This class of psychedelics has very similar mental effects to indole psychedelics, but their structures are different. These psychedelics are all based on the catechol nucleus structure, which forms the basic framework of neurotransmitters such as catecholamines, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
Peyote Cactus
Peyote (from the Aztec word peyote) is a small, spineless cactus shaped like a carrot, also known as Lophophora williamsii Lemaire, which grows wild in the Rio Grande Valley (near Mexico) and southward. It grows almost flat on the ground, with only the gray-green, mat-like top exposed.
Before Columbus discovered the New World, the Aztecs (ancient Mexicans) and other Native Americans consumed fresh or sun-dried peyote during their ceremonial celebrations. It causes a sensory and mental frenzy lasting 24 hours, which led indigenous people to believe in and use it devoutly.
Only the above-ground parts of this cactus are edible, but the entire plant can have a spiritual effect. The top part is sliced and dried, referred to as “tequila beans.” These peyote cactus slices maintain a certain spiritual effect and serve as the main source of the drug during the harvest season. Native Americans view the harvesting of peyote in November and December as a celebration, which sometimes lasts for a month and a half. When consuming tequila beans, they hold them in their mouths to soften them, then form them into pills with their hands and swallow them.
Native Americans
We should differentiate the buds of tequila from the fruit and juice of tequila, as the juice is extracted after fermenting the plant. The buds are part of the tequila, with the main active ingredient being mescaline (a psychedelic). The tequila beans are dark red seeds from the shrub Sophora secundiflora. These seeds were historically the basis of hallucinogenic worship and contain a highly toxic alkaloid – cytisine, which acts similarly to nicotine, causing nausea, convulsions, hallucinations, and can lead to respiratory failure and death. The use of tequila beans has a long history, and later a safer cactus plant was discovered in the southwestern United States. During the transition from tequila beans to tequila buds, some tribes mixed peyote cactus with tequila beans for consumption, resulting in confusion in early literature.
Despite evidence that peyote cactus use spread to the United States as early as 1760, it did not become popular among the Plains Indian tribes until the late 19th century. Since then, Indian shamans have expanded this practice to 250,000 Native Americans, even reaching northern regions like Canada.
Native American Shaman
For many years, the Native American Church’s use of peyote as a ceremonial practice has been protected under the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. In fact, this protection led to an attempt by Lee Roy in 1960 to establish the “Psychedelic Discovery Alliance” to obtain similar exemptions for LSD. However, in 1990, the Supreme Court ruled that the Oregon government could prosecute citizens using peyote.
Non-religious Use of Mescaline
By the end of the 19th century, Arthur Heffter extracted several alkaloids from peyote cactus and discovered that mescaline was the primary component causing visual effects from peyote. In 1918, mescaline was synthesized artificially, and since then, experiments on its psychological effects and behavioral impacts have been conducted using synthetic mescaline. Over 30 psychoactive alkaloids have been extracted from peyote cactus, but mescaline appears to be the primary component responsible for vibrant colors and other visual effects. Many documents do not strictly distinguish mescaline from peyote.
One of the earliest studies on the effects of peyote was conducted by Dr. W. Mitchell, who used extracted peyote. In his report, he wrote:
For the next two hours, the images I saw were like magic; I could not describe their beauty and wonder in words. Before me were shining stars, exquisite flowing colors, and suddenly countless bright white points flickered by, like thousands of galaxies I had never seen flowing in a shining river, along with twisting, colorful lines and vibrant, charming floating clouds that flashed past me.
H. Ellis was another early researcher. Interestingly, he consumed peyote on Good Friday in 1897 and conducted famous research on Mexican psychedelic mushrooms 65 years later. In an article published in the Scientific Monthly in 1902 titled “Tequila: A Study of the Sacred Plant,” he detailed his experiments, from which a brief excerpt highlights the essence of the trial:
In summary, if I had to express everything I saw in one word, I could only say it was living Arabesque. There was an endless sense of symmetry, as if composed of countless mirrors forming a complex structure. The same patterns repeatedly appeared across a large area, and although the shapes were the same, their extremely vivid colors differed greatly. For example, identical jewel-encrusted flowers suddenly sprang forth, filling the entire scene, each flower shimmering with different hues.
Not every student will enjoy every learning opportunity. W. James was surprised to find that he was one of them. He wrote to his brother Henry: I took it three days ago, and the feeling lasted for 24 hours. Dr. Mitchell noted in previous records: “The cost of this sensation is great; the headache and indigestion from the first experience were worth it, but I will not return for a second time.”
Records from Native Americans indicate that even if you do not experience severe nausea and physical discomfort after taking the drug, there is still a cost. Aldous Huxley, who became a prominent figure with his 1954 publication “The Doors of Perception,” also acknowledged: “Mescaline brings marvelous sensations to most users, but a small portion may feel a sense of hellish descent.” Some reports indicate that some indigenous people experienced severe discomfort after consuming this or similar plants, as if they were facing their own demons, hoping to find a way to control them and expel the evil from themselves.
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Pharmacology of Mescaline
Oral mescaline is rapidly absorbed, with only a small portion entering the brain through the bloodstream (thus requiring a large dose to elicit a response). The maximum effect is reached 30-120 minutes after ingestion. Approximately half of the mescaline is excreted within 6 hours, but a portion can remain in the brain for 9-10 hours. Similar to indole psychedelics, taking a small dose of mescaline, at a ratio of about 3 mg/kg of body weight, results in mild pleasurable sensations. When the dose increases to 5 mg/kg, profound and complete hallucinations occur. Mescaline is primarily excreted through urine, and the excretion has been identified to have no psychoactive effects.
Psychoactive drugs can cause pupil dilation, increased pulse, elevated blood pressure, and increased body temperature. LSD, 4-Dimethyl-5-hydroxytryptamine phosphate, and other alkaloid psychedelics exhibit similar symptoms. After taking mescaline, there are also other reactions in the central nervous system, such as stimulation of brain waves. The LD50 content in mice is approximately 370 mg/kg, which is 10-30 times higher than the amount that can cause reactions in humans. The direct cause of death is convulsions and respiratory distress. The development of tolerance to mescaline occurs more slowly than to LSD, and the two types of tolerance can interact. Chlorpromazine in individuals with tolerance to LSD can inhibit tolerance to mescaline.
Despite the structural similarities between mescaline and catecholamine psychedelics, it is more likely that mescaline, like LSD, primarily acts through blood-borne compounds. The mental effects of these two classes of psychedelics are similar in humans, and in mice, the effects of both drugs are inhibited by blood-borne compounds, indicating that the mechanisms of action are similar. Studies on the structure of catecholamine psychedelics show that they also have structures similar to LSD.
Source: Green Orange Ribbon