future, and producing visions during sacred rites.

4/02 All Rights Reserved DIN 133

were employed for the purposes of healing, divining the
cybin mushrooms, morning glory seeds, and datura—
The cactus—and other “divine” plants, including psilo- Box 27568 ■ Tempe, AZ 85285-7568 ■ 480.736.0599
nial use back some 3,000 years.
rituals among the Aztec and Toltec Indians date ceremo-
dors even knew Mexico existed. Early tales of peyote a list of current titles, or visit our web site at www.doitnow.org.
centuries before the Conquista- health published by Do It Now Foundation. Please call or write for
for religious purposes in Mexico Lophophora williamsii. This is one in a series of publications on drugs, behavior, and
Peyote buttons were chewed Cactus flower. Peyote, a.k.a.
properties.
chewed for its hallucinogenic
known as a “button,” which is
forms a hard, brownish disc
crown is sliced off and dried, it
American Southwest. When the
which grows in the deserts of Mexico and the
less cactus (known botanically as Lophophora williamsii) And so, some users might tell you, does the aftertaste.
What all the excitement’s been about is a small, spine- endures forever.
less true today: Conquistadors come and go, but peyote
BACKGROUND NOTES It was true to believers 400 years ago, and it seems no
stopped peyote and mescaline yet.
Still, the drawbacks—price, taste, laws—haven’t
And, to this day, it’s pretty much stayed that way. price tag reflecting the scarcity of supply.
turned into a major point of contention. mescaline has a revolting taste of its own—and a sky-high
And the plant, which the natives called “peyotl,” can trigger a vomiting that’s more relief than curse. And
And they did—every chance they got. Real peyote is identifiable by its noxious taste, which
them with their new subjects. PCP, or amphetamine-based psychedelics.
sacraments and wanted to share other drugs are often substituted— usually LSD,
their own ideas about God and pensive to synthesize the drug that
Because the Spaniards had economics. That’s because it’s so ex-
started. derives from the reality of street-drug
That’s when the problems A second risk linked to mescaline
most as a god. altogether.
a religious sacrament and revered al- erful as peyote is to avoid using it
strange vision-inducing plant used by natives as possibility of panic with a drug as pow-
at all, including corn, tobacco, potatoes, chocolate, and a but the only way to totally eliminate the
along the way, and all kinds of stuff they hadn’t counted on Tranquilizers can be administered in extreme cases,
They found lots of the former and little of the latter on a fear of dying or loss of control.
Americas. First, there’s the risk of bad trips, which mostly center
gold and glory during their adventures in the dangers.
World in the 16th century, they hoped to find sacramental users have faced two potential
hen the Spanish Conquistadors hit the New s peyote use has evolved over the years, non-
CACTUS & CONQUISTADORS RISKS & REALITIES
Peyote was believed to be a god-powerful medicine,
capable of giving sight to the blind and healing incurable
diseases. But to the Spaniards, it was the first American The ritual is believed to bestow the ability to glimpse beyond the
“drug problem.” form of everyday reality to the unity of energy and conscious-
ness underlying all existence.
THE FIRST ‘WAR ON DRUGS’
Still, challenges continue to be mounted, strengthened ACTIONS & EFFECTS
The Spaniards quickly outlawed “peyotism,” which
by a 1990 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, affirming the
they linked with cannibalism and witchcraft, and enacted
right of states to control ritual peyote use. Peyote contains more than fifty psychoactive ingredi-
the first set of anti-drug laws in the Western Hemisphere,
all aimed at wiping out Indian use of the plant. ents, the most powerful of which is mescaline (3,4,5-
They succeeded—to a point. Over the next four centu- trimethoxyphenethylamine).
ries, they successfully drove the indigenous peyote-based PEYOTE PRACTICES Named after the Mescalero Apaches, mescaline was
religion far underground. But it refused to stay there. first isolated from the peyote cactus in 1896 and indepen-
During the American Civil War, peyote use began The peyote ritual centers on a belief in a Great Spirit dently synthesized in 1918.
spreading north from Mexico on a large scale. Indian who created the universe and observes what happens, As one of the first hallucinogens to be reproduced
prophets, such as Quanah Parker and John Wilson, where, and to whom—everywhere and forever. in the lab, mescaline became the center of scientific
carried a Christianized version of the ancient ritual Peyote users believe the Spirit placed its own interest in the early 1900’s and was used in the
to more than fifty American tribes, including the divine powers in the cactus and that, by eating its experimental treatment of alcoholism, mental illness,
Cheyenne, Shawnee, Blackfoot, and Sioux, and as buttons, a believer can absorb that power and and other disorders.
far north as Canada. Their teachings blended tradi- experience that spiritual force. In doses of 200-500 mg (about 10-20 buttons), mes-
tional peyote chants and meditation with prayer and During a peyote ritual, which commonly in- caline triggers increased heart rate, body temperature,
belief in Jesus. volves sitting and staring into a large fire inside a and blood pressure and dilation of the pupils.
In 1918 a group of peyotists formed the Native Ameri- tent for 12 hours or more, participants chew and Normal coordination and reflexes are reduced, and
can Church to preserve peyote rituals and provide for swallow from 2-20 buttons, and sometimes as many as the skin may feel dry and itchy. Peak effects hit 2-3 hours
continued sacramental use of the plant. Still, nonbelievers 30. after ingestion, and run their course in about 12 hours.
fought back. The plant produces a trance-like state, which is Peyote and mescaline are best known for their
And even though laws in 11 states eventually sought to ban intensified by a pulsating drumbeat or by unique hallucinogenic properties, which many users
religious use of peyote, federal the chanting and prayers of participants report as less disorienting—and hence
courts have affirmed the right to absorbed in the peyote experience. more manageable—than LSD and other
sacramental use by Na- The ritual itself is believed to bestow synthetic psychedelics.
tive American special powers of healing and insight onto Subjective effects can include rapid changes
members of the participants, including the ability to glimpse in mood, feelings of empathy and kinship with
250,000-mem- beneath the form and beyond the description of others, kaleidoscopic perceptual changes, and
ber church. everyday, “consensual” reality to the unity of en- deeply moving, even profound, introspective spiri-
ergy and consciousness underlying all existence. tual experiences.
To prepare themselves and purge themselves of every- More difficult to describe is how, exactly, the drugs
day toxins, participants often undergo an extended pe- exert their unusual effects.
riod of fasting, meditation, and silence. While mescaline is about 4,000 times less potent—
Still, swallowing the buttons isn’t easy or palatable, no microgram for microgram—than LSD, both drugs
matter how prepared a participant is. work in similar ways, by temporarily tilting the distri-
In fact, peyote often triggers vomiting, which is con- bution and action in the brain of such neurotransmit-
Cactus Creation: Archetypal stories
and creation myths are common themes sidered to be a further act of purification, necessary for ters as dopamine and serotonin, although their exact
in peyote-inspired art, as in the pieces shown. © Peyote Way Church of God, Klondyke, AZ the Spirit’s entry into the body. mechanism of action remains unclear.
future, and producing visions during sacred rites. 4/02 All Rights Reserved DIN 133
were employed for the purposes of healing, divining the
cybin mushrooms, morning glory seeds, and datura—
The cactus—and other “divine” plants, including psilo- Box 27568 ■ Tempe, AZ 85285-7568 ■ 480.736.0599

nial use back some 3,000 years.

rituals among the Aztec and Toltec Indians date ceremo-
dors even knew Mexico existed. Early tales of peyote a list of current titles, or visit our web site at www.doitnow.org.
centuries before the Conquista- health published by Do It Now Foundation. Please call or write for
for religious purposes in Mexico Lophophora williamsii. This is one in a series of publications on drugs, behavior, and
Peyote buttons were chewed Cactus flower. Peyote, a.k.a.
properties.
chewed for its hallucinogenic
known as a “button,” which is
forms a hard, brownish disc
crown is sliced off and dried, it
American Southwest. When the
which grows in the deserts of Mexico and the
less cactus (known botanically as Lophophora williamsii) And so, some users might tell you, does the aftertaste.
What all the excitement’s been about is a small, spine- endures forever.
less true today: Conquistadors come and go, but peyote
BACKGROUND NOTES It was true to believers 400 years ago, and it seems no
stopped peyote and mescaline yet.
Still, the drawbacks—price, taste, laws—haven’t
And, to this day, it’s pretty much stayed that way. price tag reflecting the scarcity of supply.
turned into a major point of contention. mescaline has a revolting taste of its own—and a sky-high
And the plant, which the natives called “peyotl,” can trigger a vomiting that’s more relief than curse. And
And they did—every chance they got. Real peyote is identifiable by its noxious taste, which
them with their new subjects. PCP, or amphetamine-based psychedelics.
sacraments and wanted to share other drugs are often substituted— usually LSD,
their own ideas about God and pensive to synthesize the drug that
Because the Spaniards had economics. That’s because it’s so ex-
started. derives from the reality of street-drug
That’s when the problems A second risk linked to mescaline
most as a god. altogether.
a religious sacrament and revered al- erful as peyote is to avoid using it
strange vision-inducing plant used by natives as possibility of panic with a drug as pow-
at all, including corn, tobacco, potatoes, chocolate, and a but the only way to totally eliminate the
along the way, and all kinds of stuff they hadn’t counted on Tranquilizers can be administered in extreme cases,
They found lots of the former and little of the latter on a fear of dying or loss of control.
Americas. First, there’s the risk of bad trips, which mostly center
gold and glory during their adventures in the dangers.
World in the 16th century, they hoped to find sacramental users have faced two potential
hen the Spanish Conquistadors hit the New s peyote use has evolved over the years, non-

CACTUS & CONQUISTADORS RISKS & REALITIES

Peyote was believed to be a god-powerful medicine,

capable of giving sight to the blind and healing incurable
diseases. But to the Spaniards, it was the first American The ritual is believed to bestow the ability to glimpse beyond the
“drug problem.” form of everyday reality to the unity of energy and conscious-
ness underlying all existence.
THE FIRST ‘WAR ON DRUGS’
Still, challenges continue to be mounted, strengthened ACTIONS & EFFECTS
The Spaniards quickly outlawed “peyotism,” which
by a 1990 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, affirming the
they linked with cannibalism and witchcraft, and enacted
right of states to control ritual peyote use. Peyote contains more than fifty psychoactive ingredi-
the first set of anti-drug laws in the Western Hemisphere,
all aimed at wiping out Indian use of the plant. ents, the most powerful of which is mescaline (3,4,5-
They succeeded—to a point. Over the next four centu- trimethoxyphenethylamine).
ries, they successfully drove the indigenous peyote-based PEYOTE PRACTICES Named after the Mescalero Apaches, mescaline was
religion far underground. But it refused to stay there. first isolated from the peyote cactus in 1896 and indepen-
During the American Civil War, peyote use began The peyote ritual centers on a belief in a Great Spirit dently synthesized in 1918.
spreading north from Mexico on a large scale. Indian who created the universe and observes what happens, As one of the first hallucinogens to be reproduced
prophets, such as Quanah Parker and John Wilson, where, and to whom—everywhere and forever. in the lab, mescaline became the center of scientific
carried a Christianized version of the ancient ritual Peyote users believe the Spirit placed its own interest in the early 1900’s and was used in the
to more than fifty American tribes, including the divine powers in the cactus and that, by eating its experimental treatment of alcoholism, mental illness,
Cheyenne, Shawnee, Blackfoot, and Sioux, and as buttons, a believer can absorb that power and and other disorders.
far north as Canada. Their teachings blended tradi- experience that spiritual force. In doses of 200-500 mg (about 10-20 buttons), mes-
tional peyote chants and meditation with prayer and During a peyote ritual, which commonly in- caline triggers increased heart rate, body temperature,
belief in Jesus. volves sitting and staring into a large fire inside a and blood pressure and dilation of the pupils.
In 1918 a group of peyotists formed the Native Ameri- tent for 12 hours or more, participants chew and Normal coordination and reflexes are reduced, and
can Church to preserve peyote rituals and provide for swallow from 2-20 buttons, and sometimes as many as the skin may feel dry and itchy. Peak effects hit 2-3 hours
continued sacramental use of the plant. Still, nonbelievers 30. after ingestion, and run their course in about 12 hours.
fought back. The plant produces a trance-like state, which is Peyote and mescaline are best known for their
And even though laws in 11 states eventually sought to ban intensified by a pulsating drumbeat or by unique hallucinogenic properties, which many users
religious use of peyote, federal the chanting and prayers of participants report as less disorienting—and hence
courts have affirmed the right to absorbed in the peyote experience. more manageable—than LSD and other
sacramental use by Na- The ritual itself is believed to bestow synthetic psychedelics.
tive American special powers of healing and insight onto Subjective effects can include rapid changes
members of the participants, including the ability to glimpse in mood, feelings of empathy and kinship with
250,000-mem- beneath the form and beyond the description of others, kaleidoscopic perceptual changes, and
ber church. everyday, “consensual” reality to the unity of en- deeply moving, even profound, introspective spiri-
ergy and consciousness underlying all existence. tual experiences.
To prepare themselves and purge themselves of every- More difficult to describe is how, exactly, the drugs
day toxins, participants often undergo an extended pe- exert their unusual effects.
riod of fasting, meditation, and silence. While mescaline is about 4,000 times less potent—
Still, swallowing the buttons isn’t easy or palatable, no microgram for microgram—than LSD, both drugs
matter how prepared a participant is. work in similar ways, by temporarily tilting the distri-
In fact, peyote often triggers vomiting, which is con- bution and action in the brain of such neurotransmit-
Cactus Creation: Archetypal stories
and creation myths are common themes sidered to be a further act of purification, necessary for ters as dopamine and serotonin, although their exact
in peyote-inspired art, as in the pieces shown. © Peyote Way Church of God, Klondyke, AZ the Spirit’s entry into the body. mechanism of action remains unclear.