Peyotes (Lophophora williamsii) - beautiful pictures and a little background about their psychedelic properties

I want to share two pictures and talk a little bit about one of my favorite cacti, Peyote (Lophophora williamsii).

Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa

Lophophora williamsii

These pictures were taken with an Olympus EPM1.

Peyotes are small, geophytic, spineless cacti of the Genus Lophophora.
This cactus was first described in 1845 by French botanist Charles Antoine Lemaire, who named it Equinocactus williamsii after Sir. C.H. Williams, the British Ambassador to the state of Bahia.

After being placed in five different genera of cacti (Anhalonium, Ariocarpus, Echinocactus, Mammillaria, and Peyotl), the American botanist John Coulter proposed the new genera "Lophophora" for peyote alone in 1894 [1].

L. williamsii species is distributed in the United States in Texas, and in Mexico in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, San Luis de Potosí, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas [2].

This species of cacti contains mescaline and a mixture of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, such as pellotine, anhalonidine, lophophorine and anhalonine [3], being mescaline the main psychoactive compound.

Chemical structure of mescaline. Image Source: Wikipedia

Mescaline is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class with an effective dose of 0.2-0.4 grams (in its sulfate form) [4]. When ingested, mescaline first induces nausea, tremor and perspiration. After 1 to 2 hours, these effects subside and are followed by perceptual distortions, such as changes in sensory perception, space, time, color, sounds and shapes, as well as a dreamlike state [5][6].

Mescaline is about 1,000 to 3,000 times less potent than LSD; and about 30 times less potent than psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms [7][8]. So, according to Erowid [9], in order to feel the effects of this drug you would have to consume between 3 and 6 mid-size buttons (greater than 1 inch/2.5 cm in diameter when dried) and 6 to 12 mid-size buttons to have a medium experience. Besides, the texture of the dried buttons is similar to that of leather and they become quite hard and rubbery when dried, so it requires strong jaw muscles to manage to chew and softened the dried cacti. Definitely not a recommended drug for tea parties.

Sadly, L. williamsii is included in the category of IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to illegal collection and overharvesting due to its psychoactive properties [10].

Disclaimer 1: Mescaline is considered a Schedule I Substance in the US under the Controlled Substances Act [11] and a Schedule III substance in Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act [12]
Disclaimer 2: I am not against the use of any psychoactive substance, but bringing a plant to extinction because you want to see the face of God or have a good time it’s simply stupid.

References:
[1] Caiuby-Labate, B.; Cavnar. "Peyote: History, Tradition, Politics, and Conservation" C. ABC-CLIO, Jan 18, 2016
[2] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/151962/0)
[3] Bruhn, J .G.; Lindgren, J .E.; Holmstedt, B. & Adovasio, J .M. 1978. Peyote alkaloids: Identification in a prehistoric specimen of Lophophora from Coahuila, Mexico. Science 1 99: 1437-38.
[4] Shulgin, Alexander, and Ann Shulgin. PIHKAL: a chemical love story. Transform Press, 1995.
[5] Nichols, David E. "Hallucinogens." Pharmacology & therapeutics 101.2 (2004): 131-181.
[6] Hermie L, Funfgeld M, Oepen G, Botsch H, Borchardt D, Gouzoulis E, et al. Mescaline-induced psychopathological, neurophsiological and neurometabolic effects in normal subjects: experimental psychosis as a tool for psychiatric research. Biol Psychiatry 1992; 32:976-91.
[7] Monte MP, Waldman ST, Marona-Lewicka D, Wainscott DB, Nelson DL, Sanders-Bush E, Nichols DE. Dihydrobenzofuran analogues of hallucinogens 4. Mescaline derivatives. J Med Chem 1997; 40:2997-3008.
[8] Nelson DL, Lucaites VL, Wainscot DB, Glennon RA. Comparison of hallucinogenic phenylisopropylamine binding affinities at cloned 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B receptors and 5-HT2C receptors. Naunyn Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol 1999; 359:1-6
[9] Erowid Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) Vault – Dose. Retrived from https://erowid.org/plants/peyote/peyote_dose.shtml
[10] Terry, M. 2013. Lophophora williamsii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T151962A581420. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T151962A581420.en. Downloaded on 15 September 2017.
[11] https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/cfr/1308/1308_11.htm
[12] https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/sc-1996-c-19/latest/sc-1996-c-19.html#sec95

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