This is a naturally occurring HALLUCINOGEN, one of the oldest PSYCHEDELIC substances known. It was first obtained from the PEYOTE cactus (Lophophra williamsii or Anhalonium lewinii), which grows in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Peyote buttons, the dried tops of the peyote cactus, were originally used by pre-Columbian Native Americans in those regions as an antispasmodic as well as for highly structured religious rituals; the button was eaten or was steeped to make a drink. It continues to be used in ritual by the Native American Church.

Figure 1 Mescaline

Mescaline is a member of the phenethylamine-type family of hallucinogens, which includes DOM, MDA, and MDMA. The overall behavior effects of mescaline are very similar to those produced by LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD); however, it is approximately 100 to 1,000 times less potent than LSD, although the effects of mescaline last from 10 to 12 hours.

See Also

Psilocybin; Religion and Drug Use)

Bibliography

EFRON, D. H., HOLMSTEDT, B., & KLINE, N.S. (EDS.). (1979). Ethnopharmacologic search for psychoactive drugs. New York: Raven Press.