees, and let the squir-rels feast on their scrotums. I protest.But with a twinkle in his eye, MCCLOUDswears that it is indeed true. And some-how, I almost believe him.

I met up with MARK at his Victorianhouse in San Franciscoperhaps morereasonably described as a museum, con-sidering the high ceilings and walls withevery inch covered in all manner of art.Of course, much of this was blotter art,some of which still sported the DEA evi-dence stickers from his past run-ins. Ona rainy winter day, we chatted about psy-chedelic art, LSD, and some of his cur-rent projects. His new business, BLOT-TER BARN, produces beautiful, giganticgiclee art prints, in signed, limitededitions, of enlarged blotter hits andsheets. Talk about inducing macroscopicvisions

152

THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW, POB 19820, SACRAMENTO, CA 95819-0820, USA


TIHKAL 17, 66, 67, 91Tiller, William 31Timberwolf Gardens 18TMA 98TMA-2 18tobacco 2, 4, 10, 13, 21, 22, 29, 33, 55, 59, 72, 73, 92tolerance 20, 61, 97, 132toloache 11Tomaselli, Fred 31, 106Torbugesic 135Torbutrol 135Torres, C.M. 55, 76Torres, Sebastian 28Tourettes Syndrome-like 89Toward a Science of Consciousness 136Trachelospermum jasminoides 99Traffic 5Trametes sanguinea 59trance 21transdermal 23, 97Trichocereus peruvianus 138trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine 49Trip 37, 100Tripatourium 38tropine 11Trout, K. 20, 43, 60, 61, 63, 64, 67tryptamine(s) 49, 59, 61, 63, 135Tum Krabok 29tumor 96Tunneshende, Merilyn 101turmeric rhizome extract 71Turnera aphrodisiaca 138Tuth-Shena, Lady 10Twain, Mark 18

U

UCLA Botanical Garden 118ueraria flower 72Ulmus species 128Uncle Fester 98Unio do Vegetal 67Urban Shaman 138urination 135

V

V.G., NH 61, 65Valds, Leander 37, 117Vamana Purana 11vaporizer 32, 33, 34, 36, 73, 74, 102Venosa, Robert 31, 101vermiculite 83Verordnung (EWG) 49, 76vertigo 11, 13Viagra 134vicodin 60Vietnam War 5vinegar 30, 99vinpocetine 73Virola 53

Visionary Garden, NH 97Vissell, Barry 101vitamin(s) 71, 72, 73, 86, 95, 96Voacanga africana 30, 60, 61, 99voacangine-7-hydroxyindolenine 99vobasine 99Volcano Inhalator 73, 74Volkow, Nora 77Vollenweider, F.X. 80, 108, 136vomit 15, 49, 71, 90, 91, 98Von Reis, S. 9, 10, 40

W

Waizmann, Samuel 31Walker, George R. 59Walnut 128War on Drugs 1, 5, 102, 103Warhol, Andy 115Warter, Carlos 136Washington Post, The 115Wasson and Hofmann (Salvia divinorum strain) 117Wasson, R.G. 41, 42, 44, 76, 117, 118, 140Watt, Darcy J. 38Webb, Craig 31Wesselman, Hank 101White, Eric 5White, William E. 38Whitehouse, Steve 36Wilde, Oscar 1Willow 128Willy 55Wilson, Pamela 101Winfrey, Oprah 79winged disk 42Winnie the Pooh 113Winters, Wallace 31witchcraft 9, 101Withania somnifera 60withdrawal 29, 60Wogg, P.E. 28, 40Wolinsky, Stephen 136Womens Christian Temperance Union 4Woodring, Jim 103

Y

yaa baa (methamphetamine) 92Yahya, R.A. 40Yasgur, Jay 140Yew 128yoga 7, 70Yoga of Herbs, The 15yohimbe 27yopo (Anadenanthera perigrina) 22, 53

Z

Ziziphus jujuba (Chinese dates) 22Zohar, Danah 136Zvosec, Deborah L. 31

110



Jon: I love this idea of the giant blotter. Its genius, really.Youre gonna make your mint on it.

Mark: Yeah, we thought that every bar should have one.Heres the funny thing. I showed them at this art space theother night, and the staffwho werent familiar with blot-terasked if they were stereograms. You know, that type ofart that you sort of view with crossed eyes, and a hiddenimage eventually pops out of it. A lot of those images have apsychedelic blotter art feel to them.

Jon: Right. Perhaps thats an example of the mall mental-ity as a means to relate to blotter art. Those stereogramsused to be popular on poster art in the malls of America. Sokids who didnt grow up with LSD blotter art still have a naveway to understand it, by lumping it into the arena ofstereogram art.

Mark: Thats a really good analogy. And I like it that way,where people can still enjoy the images, but not have thestigma that is sometimes attached to blotter art. Or the lifein prison. [laughs]

Jon: Which of course brings to mind the idea that someoneshould put stereogram images on blotters.

Mark: Well, you know, Thomas Lyttle actually did one ofthose. He unfortunately didnt invent one, he just grabbed acomputer program off of a Mac. But one of those signedsixthe first vanity blotter, produced solely as a collect-ible due to the autographs on itthat Lyttle did is a stereo-gramthis little pink thing. Its off-center, because he hadto square it up to fit the format. But its still cool.

Jon: The other computer software that might be exploitedin creating new blotter art is that Photomosaic technologydeveloped by Robert Silvers, where he takes many smallimages and manipulates them as components to form alarger image.

Mark: Oh yeah, I love that guys stuff. I have a MAD Maga-zinetheir 400th Moronic Issue from December of 2000where they used that process. They grabbed a bunch ofimages of past covers and other art from the zine and madea big head of Alfred E. Newman.

Jon: Recently it was suggested to me that there may beblotter going around that doesnt contain LSD, but ratherwhich contains ergine being passed off as LSD. What are yourthoughts about that?

Mark: How would that work? How do you get ergine into asolution where one hit is enough of a dose?

Jon: Well, its supposed to be about a tenth as active as LSDis, right? So someone could certainly get 500 micrograms,or a milligram, or a bit more, onto a hit of blotter.

Mark: I think that theres another thing going on that moreeasily explains differences in effect from LSD. There are twostages in the completion of an LSD synthesis process. Thefirst involves turning the ergotamine tartrate into a psyche-delic oil. And then from that, the oil is refined into a crystal.And what has been the custom in the last fifteen years,is to use the oil itself, rather than taking the extra work toproduce the crystal. Thats whats going on.

ALSO COME TO INTERHANF! SEPTEMBER 1012, 2004BERLIN, GERMANY SEE WWW.INTERHANF.COM



Jon: Do you think that this is the reason that some peoplereport that the quality of LSD is not as good as it was back inthe 1960s?

Mark: Thats one thing that may be contributing to such anattitude. But then there is also the dosage. Believe it or not, Ithink that the weakest hit I ever saw in the 1960s had to be150 mics, or maybe about 100 mics, with some of those win-dowpanes. And back in those days we usually took around500 mics. So thats the difference.

Jon: Is there some difference chemically between the oil andthe crystal? Or is this just a physical thing, like water andice, andif sowhy would that make a difference in theeffect?

Mark: The time it takes to come on to the effects from theoil is a lot longer in duration. The crystal acts faster. But, theoil is actually higher in psychedelic properties than the crys-tal. And thats one of the reasons that underground chem-ists stopped refining it to crystal. So it is the same chemical,but like you suggest with the water and ice analogy, it is in adifferent stage.

Jon: So perhaps the stage that it is in is causing somemanner of difference in how it is absorbed?

Mark: That may be possible, and that could also be whysome people report that they cant get off as strongly as theyused to in the 1960s. It doesnt come on as fast, and it isprovided in a lower dose unit. It could be.

But heres my other theory about the complaints that acidisnt as good these days as it was back in the 1960s. Back then,our brains synapses werent all fucked up from doing a lotof cocaine. They werent all blocked from ten years of doingbad coke.

Jon: That might fit with my own experience, in that Ive neverdone a lot of cocainebarely any reallyand I have neverdone a lot of speed. Now, I wasnt doing acid in the 1960s, soI cant make a comparison. But when I have done LSD, Ivehad full-blown psychedelic trips, and it has always been thesame, keeping in mind some variation from set and settingof course. I have never gotten any bad acid, and all of theacid that I have taken has produced the exact same spectrumof effects as all of the other acid that I have taken. I some-times get into discussions with old-timers about the newacid, or the bad acid that is on the street these days, and I

just dont comprehend what they are saying, because if I takeenough of the 50-microgram (or so) hits that are availablethese days, I always have a full-blown psychedelic trip that issimilar in effects to all of my other trips. But of course, notall of the old timers glorify the 1960s acid. Some who I havespoken with feel that todays acid taken in the right doseproduces identical effects.

Mark: Well, you know, there are libraries of vintages frommany different years, including a lot of the older stuff thatwas produced in the 1960s, that people still have in theircollections. So it is pretty easy to compare the older stuff tothe more recent hits.

Jon: And what is your feeling regarding such comparisons?

Mark: That its just the dose that people are taking. Thatdosage is the main difference between the so-called goodacid of the 1960s and the so-called bad acid availabletoday. People making a comparison to the stuff from the1960s simply arent taking a high enough dose of the cur-rently available material. That, and perhaps their synapsesare fried from coke abuse.

Jon: So if you take a golden oldie on one day, and enoughof some contemporary material to produce a dose of equalpotency on another day, your feeling is that there reallywouldnt be any difference?

Mark: Yes, I think that they would produce the same effects.They would be the same deal. But see, Im not a snob. I dohave friends that are real snobs about this sort of thing, andtheyll only take a certain type of crystal. But I know better.And also, the effects have nothing to do with the color of thedose, for example, which some people still believe.

Jon: That idea about the color of the dose producing differ-ent effects is related to test marketing that Owsley was saidto have done, right? Its been said that he dyed the same crys-talline material five different colors, stuck this into gel caps,and then sent it out to see what the consumer liked best. Anddifferent colors got different reviews. Red was supposedto be too mellow, green too speedy, and blue the happymedium. But it was all the same stuff.

Mark: Right.

Jon: There is an appropriate quote from Abram Hoffer thatwas recently reprinted in Otto Snows new book LSD, where

112



Hoffer said: At 75 mcg some subjects react with a strongexperience and others remain very tense and uncomfortable.At 100 mcg about 75 percent of normal subjects become veryrelaxed and remarkably free of tension. The remainder mayrequire 200 mcg to get the same degree of relaxation. Theremust be a maximum degree of relaxation before the psyche-delic experience is achieved; most subjects have very tense,unpleasant experiences when given too little LSD. Hoffersaid this back in 1967, so it was known back then that lowdoses produced the sort of side effects that some bullheadedold-timers attribute to what they call the bad acid that isproduced these days. So, again, I think that it is the lowerdoses available on todays market that are primarily respon-sible for the difference in effect, and even for the increasedside effects that some of these old-timers report. As well, allof the side effects that are said to be due to the impure,or bad acid of today, were reported by some patients inthe early literature from the 1950s: nausea, cramping,stimulationthis stuff is nothing new.

Mark: Now, I would say that all acid is alike, except forthat Ronnie Stark acid. That shit was definitely from an-other planet. Ronnies acid forget about it! It was like be-ing shot out of a fucking cannonreally. And people mightsay, Nah, thats just due to the high doses. But I dont knowthat I can agree in this case. There was something about thatacidfive minutes after taking it you could hear somethinghappening to you, and within a half an hour you had noth-ing to do with this level of reality at all.

Jon: Was it maybe a different chemical altogether?

Mark: No, I dont think so. But it was something so well fin-ished that it just coupled to you in a way unlike anything else.Thats the one that I saw change more lives than any other.Unfortunately, a lot of those people ended up in asylums.

Jon: [laughs] So it wasnt necessarily a change for the good?

Mark: No, because it was such a transforming experiencethat it took years for them to integrate it. I talked to poetJohn Giorno about this, because John had tried that acidwith Ron, back in 1965, and he said, Ron was the walrus.

Jon: But you dont think that this was just a dose-relatedthing, with people taking really high doses?

Mark: I dont know. But I have said this to several people,and every once in a while someone will reply, Dude, youre

right! I tried that acid. And that was the weirdest acid that Iever took, and it was definitely different. The real psyche-delic art that came outwhen things really transformed inthe art worldwas when Ronnie Starks acid was what wasgoing around. Half an hour later you were on a different fuck-ing planet, that had nothing to do with this one here. Thatyou made it back at all, was like a miracle. It was fierce magi-cal stuffthe stuff fables are made of. And I think thats whythe Brotherhood [of Eternal Love] was so successful, be-cause they had that fucking incredible acid of Rons.

I had a life-transforming experience on that acid of RonnieStarks, which changed me around. I was a psychology ma-jor at the time, and by the end of that trip I had become anart major. What I thought people called psychology turnedout to be called art. But, you know, English was my secondlanguage. [laughs] But that experience was really whatsparked my collecting. It was my love for LSD that causedme to think, Hey, I could frame one of these up and changethe context.

Jon: What ever ended up happening with Ron?

Mark: Well, thats one of the great unsolved mysteries ofour time. The government claimed that he died in 1984, butId bet hes still around. One of the fantastic treasures of ourtime was that Ron, apparently before he disappeared intothe Italian Red Brigade, left a trunk full of acid buried inDeath Valley, deep enough so that it would keep well at thelow temperature it was stored at there.

Jon: And thats never been reported as having been found,right? Youre making me want to walk around Death Valleywith a metal detector digging holes. [laughs]

Mark: Dude, Im hoping that its gonna show up on one ofthose aerial photographs someday!

Jon: But that story could just be urban legend.

Mark: Sure, but such legends are often based in truth. Ei-ther way, this is a good one. People who knew Ron have said,Not one trunk of acid, it was TEN trunks of acid. And hewas said to be that kind of a guy. When they arrested him, hewas holding a Bulgarian passport in an Italian prisontheywere holding him as a Red Brigade. And one of the CIA agentsrecognized him and had him brought back here to San Fran-cisco, where he apparently died of that mysterious heartattack that they tend to get [laughs], but no one ever saw



the body. I bet they let him walk.

Jon: So, the last time I saw you, we were discussing a bookproject that you were working on, related to blotter art.

Mark: Sure, thats my dream book, which I am still workingon. It deals with the history of blotter paper as an art. Werestill struggling with that, and I dont have the contract yet.Im hoping to work with a fabulous English publisher calledSir Edward Booth-Clibborn Editions. Sir Edward, whosnow 84, told me that were gonna do it. So I still have somefaith. But there are possibly some legal troubles with it rightnow. Theres potential copyright problems. How do you getaway with including those images of Mikhail Gorbachevin there? Whats Gorby gonna think? You know, there is aGorby protection league. [laughs]

Jon: It seems as though, from an art historical perspective,that it is unreasonable for copyright issues to create too muchof an obstacle. Perhaps with things like Mickey. The Mousemight be an insurmountable obstacle

Mark: But not really You know that Walt was expelledfrom the Kansas City Art Institute for plagiarism? Andthey still havent paid off their Pooh bill. Disney is beingsued as we speak for Winnie the Pooh, although thats aboutto get settled. They never paid a cent to the copyright holderfor unreported software and video sales.

Anyway, with my dream blotter book, I already have 250pages of it produced, and Sir Edward told me that I can have80 of these perfed, if I want to. They are produced in 8-flats,and he was willing to perf 10 of the flats, which is an incred-ible nightmare of an engineering problem, but what fun! SoI have Paul Mavrides as my book designer, who did theSubGenius books, and then I have Carlo McCormick asmy art hysterical writer, dealing with the aesthetic side ofthings, and then I will write the history side of it.

So thats who Sir Edward is. He did some work on Bag Onewith John Lennon. Hes been around forever, this old-timer.He was Marshall McCluhans sidekick. Hes got the bestart book company in the world.

This editor named Liz Farrelly came out to a blotter showof mine in Los Angeles. She works for ID MagazineInter-national Designand shes done a lot of books with Sir Ed-ward. She worked on a book called Highflyers that came outin 1996, which is about the rave flyers in London. And she

saw the blotter collection and said, Hey dude, come on out.And I said, Yeah, Ill come on out. We were right about toproduce the book, when the bust in 2000 happened. So Ivehad to re-initiate new contracts now, and get everyone in line.

My copyright attorney tells me that there is a realm of foundobjects that can appear in art, where you already know thatthe image is a rip-off. So were hoping that some of these copy-righted images that have appeared on blotter art can be usedin the book and that they will fall under that category ofprotection from lawsuits. The English even have a clause intheir contracts where you have to be sure that what you areproducing doesnt in some manner insult the Queen.

Jon: You could publish the book in Mexico, and then youwouldnt have to worry about copyright laws at all, heh

Mark: But thats not my focus. Im trying to get it out thereas a legitimate art form from a historical perspective. Thebook would be representing a couple hundred anonymousartists, so I have to give them their due respect. I want theirlittle place in history secured. Then after that, sure, let thevanity blotter reign. But these original undergroundartists paid with their nalgas, you know.

Jon: Are you aware of artists whose singular contributionto the art world is blotter art?

Mark: Sure. One of my dearest friends, who I collected formany years before I ever got to meet himhe was also serv-ing a ten-year termis Forester. Hes a very famous guy.He did hundreds of sheets of blotter, and then got busted inthe late 1980s. When he got out, I befriended him. I tookhim to that Tim Leary show that we did, with Tim presid-ing, and he got to see all of his blotter framed up, and hecouldnt believe it. So we became fast friends, and he comesover about once a month and we have serious talks. But thatsall hes ever done, is blotter art. Hes more of a mad scientisttype who out of need got into the art world. But he was turnedon by this guy called The Electric Buddha, who had a zinein the Haight called Stains on Paper, which was published forabout five years during the 1970s.

Theres an idea that some of these underground blotter art-ists now hold to when wholesaling blank sheets. They willcharge $3.00 each if the customer is gonna dip them, and$5.00 each if the customer is going to frame them. Some folkswant to cut the customer a deal if he is going to propagate ahit, since that gives the art a good name on the street.

114



Jon: You have another book project, however,that actually has recently been producedTheBust Book, published with Adam Stanhope ofAcidArtz.com, right?

Mark: Let me tell you a little bit about The BustBook. It begins with the bust of the Eye ofHorusyou know, the Eye in the Pyramidand then it goes all the way up to the bust ofDancing Condoms. And in-between then ithas numerous busts occurring throughout his-tory in the United States, linking my collectionof undipped blotters to these busts all over theU.S. Whats valuable about this book, is that itis actually a history of blotter put together bythe Feds. And it compares perforating machines,not just the artwork.

Jon: So they can more accurately target wherethe undipped blotter may have entered into themarket, by associating it with a specific perfora-tion machine in a certain area?

Mark: Right. They break the history of blotterduring this time into about eleven perforatingmachines, and then classify all of these differ-ent blotter images by associating them with spe-cific perforating machines. Then they also pro-vide the dosage that was on the seized street blot-ter, and the place and date of the seizure.

Jon: Are there some busted hits in there that hadthe same image, but which had been perforatedby two or more different machines?

Mark: Yes, thank God. Whats neat about it isthat you get to see that dosages on the same artalso varytheres some Shields in there thatgo down below 20 mics, and there are others thatare around 80 mics. Theres some other minorclassifications in there too. For example, theressigned blotter, captured in Kings County, froma friend of mine that has the second-largest blot-ter collectiona great guy called Magic Mike.

Jon: The interest in collecting blotter art has re-cently mushroomed into a huge phenomenon.There are many more people collecting it nowthan there were even two or three years ago.

The Bust Book is an amazing collection of drug art. It was enjoyable to flipthe pages and reminisce about which hits I had eaten or seen on the street duringmy younger days. Compiled by the DEA, and used as evidence against MARKMCCLOUD, the facsimile edition produced by ADAM STANHOPE and MCCLOUD isclearly a labor of love. Several mainstream media articles about MCCLOUDS bustand acquittal at the beginning of the oversized binder (gold-foil-stamped on thecover, with an Eye of Horus design) provide a historical account of the case athand. Following this, full-color reproductions from the original evidence book arecarefully contained within 3-hole plastic sleeves. Each has data provided aboutwhat perfing machine was used on the blotter, the evidence number for the bust,a DEA-assigned descriptive name for the sheets, the number of hits seized, thedrug content of the hits, and the date and location of the bust. The earliest bustedsheet of acid is from August of 1982, with the most recent bust (aside from MCCLOUDhimself) being July of 2000. The date on this final bust was interesting; sinceMcCloud himself was busted in February of that year, it would seem that the pros-ecution continued to collect evidence of MCCLOUDS guilt even after they threwhim in jail!

None of the sheets taken from MCCLOUDS home had any LSD on them, and a fewsheets seized from other locations also had no LSD on them. However, the hits thatwere seized that did contain LSD provide some interesting data on the range ofpotency that has been available over the last two decades or so. On the low end,there were sheets of 3-D Cubes and Roses busted in Cave Junction in 1997that only had a trace amount of LSD on them. Other dosed hits weighed in at 48mics (1982), 63 mics (1986), 60 mics (1990), 37 mics (1991), 47 mics (1991), 62mics (1992), 16 mics (1993), 23 mics (1993), 52 mics (1993), 78 mics (1993), 40mics (1994), 51 mics (1994), 61 mics (1994), 69 mics (1994), 78 mics (1995), 63mics (1997), 22 mics (1998), 27 mics (1998), 57 mics (1998), 22 mics (1999), 24mics (1999), 24 mics (1999), 32 mics (2000), 51 mics (2000), with the highestdose being 107 mics (2000) for a hit of Egyptian Eyes. Throwing out the twotrace doses, this leaves 25 busts that the Feds presented specific dose data for,with an overall average dose of 48.56 mics. This is about one-third lower than theaverage 75 mics published by PHARMCHEM based on doses seized between 1969and 1975, although it is worth noting that their results were calculated from alarger sampling of 2,200 doses that, when they contained LSD, ranged from 5 to500 mics (EROWID 2003). Nevertheless, the assumption that todays hit of blotteracid is substantially less potent than that which was going around in the late1960s through the mid-1970s seems to be borne out by the details presented inThe Bust Book.

The format that The Bust Book is presented in, while historically accurate, alsoprovides a good home where the connoisseur of contemporary vanity blottercan house his or her growing collection. As well, I have expanded the historicalrelevance of the book in the other direction, by downloading earlier representa-tives of blotter art in the form of The LSD Blotter Index (FRANZOSA et al 1987)from EROWID (www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_history5.shtml), which coversblotter busted from 1976 through 1986. Of course, produced as muddy black-and-white photocopies, this document collection pales compared to The Bust Book,but it does widen the scope.

Weighing in at around 140 printed pages, The Bust Book was produced as a signed,limited edition of 250 copies, and sells for $750.00. A special premium edition,limited to a mere 10 copies, comes with a vintage Eye of Horus blotter artthe oldest known piece of blotter art still in existencewhich is poten-tially worth the price of the entire book to a dedicated collector, and sure to goup in value. For information on how to order a copy of The Bust Book, check outwww.acidartz.com. JON HANNA



What do you attribute that to? Is the desire to collect prima-rily driven by people who nostalgically look at a specific sheet,which reminds them of a certain time in their life when theywere taking those hits? Or is there something else at play?

Mark: Well, preferably there is that association going on,and people are collecting their favorite hits. I remember be-ing interviewed by a guy once, who works for The Washing-ton Post now, and he was telling me that he had only trippedonce, but it was under the pyramids at a Dead show, and itwas on an Eye of the Pyramid hit. Of course, when he saw asheet of that framed up, I could see him flashback a little bit.So, I think that the beginning blotter collector does look forthe one that did it. And then as one gets into it, the wholefield becomes fascinating. Even the vanity blotter thing thatis going on nowwhich never sees a drop of acid placed onitfor me, is an incredible achievement.

Jon: It is indeed. On the other hand, there is a practical as-pect to the vanity approach. These days we have hundredsof thousands of blotter images produced solely with the ideathat they are only for arts sake. Yet some people may chipoff bits of this mountain and divert it to the street. In a pinch,it can be practical as well as alluring.

Mark: Thats the advantage of the time we are living in to-day. When blotter paper wasnt considered an art form, itwas a death sentence to be caught with a stack of it. And nowit is kind of an honor to have a framed-up piece in your livingroom. Its a good way to approach the topic without draw-ing a big line on a mirror.

Jon: And with your Blotter Barn approach, theres a wholenew angle to the presentation of blotter art, taking it to aneven higher level. Someday the name McCloud will bespoken in the same breath as Warhol.

Mark: Its true that I am trying to sneak them into the mu-seums, I confess. My dream is to hang one in a museum some-where, and have it work both ways. Have it be a valid art piece,and then, Heynudge, nudgethats a four-way.

Jon: A gigantic four-way! [laughs]

Mark: I think thats the next step to take. Thats the way togo with it and be true to my cause, which is to be an artist,and also perhaps invoke some penal reform. Im hoping thatI can eventually get one into the Vatican.

Jon: What year did you start collecting?

Mark: In the late 1970s. I was still eating them back then, somy collection was kept in the freezer. And I had some that Iwould never eat, that ended up getting framed. But with mostof them, I was scarfing them. So I kept them in the freezerfor maybe the first five years of the collection. It wasnt untilI found this little old framer up on Noe Street, that I startedframing them. And I only started out framing four-ways, andlike nine hitslittle tiny things. He didnt know what theywere. So I went to pick up a big framing job once and theshop was closed, and I thought, Oh fuck! I bet this guy lickedhis fingers. You know, because they were all loaded backthen. I couldnt find any undipped sheets back at that time. Iwas like anyone else.

Jon: When I was dealing with the blotter art that I commis-sioned Stevee Postman to design for LSDs 60th anniver-sary, some of which was signed by Albert Hofmann andcreated as a fundraiser for Erowid and MAPS, I took a fewof these autographed sheets to Aaron Brothers to havethem framed. Aaron Brothers has a ludicrously low insur-ance amount per piece of art that you leave with themsomething like $200.00that they will pay you if the trainedmonkeys they have working at their store mess up your artwhile they are framing it. Most of the 60 signed and num-bered pieces that are available for sale have now sold, andthe remainder that are available at the moment are going for$1,500.00 each. And they will no doubt only go up in value.So I had to leave a few of these that were being framed thereat the store for about a week. The manager had no idea oftheir value, right? But she clearly knew what they were usedfor on the street, and she thoughtfully suggested that the artbe retained in the stores safe. I think that she was worriedthat some hungry monkey might end up eating the art.

Mark: Right. Yeah, it was back when I saw a little hit of thatHofmann designyou know, 20 hits of that Father of LSDdesignthats when I said to myself that I was going to startframing them. I included that blotter on the cover design forthis issue of The Entheogen Review.

Anyway, I was on the board at the San Francisco Art In-stitute back then, and they had this show every summerthat was open to the public. As a board member, I suggested,Since it is the 20th anniversary of the Summer of Love, Ithought that we could show this. I showed them my littleblotter collection, and they said, Cool dude. And thats howit happened. But you know, it was a fluke, because no one in

116



their right mind would have shown blotter back then. Onlythe S.F. Art Institute, of anyplace on the planet, would havedone it. And then Jacaeber Kastor came to that show andsaw it, and asked me to do an exhibit at his gallery, Psyche-delic Solution, in New York.

Jon: What ended up happening with that gallery? It was openin the mid-1980s, and then it closed down in the mid-1990s.

Mark: It just burnt Jacaeber out, and I can see why. He hadhalf of the gallery dedicated to original art. He was showingpeople like Mark Mothersbaugh, and Axelmy favoriteblood painter and silversmith, who used to do lost-wax workfor H.R. Giger and Salvador Dali. But then he had theother half of his gallery, where they were flipping posters.And it was the grind of the crowd flipping posters day-in andday-out that got to Jacaeber. If he had just said, Hey, getout of here to the poster crowd, or had done that in a sepa-rate spot perhaps, he might still be open. But the grind gothim. Ten years of that grind will knock you out of the lottery.

Its really hard to find a good art dealer. These days you canstill call up Jacaeber and buy a Jimi Hendrix watercolorfrom him for bjillions, out of his living room. But its toobad that he couldnt keep the gallery going. It was a perfectlocationit was across from Electric Ladyland Studios.We all tripped the night of my opening, and then shut downthe gallery to give Peter Max a private viewing. He came inwith this crowd of psychics, who were all telepaths. I dontknow if youve met that crowd yet, the telepaths, but manthey know youre coming. They swept the place before hecame in the building, to make sure that there werent anynarcs in there. One look at you, and they know what you arethinking; they can see what you think. Peter was funnelinglots of money into Congress at the time, trying to turn onCongress. Hes had some legal problems recently, but I likethe guy. Peters one of my heroes. And he spends a lot ofmoney trying to psychedelicize Congress, truly. Hes a weirdo.

I think that the interest in psychedelic art, that has been in-creasingly growing, is inevitable. Its our time. The few andthe proud have turned into the many. Its left the ghetto.Slowly people have been able to integrate the psychedelic ex-perience, and develop the psychedelic individual, and thatswhat were seeing. Its manifesting itself in the visual art worldmore. Of course, it has done this forever in the music scene,but now the visual arts are just starting to catch up. The phe-nomenon of blotter art as a collectible is just a reflection ofthe psychedelic individuals new status in the 21st century.

Jon: Theres many more of us now.

Mark: Exactly. And were all over in different countries. Iwas looking at a web page on Erowid today, and there was adonation up there from some nut in Buenos Aires, a littleCheshire Cat blotter image. So its really a worldwide phe-nomenon.

Jon: The 1960s have been traditionally depicted and thoughtof by many as the psychedelic heyday. But I believe that thereare way more people taking psychedelics right now than thereever were in the 1960s. Society in general may not see this; itdoesnt appear as explicit to them, because the radical po-litical change is no longer as strongly associated with it, noreven the overt and shocking fashion statement. So psyche-delic use today doesnt draw nearly as much public atten-tion as it did in the 1960s, but there is a lot more use actuallyhappening. This is particularly easy to see when consideringCannabis, and it can be shown statistically via web page hits.For example, the web site Pot-TV.net gets over 800,000 pagehits per day, and about 125,000 individual users per month.And even the more general-interest psychoactives web siteErowid.org recently reached around 500,000 page hits aday at their site. That is evidence of massive contemporaryinterest in this area.

Mark: There are many more people tripping now. I mean,suppose that there was the same amount of acid being madenow as there was in the 1960sand of course you would haveto multiply this on a per hit basis by at least five times,considering that the doses back then were 250 to 500 mics,right? And today they are more like 50 to 100 mics. How-ever, there are many more acid doses being produced nowthan can be accounted for by a simple multiplication by fivetimes. There is much more acid being produced now. Muchmore. Its turned into a world phenomenon and a majormanifestation. Its no longer just an American or a Czecho-slovakian enterprise. Its being made in many countries.The idea of Canadian acid in the 1960s was unheard of, forexample.

Jon: And I suspect that the interest will only continue to grow.Thanks for your contributions to this art scene Mark, andfor taking the time to speak with me for The EntheogenReview.



The History of the First Salvia divinorum PlantsCultivated Outside of Mexico

by Daniel J. Siebert

Several years ago I began working on a comprehensive bookabout Salvia divinorum. The book, tentatively titled DivineSage, includes a chapter that describes the history of the plantin extensive detail. In the course of my research I have spo-ken and corresponded with many of the people who wereinvolved in establishing and distributing the plant in theUnited States during the early years following its introduc-tion to this country. I have also had the privilege of exam-ining R. Gordon Wassons correspondence and fieldnotes.

It has been generally assumed that Salviadivinorum plants were first introduced to theUnited States by Wasson. He collectedseveral specimens of hojas de la Pastorabetween June of 1960 and October of1962. In an effort to get the plantidentified, he sent his specimens toCarl Epling, who was at that timethe world authority on New WorldSalvia species. Dr. Epling had beenteaching at the University of Cali-fornia at Los Angeles (UCLA)since 1924 and became ProfessorEmeritus in 1961. Much to Wassonsfrustration, the first few specimens thathe obtained were, for various reasons, notsufficient for species identification. Finally,in October 1962, after much effort, Wassonobtained specimens that were sufficient. He securedthese specimens during an expedition that he madeto the Sierra Mazateca with Albert Hofmann.Epling identified it as a new species and publishedhis description in December 1962, together with a separatepaper by Wasson in which he described the general roleof the plant in Mazatec culture (Epling & Jtiva-M 1962;Wasson 1962).

Many people, including myself, have assumed that Eplingpropagated a live plant from some of the material that hereceived from Wasson. This assumption was partly based

on the knowledge that Epling provided a live Salviadivinorum plant to the UCLA Botanical Garden in 1963,just a few months after receiving Wassons final shipmentof specimens. It has been generally assumed that all of the S.

divinorum plants grown in the United States up until 1979were propagated from cuttings that originated from the

plant established by Epling (additional live specimenswere introduced to the United States in 1979 by

Leander J. Valds III). This original strain hasbeen distributed all over the world. It is com-

monly called the Wasson and Hofmannstraina name that identifies its presumed

collectors. This name was first applied to thestrain in 1992 by the now-defunct specialty

botanicals company of the jungle.They began listing it in their catalog asthe Wasson and Hofmann strain todifferentiate it from another strain thatthey introduced that year, the Palat-able strain, which was collected byanthropologist Bret Blosser in De-cember 1991. As it turns out, theWasson and Hofmann strain ismisnamed. This strain was not propa-

gated from Wassons specimensitwas propagated from specimens that

were obtained by another remarkableman, psychiatrist and ecologist Sterling

Bunnell. It is quite clear from Wassons corre-spondence with Epling and others that he never

brought live specimens of S. divinorum to the United States.The specimens that he obtained were all dried and pressedin Mexico.

In June of 1962, Bunnell traveled to the Sierra Mazatecawith poet, playwright, and essayist Michael McClure. Themain purpose of their journey was to collect live cultures ofpsilocybin-containing mushrooms for research that theywere involved in at the Institute of Personality Assess-ment and Research at the University of Californiaat Berkeley (UCB). Bunnell returned again with his

118



newlywed wife several months later, in the fall of 1962. Whilevisiting the village of Huautla de Jimnez, he obtained livespecimens of hojas de la Pastora from the Mazatec curanderoIsauro Navewho was, by all accounts, a truly extraordi-nary individual. Bunnell brought the specimens back withhim to California and planted them at his home. This wasthe first time that S. divinorum was grown outside of Mexico.He also deposited a pressed specimen at the UCB Her-barium. Eplings botanical description of the species hadnot yet been published, and so the identity of the species wasat that time still unknown (except to Epling, Wasson, and afew of their close associates). Bunnells herbarium speci-men, which was in full bloom, was collected on November24, 1962, just six and a half weeks after the holotype speci-men collected by Wasson. Eplings description of the spe-cies was published together with Wassons ethnographic

paper just a few weeks after Bunnell returned from Mexico.After seeing Eplings paper, Bunnell traveled to Los Ange-les to meet with him and to give him plants to grow at UCLA.An accession log of the UCLA Botanical Garden (now theMildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden) notes that a liv-ing specimen of S. divinorum entered the collection in 1963.The original accession number is UCLA 63-104. Bunnellalso gave a specimen to Alexander Shulgin, who at thattime was working for Dow Chemical in Walnut Creek, Cali-fornia. Bunnells plants were later propagated and sharedwith other botanical gardens and botanists, and those plantswere further propagated. This strain, which should correctlybe called the Bunnell strain, was the first to become avail-able commercially, and it remains the most common.Certainly it is the most widespread strain in cultivationtoday.

Oaxaca, a sun-drenched city cooled by Mexican mountain breezes, is regarded by many as a spiritual center because of the ancient Zapotecand Mixtec cities that dominate the nearby hills. It is also a multicultural centerpeople from all over the world come to see the arts and crafts

of the 16 different indigenous groups practicing their traditional ways in the region. Iris Denton, Whole Life Times, June 1998

The state of Oaxaca in Mexico is infamous due to the (re)discovery of several powerful entheogens in use by Mazatec healers in theSierra Mazatec mountain area, including Psilocybe mushrooms and Salvia divinorum. In particular, the town of Huautla de Jimnezattracted those interested in discovering more about the native use of these visionary plants. Oaxaca City is the first stopping pointin Mexico for many wishing to take the beautiful 6-hour scenic drive through a multitude of ecosystems to the Sierra Mazateca. InOaxaca City, curendera Mara Sabina clearly holds the status of a folk heroone can even find T-shirts with her face on them soldin the city square! Oaxaca is a great little city, with delicious food, friendly locals, and tons of art, both traditional and contemporary.It is home to the worlds largest, longest-running open air market, and of course a trip to the amazing Zapotec ruins at Monte Albnwill be part of the adventures during the Mind States Oaxaca seminar. Join us in Oaxaca City! Spend a week in an intimate, relaxedsetting, having stimulating conversations with the following presenters:

Deirdre Barrett Bruce Damer Erik Davis Alex Grey Allyson Grey Jon Hanna Manuel Jimnez (tentative)Jonathan Ott Daniel Siebert Ann Shulgin Sasha Shulgin Allan Snyder (tentative) Martha Toledo

Each ticket is $900.00 per person (early bird, before July 1), $1,200.00 per person (from July 1 through September 10). Priceincludes admission to all lectures and field trips, accommodations (a single space in a double-occupancy room), access to the swim-ming pool and all other hotel amenities, and delicious Mexican breakfasts and lunches (vegetarian and vegan available). Airfare andtransfer to the hotel (about ten minutes by taxi) are not included. Early registration is suggested, as space is limited. Payment forticket(s) should be sent to: Mind States, POB 19820 (Dept. ER), Sacramento, CA 95819, USA. Credit card payment available throughPayPal: send money to [email protected]. For speaker bios and additional information see: www.mindstates.org.



Director Connie Littlefield and cinematographer KyleCameron have been filming with Ann and Sasha Shulginover the past two years, making a documentary that willbring A Chemical Love Story to the world. Connie and Kylebelieve that telling this story is an important step towardsincreasing public acceptance of psychedelic use.

The Canadian governmentfully funded Connies earliereffort, Hofmanns Potion: TheEarly Years of LSD throughthe National Film Boardwww.nfb.ca/hofmann. Thisfilm features interviews withAlbert Hofmann, LauraHuxley, Ram Dass, RalphMetzner, Stanislav Grof,Abram Hoffer, HumphryOsmond, Duncan Blewettand Myron Stolaroff, andit relates the details of thediscovery of LSD, as well asits subsequent use in psycho-therapy and to treat drug andalcohol addiction, prior to itseventual ban worldwide. Thefilm has been broadcast ex-tensively in Canada, Europe and on the Sundance Chan-nel in the USA. It has also been used in university coursesand community groups. Of this film, Mark Achbarco-director of Manufacturing Consent and The Corporationhasstated: Hofmanns Potion is an elegant, deftly constructedpiece of filmmaking. Connie Littlefield brings an intelli-gent and compassionate eye to her ageing, highly engagingsubjects. She brings us this gem of a film on the occasion ofthe 60th anniversary of the invention of LSDjust in timefor a widespread revival in interest in the clinical andspiritual benefits of consciousness-enhancing substances.

Documentary FundraisingAnn & Sasha: A Chemical Love Story

Contact Connie Littlefield at [email protected]

Ann & Sasha : A Chemical Love Story is being produced inde-pendently. While Connie and Kyle have many of the skillsand much of the equipment necessary to bring this story tothe screen in a cost-efficient manner, they also live in NovaScotia, Canada, so their travel expenses are relatively high.

Shot on digital video and 16mm film, this documentarywill be one hour in length. Itwill portray Ann and Sashaswork and lives, as well as thehypocrisy of a society inwhich some drugs are goodand other drugs are bad;where people like Ann andSasha are both idolized anddemonized at the same time.Timothy Leary called Annand Sasha Shulgin two ofthe most important scientistsof the 20th century. The im-plications of the Shulginswork extends far beyond na-tional boundaries and intothe future. You can help makethis film a reality by makinga tax-deductible donation.

While large donations are tremendous, small donations frommany individuals also add up and will be of great help. Pleaseconsider donating $10.00, $25.00, $50.00, or whatever youcan afford. Those who can make donations of $50.00 or morewill receive a VHS copy of Hofmanns Potion: The Early Yearsof LSD. Donations to this project can be made by sendingpayment to MAPS, 2105 Robinson Avenue, Sarasota, FL34232. Payment with a credit card can be made over thephone at (941) 924-6277, or electronically via www.maps.org.Please specifically note that your donation is being made forthis film. For more information on A Chemical Love Story andother productions, please see www.conceptafilm.com.

120



Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation:Means and Benefits

by Tyler D. Flyer

In recent years, much attention has been given to indoormushroom cultivation employing sterile culture techniquesand a controlled growing environment. Thanks to theInternets mycological communities and more recently,The Entheogen Review (Paye 2001; Paye 2003), the PF Tek hasemerged as the methodof choice for those wish-ing to grow mushroomsindoors in the privacyand comfort of theirown homes. While thereis no denying that theease and relative produc-tivity of the PF Tek makeit a great method forbeginners, it neednt bethe only method avail-able to home cultivators.

It has been my experi-ence that outdoor culti-vation is a far superiormethod to indoor culti-vation based on cost, simplicity, productivity, and most im-portantly, potency. I am indebted to the ground-breakingachievements of mycologist Paul Stamets, who has workedfor the last thirty years to further the development of mush-room culture and who has authored two definitive cultiva-tion manuals, The Mushroom Cultivator (Agarikon Press1983) and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (TenSpeed Press 2000). Both books can be purchased directlyfrom Stamets via his web site (www.fungi.com), and bothare highly recommended.

Commercial cultivation has come a long way from when theFrench first established outdoor beds inside caves and grewAgaricus (white button) mushrooms in the 18th century. Al-though commercial cultivators have refined indoor cultiva-tion, allowing them to grow crops year round, most mush-rooms now grown commercially were originally grown us-ing natural culture techniques. People have been successfully

growing mushrooms outdoors for personal consumption forhundreds of years. It is my hope that by sharing my interestin outdoor culture, others will be inspired to try theirhand at what I have found to be an enjoyable, enriching, andrewarding undertaking.

Natural culture, by defi-nition, is simply thenatural cultivation ofmushrooms outdoors.After a suitable myco-logical area is con-structed and inoculatedwith mushroom spawn,the cultivator simply al-lows Nature to take con-trol. The key to successis creating an environ-ment where the selectedmushroom myceliumvigorously expands.The rate of myceliumgrowth, the time from

inoculation until fruiting, the duration of fruiting or timebetween flushes, and the quality of the fruit depend largelyupon the quality of the spawn, the location of the cultivationbed, the selected substrate materials, and the prevailingweather conditions. Generally, the time of year when mush-rooms are known to fruit in the wild is also the same time atwhich the inoculated outdoor bed can be expected to fruit.Although outdoor cultivation does not yield fruiting as of-ten as indoor cultivation, the flushes can be even more pro-lific as long as the cultivator pays modest attention to thebed at critical aspects of the mycelium life cycle. For instance,while the indoor cultivator competes primarily with molds,wild mushrooms are the major competitors outdoors. If oneuses old, aged wood chips and a low inoculation rate (510%spawn-to-substrate ratio), one can expect diverse mushroomspecies in the cultured beds. The easiest way to overcomethese problems is to start with fresh, clean materials and touse at least 20% ratio of spawn to substrate.



SITE LOCATIONThe first step is to give careful consideration to the locationof the outdoor beds. Some mycologists prefer to grow in bedslocated discreetly in their own backyards. But unless one livesin a fairly secluded area, I think that there is something to besaid for growing and maintaining inconspicuous beds onlandscaped public property such as courthouses, firehouses,libraries, police stations, schools, universities, and my per-sonal favoritesuburban parks. By placing such mushroomsin the public domain, it is my hope that individuals educatedenough to identify them can continue to perpetuate themushrooms existence.

One location worth specifically commenting on is cemeter-ies. Although some may feel that cemeteries are suitable lo-cations for mushroom patches due to their extensive sprin-kler systems, seclusion, and light foot traffic, I think that themost important question is whether or not the water on thecemetery property is potable. If the cemetery receives itswater supply from the city, then one can be fairly certain it isa safe source for mushroom cultivation. But if the water issupplied by a well on the property, then chances are goodthat it may not be drinkable and, in my opinion, this isinappropriate for mushroom cultivation.

A suitable site for a garden is easy to choose and worth choos-ing correctly. The two most beneficial factors in a successfullocation are: 1) moisture and, 2) shade. The best indicationof a successful location is simply to take a note of where youhave seen mushrooms growing during the rainy season. Byobserving where water traverses after a heavy rain, one mayrealize the difference between too much water and notenough. For example, a gentle slope bordered by shrubs andother shade-giving plants is ideal. Borders along fences, side-walks, and parks are great locations to put wood chips, espe-cially underneath hedges or among tall grasses. The foliageacts as micro-condensers to supply plenty of humidity andshade to the mycelium. As a general rule, the thicker anddenser the flora around the site, the less likely one will needa casing layer to ensure a humid micro-climate for the sub-strate. While I caution against exposure to direct sunlightbecause it dries out the wood chips, others have reportedsuccess growing mushrooms in vegetable or flower gardens(particularly rhododendrons). Gardens are blessed withplentiful waterings, and the shade provided by plants tendsto keep humidity high near the ground. Always look at thenorth side of any wood chip pile or landscaped areas, as thiswill have the most shade. One advantage of parks and other

landscaped areas is their use of sprinklers. If the grass is greennearby, its a good bet the area is watered frequently enoughto support wood chips. If there are no sprinklers nearby, ex-amining the area in the early morning for dampness wouldindicate whether or not it receives moisture daily, either asdew from foliage or condensate from overhead trees.

One last suggestion worth mentioning is that of confiningthe site. Any location that has definitive boundaries to pre-vent sprawl is preferred over an open, undefined area. It hasbeen my experience that when the substrate is fully colonizedand contained within distinct borders, fruitings tend to bemuch more prolific and longer lasting. It is as if the myce-lium knows that there is no where else to go and initiates amassive Fruit Now! primordia formation in response to itsconfinement. This is an awesome sight that truly must beseen to be believed, with the mycelium expanding and push-ing the substrate upwards several inches. Under such circum-stances, it is rather effortless to harvest several pounds in afew square feet.

ACQUIRING THE DESIRED SPECIESThis step will actually prove to be the most difficult for manymycologists. Along the Pacific West Coast where I live, therecan be found several interesting mushroom species withinthe genus Psilocybe, such as P. azurescens, P. cyanescens,P. cyanofibrillosa, and P. stunzii. Though not a complete list,this demonstrates the diversity and distribution of these tem-perate, wood-loving Psilocybes. These species are by no meansconfined to the West Coast, as I know several acquaintanceswho have reported success at naturalizing P. azurescens andP. cyanescens in the Midwest around the Great Lakes region,as well as P. caerulipes, which is naturally found in the Mid-west. Others have personally encountered P. cyanescens moreso than any other Psilocybe species, but P. cyanofibrillosa is,for some, the unsung hero in the genus due to its prolificfruiting, pleasant taste, and above average potency. If one isunable to locate any wood-loving members of this genus onones own, then I suggest joining a local mycological societyor any one of the Pacific West Coast societies that quietlydisplay members of the Psilocybe genus during their fallexhibitions. For more information on the identification, dis-tribution, and habitats of those psychoactive members of thegenus Psilocybe, I highly recommend Paul Stamets Psilocy-bin Mushrooms of the World (Ten Speed Press 1999). Al-though this is not a cultivation manual, it is the best work todate for identification purposes, filled with descriptions andbeautiful color photographs of entheogenic mushrooms.

122



Of course, I would never encourage anyone to grow, possess,or consume such majestic and notable mushrooms as thosePsilocybes that contain psilocybin/psilocin, as that wouldbe illegal. Instead, I refer to King Stropharia (Strophariarugosoannulata) to demonstrate cultivating these delectablewood-loving mushrooms.

The obvious advantage of the wood-loving mushrooms is theease and simplicity of their growing substrates, which canbe made from readily available materials. Provided that oneselects a wood-loving mushroom species to grow, there sim-ply is no need for manure or even grain substrate. Unlessone insists on working with manure and making their culti-vation experience as difficult and smelly as possible, Istrongly encourage people to consider only those mush-rooms that grow on woody substrates. For example, whilesome prefer to treat their substrates by sterilization or pas-teurization, I have always left my materials untreated in theirnatural state with good resultsprovided that the substratewas fully colonized within three months or less.

Mushrooms can be cultivated through a variety of methods,depending on the growers skill and starting materials. Sometechniques are very simple and involve no technical exper-tise. Other methods, such as those involving sterile tissueculture, are much more technically demanding and out ofthe range of most home cultivators. The simpler methodsfor mushroom cultivation, requiring little or no technicalexpertise, are: 1) Spore mass inoculation, 2) Transplantation,3) Inoculation with pure culture spawn, 4) Cardboardculture and, 5) The Mushroom Motel.

SPORE MASS INOCULATIONSpore mass inoculation is by far the easiest way to grow mush-rooms outdoors, although it lacks the rapid colonization ofother methods and can result in sporadic islands of myce-lial growth. Spore mass inoculation is accomplished bybroadcasting spores onto prepared substrates outdoors.Spores must first be collected from the desired species. Thiscan be accomplished by taking a mushroom cap that has beensevered from the stem and laid, gills down, inside a plasticZiploc bag, or on top of a pane of glass or index card with abowl or glass placed over the cap to minimize air movementand water loss. Within 12 to 24 hours, most mushrooms willhave released thousands of spores in an outline similar tothe radial symmetry of the gills. This outline, called a sporeprint, can be saved by simply sealing the template on whichthe spore print was taken. If one uses an index card or paneof glass to take a print, a second index card or glass pane canbe placed upon the print and the edges sealed with maskingtape. Once a spore print has been taken, it may remain vi-able for years, although viability decreases with time. Sporeprints should be stored in a cool, dark location, free frommoisture and temperature variation. When one is ready touse the spore print, the spores may be scattered directly ontothe substrate, or first mixed with water before spreading ontothe substrate. If one chooses to start a mushroom patch rightaway, one may wish to make a spore-mass slurry. This re-quires picking mature mushrooms and submerging them ina large bucket of water. One may opt to add one teaspoon ofsalt to inhibit bacteria and one cup of molasses to stimulategermination. After letting the mixture stand covered for 24to 48 hours at room temperature, the solution is ready to bepoured over the prepared substrate material. I know of oneindividual who uses this method successfully, with a slightvariation in that the mature mushrooms are first placed intoa food processor and made into a puree before adding thecontents to the bucket with water, molasses, and salt.

Mimosa tenuiflora[= M. hostilis]

root-bark from Brazil$160.00 per kg, $16.00 per 100 grams, $1.60 per 10 grams.

Anadenanthera peregrinaseeds from Brazil

$200.00 per kg, $20.00 per 100 grams, $2.00 per 10 grams.

With either, any amount you like costs the same per gram!Shipping by Priority Mail (23 days) with tracking:

$5.00 for 1500 grams, $10.00 for 501 grams to 1 kilogram.$5.00 more for each additional kilogram.

Please pay with cash, or with a money orderwith the pay to space left blank. Send to:

EricPOB 370541

Milwaukee, WI 53237

[email protected] for contact,or to pay through PayPal.

Quality 100% guaranteed.



TRANSPLANTATIONTransplantation is the moving of mycelium from naturalpatches to new habitats. Most mushroom patches have a vastmycelial network emanating from beneath each mushroom.Not only can one harvest mushrooms, but portions of themycelium can be gathered and transferred to a new location.This method ensures the quick establishment of a new colonywithout having to germinate spores or buy commercialspawn. When transplanting mycelium, I recommend usinga paper or plastic sack with a lightly moistened piece of card-board or paper towel that will prevent dehydration. As longas the mycelium is kept in a cool, dark place, the myceliumwill remain viable for months. I have stored myceliumsamples in the refrigerator, wrapped up in damp brownpaper and sealed in plastic Ziploc baggies, for years withno apparent loss of vitality.

I recommend the gathering of saprophytic mycelium thatgrows on woody debris rather than mycorrhizal myceliumthat grows in conjunction with another living organism in amutually beneficial relationship. When one gathers wildmycelium from mycorrhizal mushrooms, it places the par-ent colony and living tree host in jeopardy. One must be sureto replace the divot with wood debris and to press it tightlyback into place. Mycelium left exposed is more prone to dis-ease, insect invasion, and dehydration. If properly done,transplanting saprophytic mycelium does not place the par-ent colony of wild mushrooms into jeopardy.

Be wary of greed. Just because one discovers a patch, cer-tainly does not give one claim, or ownership. Even thoughone may have the ability to harvest an entire desirable patch,I encourage folks to take only the minimum amount of myce-lium needed to get started. Once a patch has been signifi-cantly reduced, it loses a great deal of its vitality and mayprove difficult to re-establish itself. One may choose to com-plete the circle of life by returning to the patch in the spring-time and feed the patch by adding fresh wood chips, thusensuring the myceliums existence for another year or longer,depending on the quantity and quality of wood chips.

When collecting wild mycelium, an emphasis should bemade on attempting to collect mycelium that is clean andrelatively free of dirt. The mycelium should ideally be moist,clean and white with a fresh, invigorating mushroom aroma.Some mycologists recommend mining mycelium from colo-nies such as those found two to six inches deep along themargins of sawdust piles near sawmills, nurseries,

composting sites, or rose and rhododendron gardens. Un-like patches found on soil, mycelium networks found in saw-dust tend to be vast, clean, and relatively free of competingfungi. I would suggest only gathering mycelium from thosecolonies where one has previously identified and collecteddesirable mushroom species. I have had success with collect-ing both rope-like strands of mycelium that were relativelyfree of dirt and debris, as well as taking several thin (quarterinch diameter) branches that were covered with myceliumand then chopped into one inch lengths and added toprepared substrate material.

INOCULATING WITHPURE CULTURED SPAWNThe use of pure cultured spawn to inoculate outdoor bedswas revolutionized in 1933 by Dr. James Sindens discovery(U.S. patent no. 1,869,517) that grain could be used as a sub-strate for spawn, and then used to inoculate larger cultiva-tion beds. While grain can be used as spawn for outdoor beds,it is better suited for indoor cultivation. Grain spawn canquickly attract birds, insects and slugs seeking out the nutri-tious inoculated seed for food. Because of this, wood-basedsubstrates such as sawdust, dowel plugs, and wood chips arepreferred for outdoor cultivation. Sawdust has the distinctadvantage over other spawn substrates in that it has a greaternumber of particles per pound than any other substrate. Saw-dust has the tendency to encourage rapid wispy myceliumgrowth at first, but because of the small chip size, cannotsupport the dense mycelial network necessary for fruit-bod-ies and quickly peters out unless introduced to larger par-ticles. When the inoculated sawdust is added to wood chips,rapid colonization is assured because of the sheer numberof inoculated particles. The sawdust and wood chips form amatrix in which the distance between the mycelial fragmentsis lessened, and allowing complete colonization faster thanany other spawn substrate. The faster the colonization, theless likely competing fungi will have the opportunity to growand establish themselves on the substrate. Care should begiven to only use the sawdust of hardwoods and to entirelyavoid conifers such as Pine, Cedar, and Redwood, as thesewoods contain resins that inhibit mycelium growth.

I cannot stress enough the importance of rapid colonization.If the spawn is too dispersed, the inoculated particles willnot be close enough to form the contiguous mycelial colonyrequired for fruit-body development. I have had the bestsuccess using at least 2025% spawn to substrate ratio. Forinstance, if one has a one gallon jar of sawdust spawn, three

124



to four gallons of prepared substrate can be inoculated witha high probability of success. Although this may seem like ahigh ratio, rapid colonization is assured, taking as short asone week or as long as several months. Once the beds havebeen fully colonized, the grower may choose to expand thebeds by adding more substrate material or induce fruiting ifenvironmental conditions allow.

CARDBOARD CULTUREThis use of cardboard is especially suited for the wood-loving Stropharias and Psilocybes because of their fondnessfor paper products and woody debris. The cardboard alsoseems to inhibit the growth of competing molds and fungidue to their substrate selectivity. The effectiveness of card-board is due in part to the corrugated grooves that allowmycelial growth to rapidly channel through in search of food,and also to the increased surface area that allows for greaterwater absorption, and hence higher humidity for myceliumdevelopment. The mycelium likes its environment to bedamp, not overly soaking wet and the corrugation permitsgreater water retention per square area than flat paper.

In order to use cardboard to jump-start mycelial growth, thecardboard must first be soaked so that an outer layer of card-board can be peeled away, revealing the corrugated middlelayer. Care must be given to soak the cardboard only longenough to wet the glue that binds the paper layer together.Soaking the cardboard for longer than 12 hours only softensthe paper layers to the point where they tear, rather then peelapart. I have had best results laying the cardboard verticallyin a plastic bin so that the corrugated channels are facingstraight up and then slowly watering the cardboard so thatwater penetrates the middle layer. When I have laid the card-board to soak horizontally, I have noticed that air can betrapped in the middle layer, making it difficult to wet theglue and peel the paper layers apart.

While some may prefer to recycle their cardboard boxes inthis manner, all the soaking and peeling proved to be toomuch work for me, and I began to look for a better alterna-tive. I soon learned that a 100 yard roll of 18-inch wide, one-sided corrugated cardboard could be acquired from any pack-aging store for around fifteen dollars. This proved to be avery wise purchase that I have not since regretted. The pre-soaking and peeling steps are completely unnecessary andcorrugated cardboard is simply unrolled, cut to the desiredlength, and lightly hosed with water. After wetting both sidesof the corrugated cardboard, it is allowed to hang verticallyfor a moment or two to let the excess water run off. Then,stands of mycelium, inoculated wood chips, or even the fuzzytissue base of the stem of fresh mushrooms can be sand-wiched between layers of the wetted corrugated cardboard(like lasagna). I noticed that the top-most cardboard layerstend to dry out the fastest, inhibiting mycelium growth, andthe bottom-most layers can easily become too wet for myce-lium growth; hence, the middle area seems to be the mostproductive environment for mycelium development. This isworth keeping in mind, so that one can either expect to losea portion of the starting pile, or one may wish to pad the topand bottom of the pile with extra cardboard, further insulat-ing the middle layer. Since the corrugated cardboard can beprone to over-watering, I have had best results with directlywatering the cardboard conservatively and draping wet card-board on top of the cardboard and mycelium matrix. Thisallows a humid environment that is favorable to myceliumdevelopment without creating a soaking wet one that is det-rimental to mycelial growth. If one prefers to place the card-board and mycelium layered upon one another into a plasticbin, I recommend using one that has holes in the bottom,such as a recycling bin, to allow excess water to drain.Stamets recommends that once the mycelium spreads andcovers a sizeable portion of the corrugated cardboard, themyceliated cardboard can be positioned in an ideal locationand wood chips may be placed on top of the cardboard tocreate a cultivated bed. However, I have experienced the chipsfailing to colonize due the corrugated cardboard collectingstanding water, thereby destroying the mycelium. I deal withthis problem once the cardboard is suitably myceliated bycutting the cardboard into small sections (one to three inchsquare) prior to mixing with suitable wood chips. This is simi-lar in theory to sawdust spawn in that by increasing the num-ber of mycelium particles, the colonization time is reducedand subsequently the window for substrate competitors islessened.

Rivers Source

BotanicalsHCR 74 21614

El Prado, NM 87529http://RiversSource.yage.net

Some of the lowest prices on ethnobotanicalsyoull find anywhere. Catalog $2.00.



THE MUSHROOM MOTELOne productive method that has beendeveloped over the last several seasonsby my colleagues and myself is referredto as the Mushroom Motel. Thismethod is ideal where space is a limit-ing factor. Instead of preparing andinoculating cultivated beds on theground, plastic trays of inoculatedwood chips are vertically stacked uponone another. Previous to the Motelsconception, I was quite fond of usingplastic recycling containers for Card-board Culture, due to the holes in thebottom of the bins that allowed for ex-cess water to drain. The problem I soonnoticed with using 18-inch deep con-tainers was the difficulty in maintain-ing uniform moisture throughout themany layers of cardboard and woodchips. I solved this dilemma by usingstackable plastic trays that beverage dis-tributors use to deliver soft drinks toconvenience stores and that are oftenfound out back behind the dumpsters.The trays are four inches deep, havehandles on the sides, and feature plas-tic grid bottoms for even greater drain-ing capability. The trays are simplyfilled with fresh, clean wood chipsmixed with myceliated cardboard orwood chip spawn, and covered with sev-eral layers of wet corrugated cardboardbefore the next tray is stacked upon thefirst and the process repeated. The card-board layer on top of the wood chipsserves to maintain a humid environ-ment for the inoculated substrate in ad-dition to acting as a contaminant bar-rier. Because the mycelium grows on thecardboard covering as well as the sub-strate, I rotate the coverings frequently

1. The chips are in the tray, covered with cardboard. There is nice mycelium growth on the wood as well as the cardboard. 2. Twosections of cardboard are measured and cut for the breadth of the motel. 3. One section of the cardboard is measured and cut forthe length of the motel. 4. The three sections of cardboard are watered and soaked with a garden hose. 5. The dampcardboard is reapplied to the motel and secured with bungee cords. 6. Here are two stacks of trays. Notice the ample use ofcardboard around the top and sides of the motel. The top trays should always have a brick weight on them.

1

2

3

4

5

6

126



either to use the myceliated cardboard as spawn or discard at the first sign ofundesirable contaminants. I have noticed that oftentimes the inoculated substratebenefits from having weight, such as a brick or two, placed on top of it. This seemsto hold the wood chips together and in close contact with one another until themycelium network is better established. By using stackable trays, one can add orremove material to ensure a nice, tight fit from one tray to the next, thus only thetop tray requires a weight. In order to provide a high-humidity environment with-out over-watering the substrate, one may choose to drape wet cardboard over thestacked trays and secure with bungee cords.

The advantages of this method are obvious. The Motel is especially suited to ex-panding and one is only limited by the number of trays one wishes to borrowfrom the beverage distribution company. The stackable trays take up a minimumamount of space, yet can be quickly and easily taken apart to examine each trayfor mycelium growth, and adequate substrate moisture. Because each tray is aquarantined level with cardboard above and below, the spread of contaminants isgreatly reduced. Should competing fungi be identified on the cardboard or sub-strate, it is a relatively simple matter to remove the offending tray from the Motel,thereby isolating the contaminants. In addition, each tray may be individuallywatered as needed without fear of over-watering the other levels. Once the sub-strate has been fully colonized and inclement weather nears, one may wish totransfer a tray to a suitable site. A quick flip of the tray pops the fully colonizedsubstrate out like a hot baked cupcake from a muffin tin. The substrate can thenbe adequately covered with straw, Douglas Fir boughs, leaves, or damp sphag-num moss. Although the colonized substrate can fruit within the Motel duringfavorable conditions, the substrate really seems to benefit from going from a con-fined area with minimal air exchange to maximum air exchange in an ideal, in-conspicuous location. Provided that the weather is conducive to fruiting, one canexpect to see fruiting commence within a week or so.

As one can see, there are quite a number of different options for the homecultivator to utilize. One may wish to try several different methods or to adapttechniques to find what works best for them.

7

8

9

10

11

7. The same two stacks of trays shown previously in #6, but now draped over withwet cardboard. 8. An example of dieback. The white mycelium has a brown cen-ter, possibly due to contamination of competing yellow fungus seen on cardboard inright side of the photo. 9. The contamination is spreading, as seen by growingbrown area inside the white mycelium.The tray should be separated and dumpedif necessary. 10. A chunk of one traywas placed in a flower pot, where itfruited. 11. As soon as the first coolweather of fall sets in, the contents of sev-eral trays can be spread out under theseshrubs and covered with Douglas Firboughs. 12. A nice selection of mush-rooming chunks, that were producedusing the Mushroom Motel method.

12



PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: PREPARING THE BEDSOnce one has chosen an appropriate site and acquired the desired mushroomstarting material, it is time to prepare the appropriate substrate, and if necessary,the beds. Timing plays a key role in this step, and the cultivator may have to ex-periment on their part in order to find the right methodology that best suits onestechnique and environmental conditions. Bear in mind that maximum fruiting isachieved when the beds are given enough time to fully colonize before cold andrainy weather begins, triggering primordia formation.

For instance, outdoor beds may be inoculated from early spring to early fall. Al-though sufficient time is necessary to allow for full colonization, so are favorabletemperatures, ranging from 4570 F (721 C). Once temperatures deviate fromthis range, mycelium production essentially stops until advantageous conditionsreturn. With this in mind, I have known mycologists in warmer climates to putoff constructing and inoculating their beds until early fall when temperatures aremore favorable to mycelial production. Thus, if one likewise puts off developingand inoculating the substrate until early fall, a more modestly sized bed and acorrespondingly higher rate of inoculation (> 30 % spawn to substrate ratio) maybe required for faster growth to provide the dense mycelial mat required forfruit-body production. For most wood-loving mushrooms, at least four weeks arerequired to establish mycelium density sufficient to survive the winter.

The spring is the best time to acquire clean, freshly cut wood chips for larger cul-tivated beds in temperate climates. The ideal substrate is composed of wood chipsone-eighth inch in diameter to four inches length, with a minimum of leafy mat-ter. If one acquires wood chips from February through April when the sap is run-ning and before trees develop their foliage, one is assured of having the highestpossible sugar, nutrient, and water content in the chips with an absolute mini-mum leafy material. I think that it is worth emphasizing the importance of hav-ing clean wood chips. In my experience, clean wood chips colonize much morequickly than dirty or muddy chips and I believe that this is because the dirt sealsthe pores of the wood chip and actually limits the amount of wood that is exposedand made available to the mycelium.

It is my understanding that irregular one- to four-inch size wood chips provide anideal compromise between the smaller chips that provide greater surface area forrapid colonization and the larger chips that support dense mycelium growth nec-essary for maximum fruiting. As previously explained, sawdust allows for rapid,wispy mycelium development, but unless added to larger wood chip pieces, itquickly loses its vitality. If fresh, hardwood sawdust is available, it can be addedin a 50:50 ratio (by volume) to larger, one- to four-inch size chips, to form anoptimized substrate matrix.

While Paul Stamets has reported good results utilizing wood chips and barkfrom some conifers, such as Douglas Fir, I have seen slow, reluctant myceliumgrowth when such Fir chips were used, and even this was only when other hard-wood chips were supplemented into the substrate. For best results, I recommendedusing only broadleaf hardwoods rather than softwood pines. Fast-growing hard-woods such as Alder, Birch, Cottonwood, Eucalyptus, and Poplars have a greater

Yage.Net specializes inthe development and hosting

of entheogen-related web siteswith an emphasis

on ethnobotanical suppliers.Were also home

to the largest collectionof ayahuasca resources

on the web.

Hosting for ethnobotanical web sites. Web site development and design. On-line shopping cart solutions..

www.yage.net

Currently hosting sites for

The Entheogen Review

Trouts Notes

Pablo Amaringo

Luis Eduardo Luna

James Arthur

Ayahuasca.Com

EntheogenUKand many more at

www.yage.net/hosted

128



24) w03

Documents

statement of purpose

entheogen review areavailable

book review

entheogen reviewvolume

use of visionary plants

sacred plants

journal alive

entheogen review