"Drink cactus juice. It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier. It's the quenchiest!" |
— Sokka hallucinating on cactus juice.[1] |
Cactus juice is a naturally occurring liquid found in certain succulent plants of the Si Wong Desert. It contains hallucinogens which cause those who consume it to temporarily fall into a deranged mental state.
History[]
While wandering around the Si Wong Desert, Team Avatar stumbled upon a cactus. Parched, Sokka sliced open the plant, and he and Momo quenched their thirst with the juice inside. However, the liquid contained a powerful hallucinogen; after causing their pupils to widely dilate, Momo began to soar in the sky aimlessly, while Sokka advertised the dangerous liquid and asked nonsensical questions.
Seeing the effect the juice had on her brother, Katara poured the liquid on the ground before Toph could have a sip as well. The hallucinogenic effects of the juice eventually wore off by the next morning.[1]
Some of Republic City's rich and eclectic became interested in consuming cactus juice, as it was considered very exotic. It does not appear to be available legally, as smugglers such as Akemi stock up on it in the Republic City underground.[2]
Trivia[]
- After arriving in Ba Sing Se, Sokka cautioned the group not to get their hopes up, suggesting highly illogical and supernatural disasters that could still befall them, such as getting attacked by an exploding Fire Nation spoon or finding out that the city had been submerged in a sea of killer shrimp. Toph addressed his paranoia by asking if he had been "hitting the cactus juice again", though her question was dismissed by him afterward.[3]
- Although the plant Sokka and Momo drank from resembled the fishhook barrel cactus in appearance, it shares the same hallucinogenic properties as the peyote cactus, which is native to southwestern Texas and central Mexico.
- Chef Jenny Dorsey initially proposed to include cactus juice in Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations that would include alcohol or cannabidiol, but the idea was rejected by Nickelodeon.[4]
- Instead, a version of the drink not containing alcohol or cannabidiol was added to the cookbook.[5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hedrick, Tim (writer) & MacMullan, Lauren (director). (July 14, 2006). "The Desert". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 11. Nickelodeon.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 58.
- ↑ Hedrick, Tim (writer) & MacMullan, Lauren (director). (September 22, 2006). "City of Walls and Secrets". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 14. Nickelodeon.
- ↑ Avatar Cookbook Q&A. Jenny Dorsey on Instagram. Retrieved on December 17, 2020.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations.