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Backroom Yopo
Anadenanthera peregrina
Citation:   North Haverbrook. "Backroom Yopo: An Experience with Anadenanthera peregrina (exp106253)". Erowid.org. Nov 2, 2016. erowid.org/exp/106253

 
DOSE:
5 seeds insufflated Anadenanthera peregrina (ground / crushed)
BODY WEIGHT: 198 lb
Yopo Trip Report & Preparation

I took about 1 oz of yopo and prepared it into snuff. No idea how many seeds -- probably a good 120, maybe more. I tossed about 2/3rds of the seeds that I accidentally burned and made a bag of snuff. It started off with snorting 5 lines. I thought I got 1/7th of the bag but it was easily 1/14th or 15th. The Yopo was not completely crushed, which I think lessened the effects. At first, I thought that I had screwed up by burning the yopo. I started with 1 oz and actually threw away maybe 3/4ths of it (not orange or brown, just basically charcoal). I had a strong thought that I had screwed up and messed the yopo up, that none of it was going to work.

I snorted it with a cut straw and immediately (possibly) felt some physical sensation. I wasn't sure at first if it was a placebo. The come up was slow. It was probably 15 minutes before I was really tripping. I sneezed, wiped my nose, and sat back. I began to feel chest pressure, then head pressure, and then a high similar to a couch-lock pot high, but with a totally clear/almost clairvoyant mind. At that point, I texted my buddies -- 'I finally did it,' and 'I'm finally going to try some form of DMT' (I've tried for a while). I knew I wouldn't be able to text (or just wouldn't want to) so I set it down.

10,000 days (Tool) was playing on my phone. I started seeing kaleidoscopic patterns, first just with my eyes closed. I kept opening my eyes to check on it, see how many there really were (outside of closed vision). I noticed the laminate floor pattern began to vibrate and look like an old timey red and blue 3D image without the glasses. The door and wall in front of me had interesting and pure geometrical patterns dancing across it. I started feeling a little nauseated, and tried to hold it off as long as I could. Honestly, the trip was enhanced after I vomited, and the vomiting was incredibly manageable.

Interesting factoid: I looked in the mirror after vomiting in the sink, and my eyes were red as can be. Blood red, and my eyes never are. Not even the pink haze from weed -- these things defined bloodshot (didn't hurt or anything though).

The vomit was 3 subsequent little cups of watery and brown matter and was not as much of a toll as expected. I ate 2 corn dogs, some hot tamales (candy), drank a bunch of water, and had a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich earlier in the day. Again, vomiting was easy (almost like coughing up a drink that went down wrong) and really did improve my trip.

At some point, either during the visions or just before, I felt a weird body sensation that I could feasibly call a 'slam,' although it didn't hurt. It was like a slow acting squeeze, or a hug. It's hard to explain. It was probably 15 minutes into snorting the snuff. When I felt it, I immediately thought (or at least hoped) it was the fabled 'vibration.' It was clearly different from the aforementioned body high. I probably could have texted, or even called someone and attempted a phone call at this point, but there was no reason to and I knew that doing that would've taken away from my trip.

Around this point I blew my nose (I had been sniffling and wiping it pretty consistently). I think this took away from the trip as all my snot was wrought with brown chunks of yopo, but I didn't mind. I saw light geometric patterns on walls that grew deeper, but the real party was when my eyes were closed. I know that sounds boring, but it was amazing.

I was taken through all these bizarre landscapes and worlds. I saw odd things and lots of eyes. It wasn't entirely clear as these things kept shifting around, but I could tell what they were after a few brief seconds of wondering. I'm not sure how long I was enjoying this journey. A few times I would briefly open up my eyes to see if the journey continued outside -- this would 'reset' whatever place I was being shown and would take me somewhere else.

I had my eyes closed and was taken through weird swirling tunnels, and balls of light, and odd interesting doorways. I was brought into a space (like a never ending room) where nothing was colorful, all pitch black (but not scary, it just felt like outer space).

I felt a weird strike of fear as the first humanoid figure to be seen was off to my right side. I immediately got over my fear and glanced over to him (eyes closed -- I moved my eyes both to the right). I realized that he didn't know I was looking at him. I moved my eyes back and then he caught my movement, and tried to get my attention. All of this was in a purely blank space of darkness.

The figure was very slender and grayish white. I couldn't see his face. It was weird because recently I had been reading about grey aliens and DMT related encounters -- I don't know if that influenced this, but I knew it was otherworldly and immediately after he got in the center of my view (top half of his face covered in shadow) realized it was a tall and slender Grey. I said (out loud) 'Hello, my name is Firstname Surname.'

As I spoke, two more appeared behind him. I don't know how to better explain it, but I knew that they were individuals (not just him duplicated). I followed with saying 'I hope you all are good people.' With each word I spoke, more multiples of entities appeared behind them (in a triangular fashion). Finally, the room was completely filled with these grey aliens. I said 'I come asking for wisdom, to better myself.'

They all disappeared immediately, but not in a rude way. I felt a rush of calm and goodness -- like that had already known my question, and we're waiting to hear me say it and immediately granted me wisdom, although I didn't know what it was. I sat back and enjoyed more visuals.

A few weeks ago, I had a really bad 2C-I trip where these spinning hands lunged at me and kept trying to grab me and take me. They felt evil, but they forced me into my first 'death of ego' experience. I was enjoying my yopo trip when all of a sudden I saw the hands from the 2C-I trip, all lunging for me. I opened my eyes (still tripping but not having to face these hands, although I saw them in my peripherals) and said, 'God dammit. I really hope my trip doesn't end up like that. That would just suck and ruin this whole experience.'

When I closed my eyes back, they were gone. I had a foreign idea (again, best way to describe it) that the aliens I saw helped me, so i audibly said 'Thank you.'

I enjoyed the trip more and more. I started singing 'The Pot' (Tool) and dancing in a very flowy way while sitting down. With my eyes closed, I saw myself as a visionary shaman in a heated ritual. The hands came back, and I felt it was because I was loud and made my presence known. I internally and quietly asked for help and other hands who I felt were the hands of the grey aliens tore away the hands reaching for me.

Then, I was flying through space, and saw all these colossal sized bodybuilders, the size of planets, with infinite strength. I was enthralled with interest (they were all flexing like at an event, and I was an ant in height/general size compared to them. It's worth pointing out that I'm an amateur bodybuilder, or at least an aspiring one). I didn't feel bad in comparison, I was struck with awe.

I next saw this businessman 10 ft or so above me who stuck out his hand and wanted me to let him come in my mind (again, my feeling). I realized it was him who showed me the bodybuilders. I began to extend my hand but then drew back, remembering a trip report talking about evil entities. I said 'I don't know anything about you, sorry.' (this time in my head). He started screaming and lunging at me. Suddenly he became 5, 10, 20 huge and scary men trying to threaten me and attack me. Instead of freaking out, I had a burst of intuition and sat in the half lotus position and started to say 'Om.' I'm not sure why as I don't even meditate and only once attempted to in middle school. It just felt like the right thing to do. They got angrier and I felt like I was going to 'lose' (whatever that meant, just remember a majority of these thoughts are just unprecedented feelings of intuition I randomly had) but I kept my cool and eventually they faded away. A couple times the hands came back, but I had a new confidence (before I would immediately be fearful) and was able to mentally talk them out.

I recognized that this was the 'wisdom' that the aliens had given me. I walked around (this entire time I had been sitting down) and saw things in my peripheral vision. I kept closing my eyes when I walked but felt scared when I couldn't find the door and feared hitting things. I saw an extended feminine hand that offered to guide me to the door. I felt trusting and extended my hand and made a grasping motion, although admittedly I opened my eyes to open the doors I was going for.

At one point I got a weird sensation with my eyes closed -- the kind of sensation that I get when my eyes are closed and I think someone is sneaking up on me and is about to punch me in the balls. I thought it was a friend of mine but when I opened my eyes no one was there.

I passed by floor to ceiling mirrors and without more than a brief thought somehow placed my consciousness in the image of me in these mirrors. I would trip over something in real life and then realize I was not existing in the mirror.

After walking around the area briefly, I decided to walk back to the back room where I had started my experience. I saw (eyes open) a huge robotic face encompassing the whole room, flashing between it and reality. The best real world example would be the robot's face from 'I, Robot' (the movie).

I went into the back room and started seeing a triangular pattern of this robot's face (open eye), and then a a square pattern of its face. I had a sudden realization that all of the hands grasping for me had been hands of this robot, and were neither evil nor good -- he had decided to try to grasp me and had not thought of any other way than the most efficient.

I sat down and started to have a brief conservation with him (close eyed now) where I never saw his lips open but instead just knew his answers. I explained how scary his hands were and after a brief discussion he said he would have them 'slither' instead, and he didn't understand why I thought they were scary.

I laughed and said that probably would not be better, but to give it a try. Later, I speculated if he was some automaton that maintains the death of egos -- but this was a sober thought, and has many holes. I don't stand by the theory at all, but it's still interesting. I had been on the downward slope of the high and came down. Many people talk about being drained, but I actually felt as good as a light weed buzz for about 30 minutes. I had some interesting visual thoughts while coming down, but no real visions like earlier. I had a thought in my head of my long term girlfriend and I living as alien beings in some hollowed out blue rock house on a bizarre planet -- I had the thought in full detail and color, but it was no true visuals like the earlier trip. It's also interesting to point out I felt overly emotional when thinking that detailed thought (just feelings of warmth and love).

All and all the trip lasted roughly 45 minutes with maybe 15 minutes of light visuals that lasted over, but I wouldn't call myself high or buzzed. I was fully coherent during the entire experience but I could not have pretended to not be high around other people without them noticing. I have a runny nose and slightly stinging now, but the red eye is gone. I will absolutely be doing this again.

-- About 5 hours later, I can still smell yopo lightly but eating food helped me not. My nose feels slightly sore but just as bad as it would after the cold.

Overall lasted just under an hour, after effects were really nice and relaxing for me and lasted half an hour or so. I wrote the trip report during/right after my comedown. I'm writing the preparation below several hours after my comedown -- I feel really worn out now, but in a good way. Like I ran a marathon, won, and have earned a cozy bed. Looking forward to a good night's rest.

Materials:

- Yopo seeds
- Calcium hydroxide
- Water

1. Take your yopo seeds and scatter them evenly in a pan. (minimum of 4 or 5, but honestly if you have a big stock you should go ahead and prepare a good bit of it... I prepared 120+). It makes sense to prepare more than one serving if you have the seeds and plan to partake in the future, just to be efficient.

2. Cook them stovetop at the lowest heat possible. Stir often. Get some form of cover, like a guard people use when making bacon. The seeds will fly half a foot in the air, and scatter across the room. People have suggested medium settings -- this may pop them faster, but will burn the seeds before all pop, at least in large quantities. If you're working 25 or below, it's very easy to pick them out with a wooden spoon as they pop. Honestly, this step will probably take 10 minutes, but just stop once they're all popped. It is impossible to miss the popping. Periodic medium heat can work low heat isn't cutting it.

3. Allow seeds to cool off the stovetop. After they're 100% cool (again, 10 minutes or so) break the shells off. You want to have brown and orange insides that you place on a collection plate. Some seeds are hard to get the shell off -- pinch the edges with your fingernails to get the shell off. You may lose some interior flesh, or it may crumble, but if you're careful you won't lose anything. This process took me 30+ minutes for 120+ seeds for the experience below, but I accidentally burned a lot (medium heat).

4. Take the seed flesh you've gathered (I say flesh but really it's just like a hard nut, not fleshy at all) and either put it in a coffee grinder or take a small spoon and crush them in a bowl with the back of the spoon. It took me about 10 minutes to completely pulverize the insides with the back of a tea spoon. They've already been heated (earlier), so they crumble really easily. You should do this in a bowl if you decide to use a spoon to avoid seeds from flying around the room when you apply pressure from the spoon. Keep in mind, this will create a harsher material to snort -- but the harshness is grossly overrated for yopo.

5. Eyeball how much yopo you have and add 1/4th of that amount in edible lime powder (calcium hydroxide) to your yopo. Super cheap and better than baking soda. 28 grams of edible lime ($9) would cover 1 oz (120+ seeds, theoretically 30+ threshold trips) of yopo, if not more. A good idea is to take a finite amount of calcium hydroxide and very lightly coat the bottom of your bowl with it. A very small amount -- this way, when you roll your yopo, there's no doubt of it coming in contact. More contact = better trip.

6. Take a VERY small amount of water and add it to this mix. I mean SMALL. This is key. I took my teaspoon (no bigger than the last joint of my thumb, and not deep for a spoon at all) and took basically 2 spoonfuls for the mix. If your consistency is sloshy, that's too much. If your consistency is like fresh dirt, that's too little. You want the consistently to be something like drying mud on rain-boots. It's not totally muddy, but it's not just moist dirt.

7. Knead this together until you can't see any more white, or bits of yopo. I like to make it into a sphere with my hands (like you would with clay).

8. Press this sphere in an oven-safe bowl and flatten it out. Do this in a bowl because it will go into a powder once it dries out. I did about 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then took it out and broke it up with a spoon. If you don't have access to an oven, use another method of drying. All this does is dry it out.

9. Take out your bowl and crush up the powder. I was just able to break it down with a spoon and my fingers, then I put it in a little plastic baggie and pushed it around. You could use a coffee grinder, but you really don't need to.

10. Assuming 4 - 5 seeds is a threshold/light dose, recall the amount of yopo seeds in your mixture and set out a few lines with the help of a razor or sharp, flat object. You can roll up a crisp dollar bill, but the easiest thing to do is just to take a paper or plastic straw and cut it down 1/5th in size. Cover one nostril, line up with the yopo, and snort away.

Vomiting can happen, but is 100% easy and manageable. I was able to decide when I vomited. Sat around feeling queasy and then said, oh all right. I never have that control over queasiness. After vomiting the trip increased in intensity. I also blew my nose after I realized I started to trip. I would probably (logically) have a more pronounced trip if I didn't blow my nose, but I couldn't deal with the sniffles. The pain from snuffing was not bad at all... Seriously. It felt like I had to sneeze and had a slight tightness in my sinuses. I don't know what the deal is with all these people saying it REALLY hurts. I'm afraid of needles and this thing was a breeze.

Exp Year: 2013ExpID: 106253
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 19
Published: Nov 2, 2016Views: 4,248
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Anadenanthera peregrina (285) : Preparation / Recipes (30), Entities / Beings (37), General (1), Alone (16)

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