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Peyote is a small, spineless cactus, Lophophora
williamsii, whose principal active ingredient
is the hallucinogen mescaline (3, 4, 5-trimethoxyphenethylamine).
From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used
by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern
United States as a part of their religious rites.
The top of the cactus above ground--also referred
to as the crown--consists of disc-shaped buttons
that are cut from the roots and dried. These buttons
are generally chewed or soaked in water to produce
an intoxicating liquid. The hallucinogenic dose
of mescaline is about 0.3 to 0.5 grams and lasts
about 12 hours. While peyote produced rich visual
hallucinations that were important to the native
peyote cults, the full spectrum of effects served
as a chemically induced model of mental illness.
Mescaline can be extracted from peyote or produced
synthetically. Both peyote and mescaline are listed
in the CSA as Schedule I hallucinogens.
Source: DEA
The San Pedro cactus, Trichocereus pachanoi,
is native to the high Andes in Peru, South America.
Like Peyote, its principle active ingredient is
mescaline.
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