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Your weekly dose of drug facts while dispelling fiction
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You're listening to locally produced programming created in KUNV Studios on Public Radio. KUNV 91.5. Welcome to another episode of The Chemical Collective. The Chemical Collective offers
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you your weekly dose of drug facts while dispelling fiction. Today we are talking about peyote,
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its main psychoactive alkaloid mescaline and its effects on the brain, as well as peyote's importance to Indigenous peoples and society. I'm Kendra McLaughlin, and I'm April Contreras. I'm super excited to talk about this today. But I was curious if you can first start off by explaining to our listeners, what is peyote and where does it come from? Peyote or peyote, people pronounce it differently, is a small spineless cactus native to Mexico, and found in parts of the southwestern United States, primarily southwest Texas. Peyote is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl word peyotl, meaning caterpillar cocoon. And if you've seen a picture of one of these, you can kind of guess why, because the name describes their appearance really well. They grow low to the ground, often forming groups with numerous crowded shoots, so plant structures that grow above the ground like leaves and flowers. And these blue-green, yellow-green, or sometimes reddish-green shoots are mostly flattened spheres with sunken root shoot tips. And there are often significant vertical ribs that are consisting of low, rounded, or hump-like bumps on this cactus. And from the top bumps there's a soft tuft of yellowish or woolly hairs and its habitat is primarily in desert scrub. It's often found on or near limestone hills and actually takes sometimes decades to grow. Wow. Living in Nevada, one thing we do not have a shortage of is cactus. What might be something that
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separates peyote from other types of cactuses that we might come across in the desert?
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Yeah, that's a great question. So peyote is known for its entheogenic properties. And this means it contains molecules, alkaloids, that when ingested produce a non ordinary state of consciousness or for religious and spiritual purposes. Yeah, peyote is one of the oldest known entheogens, whose use can be traced back to at least 5,700 years ago. The mastery of peyote use by shamans and spiritual healers has been passed down throughout all that time and is still used today. So who is known to have used or is currently using peyote for spiritual or like sacred purposes? The use of peyote and the peyote religion is ancient and appears to have originated in Mexico. people, or the Wiwarika, which they sometimes call themselves, are indigenous people of Mexico that have spiritual traditional practices, which involve collecting and consuming peyote for healing. And peyote is for medicine and spiritual healing then spread to indigenous tribes located in the Great and Southern Plains of the United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and others. And people in these regions still employ the sacramental use of peyote and San Pedro today, which is another cactus. And a great example of this is the Native American Church or NAC, which is also known as peyotism or the peyote religion. It's the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans in the United States, except for Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, Canada, specifically First Nations people in Saskatchewan and Alberta and Mexico, with an estimated 250,000 adherents as of the late 20th century. Wow, the span is so far. Can you tell me a little bit more about how or why peyote became integrated in indigenous rituals and medicinal practices? Yeah, there's a lot of literature that describes the origin of peyote use. According to the Huichol people of Mexico, the peyote cactus was a gift from the gods to help communicate with the spirit world. And it's thought that the peyote plant contains the spirit of their main deity, the Madre del Mar, or goddess of the mother, or ocean. And that consuming it is actually what allows to enter into a state of spiritual communion with ancestors and their natural world. Then the practice of peyote ritual spread north to indigenous tribes of the United States, and has since become integrated into the Native American church. And the tenants of the NAC regard peyote as a sacred and holy sacrament and use it as a means to communicate with the Great Spirit, a life force or supreme being, also referred to as the creator. That sounds so beautiful. I'm curious about these rituals and or ceremonies. Can you tell me a little bit more about them and which incorporate the peyote in general? All these rituals or ceremonies can differ depending on the tribe or people that are practicing them. But some examples are the Huichol people of Mexico conducting peyote ceremonies that involve singing, drumming, and prayer. And these are led by a shaman or spiritual leader. And there's this amazing tradition where once a year, they make a pilgrimage to their ancestral homeland, San Luis Potosi, to perform what's called mitote, or peyote ceremonies. One example of peyote used by the Navajo, or they call themselves the Dine people, is the tradition of using peyote in religious ceremonies called chants, which can consist of multiple nights of ceremony. These peyote ceremonies or meetings are specific healing ceremonies common amongst Plains tribes. And these ceremonies differ amongst tribes, but they're called or held to really support specific individuals to allow space for the community to help heal at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. for the community to help heal at the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels. How is peyote prepared for these rituals? Are there any differences in how it's prepared and used? Peyote can be prepared using various methods depending on the group of people and spiritual or medicinal use. The cactus can be chopped and chewed. The crown of the peyote, the top or button is what it's called, can be ground or dried and then mixed to make different healing paste or even steeped in tea. Some other examples for medicinal use range from being kind of used like an aspirin. So you can even take peyote and apply it externally onto your skin, yeah, to help treat rheumatism, wounds, burns, snake bites, different skin diseases. And when it's steeped to actually make that tea, it can be taken for illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, different fevers, intestinal issues, and colds. And the dried peyote crowns or buttons are usually what's used for or consumed in a ceremony. Has the use of peyote for its ethogenic effects
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changed over time?
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Absolutely. The use of peyote has changed and was severely impacted by the colonization of the Americas by Europeans. As a result of this colonization, the use of peyote and other sacred plants was suppressed, criminalized, and made illegal to be used by the people that had been using them for hundreds of thousands of years. Yeah, the people who actually had expertise in this medicine were barred from using it. And it wasn't until 1994 that the American Indian Religious Freedom Act extended the right to free exercise of using peyote in the NAC religion, as per the First Amendment of the Constitution. And as we've discussed on the show before, there is a resurgence of interest in investigating the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health conditions. And the psychoactive effects of peyote's alkaloid mescaline is being considered as a treatment for a variety of ailments, and clinical trials are ongoing to examine its effects on inflammation, depression and substance use, particularly in relation to alcohol use disorder. Okay, I'm very excited to get to the segment that we love here, how it works in the brain. More specifically, you mentioned something about the alkaloid of mescaline. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Absolutely. So mescaline is a chemical compound. It's also known by the name 3, 4, 5-trimethoxyphenethylamine. And it can be found in several species of cactus. So we've been talking about peyote this whole show, that's what this show's on. But you can find mescaline in different species of cactus as well as certain bean plants. It's synthesized from two other basic molecules called tyrosine and phenylalanine. And these are essential amino acid molecules. And we like to think of these as being considered as essential for building blocks of life. And it's one of the many alkaloids in peyote that's considered to have an important role in producing the plant's psychedelic or entheogenic effects. Okay, so if mescaline comes from peyote, how do we study it and research its
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effects and all the stuff that we're reading on now?
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Yeah, mescaline can be extracted from peyote for research purposes by taking the cactus and chopping it into pieces, boiling it, blending it, then filtering it, and evaporating the liquid. And the extracted mescaline then can be further purified and crystallized. Mescaline was first synthesized in 1919 and subsequent to this numerous approaches have been used using different starting materials to develop mescaline. And this is because there's been a massive decline in peyote supply. Like we talked about earlier, it can take a really, really long time for these plants to grow. And so people are just taking them. It's really ruining the, it's not sustainable, right, to keep these cactuses growing. And it's destroying the habitat, there's illegal poaching. And this is one of the reasons that scientists are actually developing purely synthetic versions of mescaline and mescaline-like analogs. I see, yeah that's a lot to think about. I'm curious how does mescaline work in the brain? What receptors are involved? Like other psychedelics, mescaline works in the brain by binding to serotonin or 5-HT receptors. It acts as a serotonin agonist, so this means that when mescaline binds to the serotonin receptor, it produces a similar response as if actual serotonin molecules were binding to the receptor. And mescaline appears to bind best to the 5-HT2A receptor and the 5-HT2C receptor subtypes. And again, these are G protein coupled metapitropic receptors which slowly activate to produce and sustain the subjective effects that are really characteristic of psychedelics. Can you give us some examples of these subjective effects? Mm-hmm. It's really interesting reading about different psychedelics because they each have kind of their unique profiles and mescaline is definitely one that stands out. It's considered to be one of the most gentle, insightful, and euphoric psychedelics. It includes an altered state of consciousness with altered thinking and changes in time and perception, which is often described as being happy or positive, enjoyable and illuminating. And you appear to feel like you're in a dreamlike state with changes in visual perceptions and distortions. Exactly how much payo is needed to fill these kind of effects in your perception, things like that. So the amount of mescaline needed to feel its effects can vary depending on a variety of factors, including your body weight, individual sensitivity, and the method of consumption. But generally, a typical human dose of mescaline is around 200 to 400 milligrams. So you would need at least eight buttons to get kind of a very, start feeling potent effects. And there's anecdotal evidence of doses ranging up to 700 milligrams. So depending on what the experience is and what the outcome is, that's going to be a major factor. Got you. Okay, we got a little zoomed in there, but let's take a quick step back and let's talk about some of the effects of peyote and mescaline in the rest of the body. Mescaline produces many what we call sympathomimetic effects. And so this means that it produces physiological effects in your body activate its fight or flight response. It accelerates the heart rate, widens your bronchial passages in the lungs so that you can get more air in there, constricts your blood vessels, causes pupil dilation, activates goop spumps, increases sweating, and raises your blood pressure. And on the flip side, this can cause some people to experience physical effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which is especially characteristic of higher doses. Can you tell us if there's any different types of variations of peyote? When thinking about different types of mescaline, you're going to want to think about the cactus that it's derived from. And there are many varieties of mescaline containing cactus, not just limited to peyote, even the San Pedro cactus in South America. So there may be some variation in potency and effects in different regions, which contain slightly different levels of mescaline. In some different strains of cactus, like the San Pedro that I just mentioned, they actually have higher concentrations of mescaline compared to the peyote cactus, and as well as some other psychoactive compounds in addition to mescaline. And different synthetic psychedelic molecules have been made actually using the base structure of mescaline, including the 2CI series of compounds, which we mentioned on our last show. Okay, I'm picking up what you're putting down. I'm curious, though, are there any recommended daily intakes for peyote? Well, like with any other drug, you know, there really isn't a recommended daily intake. I don't think there even really is any published systemic research that discusses this. And like any other psychedelics, you know, we're not talking about caffeine here, something that you're just gonna pick up in your drink and take pretty casually. Completely different. Yeah. So it's important to note that peyote really is considered sacred and is taken as a sacrament. So this is going to be during a really important ceremony or ritual. And because of these intense effects, which are dependent on a number of factors, including your mood, the set or the environment that you're in the setting, you're probably going to want an expert, someone with mastery, to be helping guide you along that journey. And according to the DEA, mescaline itself is a controlled substance, which is considered to have high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use, but clearly history of its treatment for mental health conditions calls that into question. Understood. These intense effects that we're talking about, how long would you say that it takes for Peyote to take effect? Well, it really depends on the dose and the person and their individual factors, right? So the onset of effects of mescaline orally, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to feel its effects. And what we really want to consider here too is you're not just taking the mescaline compound, you're taking it by ingesting the cactus, right? Right, right. So when you're ingesting it in the form of a cactus, like peyote, the effects may take longer to appear because you need to digest, there needs to be metabolism to occur to extract that psychoactive compound mescaline. And this can take several hours with effects typically appearing about three to four hours of ingestion and peaking around six to eight hours. Yeah, what's really interesting about mescaline is that it has a very, very slow onset compared to other psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, especially DMT, which takes minutes. The duration of theifexamesculin can vary depending on your dose, but they can last anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, sometimes even longer. 12 hours? Yeah, 12 hours. And so it's important to note that theifexamesculin can be intense and long-lasting, so one should be prepared for potential risks. Wow. I can't even think what I would do for 12 hours. That's fascinating. I'm curious, though, this is coming from cactus, and there's always this kind of debate when things are coming from someplace natural, like how addictive is it really? Can you talk to us about whether peyote is considered to be addictive? Yeah, well, peyote and its psychoactive compound mesclun aren't considered addictive in the same way that drugs like opioids or other stimulants like caffeine are, because they don't produce typically what we call physical dependence. On the contrary, studies are showing that longer acting psychedelics like mescaline can be really effective in helping treat people with addiction, particularly alcohol use disorder. The Native American Church has been using mescaline and peyote to help treat AUD for years, and it's thought that the slower onset of mescaline allows for a greater surrender to the psychedelic experience and provide a greater therapeutic benefit as a result. But more research is needed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that after use, mescaline can produce a tolerance period of about 3-4 days. to four days, but this is probably the result of a lot of factors including just the intense experience itself.
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Okay.
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Do you think that there are possible withdrawal symptoms that can occur following peyote or mescaline use? Well, there's limited research on the potential withdrawal symptoms associated with mescaline use. However, since mescaline doesn't produce physical dependence, it's unlikely to cause the typical withdrawal, severe withdrawal symptoms that we see with other drugs, like abuse, like opioids or benzodiazepines. And that being said, some users have anecdotally reported and experienced psychological or emotional symptoms after discontinuing mescaline use, like irritability, depression, anxiety, or mood swings. But these symptoms are likely related to the individual's psychological or emotional state, rather than direct result of the mescaline itself. Yeah, that's why it's critical to have a support system or like a container for the individual that's received treatment. That makes sense. I can't lie to you, I'm still stuck on the 12 hours. I'm curious about a different symptom. Do you think that peyote may interfere with things like sleep?
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Yeah, it's possible to interfere with your sleep,
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particularly if taken at higher doses or later in the day. Remember, a lot of the ceremonies that incorporate peyote into them, they don't just occur on one night, they occur for multiple days and involve a ton of other ceremonies and ritual traditions. As we previously mentioned, the effects of mescaline can last for several hours. Anecdotally, people report having trouble falling asleep or even staying asleep after using the substance. Sometimes people report having vivid and intense dreams, which are what are keeping them awake, or nightmares that disrupt their normal sleep patterns. But, you know, if you think about it, you're taking an entheogenic substance, that's going to change the way you're thinking. There's going to be some time to process that too. So yeah. I know that we've in the past talked about potential therapeutic use of psychedelics. I'm curious if peyote plays a role in treating things like anxiety or depression. Yeah, this has been a really exciting topic to read about. And it's, you know, making a splash in the news about the potential for psychedelics to treat different mental health conditions. And mescaline and peyote is definitely not one that we should overlook. And research has suggested that mescaline can produce a state of increased introspection and self-awareness, which really helps individuals with anxiety and depression gain insight into their condition and develop new perspectives on their thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, mescaline has been found to produce mystical or spiritual experiences, right? It's entheogenic properties, which is thought to contribute to its therapeutic benefits. And the potential benefits of mescaline in treating anxiety and depression isn't fully understood and requires more research. And in some cases, again, this is anecdotal, not every psychedelic is going to be right for everybody. So it could potentially exacerbate symptoms of these particular conditions if you're not aware of what you're getting into. Yeah, that's really important to consider. We're thinking about the possible positive benefits of it, but it's always with one comes another. So I guess on a negative outcome, is it possible to overdose on peyote? Yeah, it's possible to overdose and by overdose, I mean, take a toxic amount of peyote. Okay, yeah. So the exact threshold for overdose can vary depending on different factors like your weight, and if you're taking multiple drugs also. But an overdose can occur when you take more mescaline than your body can actually handle and safely metabolize. And that leads to a range of symptoms like severe nausea, vomiting, maybe a rapid, uncomfortable heart rate, some tremors, agitation, and confusion. However, it's really important to note that there's been no fatal overdose from taking peyote. It's not been reported. Okay, yeah, that is really helpful. Are there any health risks that are associated with maybe like the long-term use though of peyote? Like with all drugs, there's always gonna be potential risk involved, but there's no systematic evidence from studies, including some studies that have been following its use in different tribes in the southwestern United States to suggest that long term use of mescaline is particularly harmful. Anecdotal reports indicate that some people experience, you know, intense psychological dependence and some flashbacks. But individuals with a family history of certain mental illnesses may be more likely to experience anxiety and and put like some mild psychosis that's transient. But research is still needed because that's all anecdotal. Okay. Earlier you alluded to it a little bit, but can you speak a little bit on whether mescaline is a scheduled substance? Yeah, this is a very interesting topic because mescaline itself is a Schedule I substance in the United States. So that means according to the DEA and Controlled Substances Act that it is considered to have a high potential for abuse and has no accepted medical use. And from what we've talked about on the show today, that's kind of contentious. And it gets kind of tricky because it's actually legal to have peyote cactus, but it is illegal to extract, sell, or distribute, possess the actual extracted mescaline.
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Okay.
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Yeah. Okay. So there's a way around. The plant itself is not illegal, but the psychoactive component inside it is. It sounds a little tricky. So how is peyote and the mescaline within peyote regulated or controlled? Well, it's heavily restricted with the concession that the Native American Church or the NAC is allowed to have it and use it for its ceremonies. Right. OK. How is peyote regulated in other countries? Well, the regulation of mescaline and POD vary, but it is still generally illegal or heavily restricted in most parts of the world, including even in Mexico, where, you know, it kind of originated. Other places like the United Kingdom, mescaline is classified as a class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which carries the highest penalties for for possession use and distribution. Wow, that's a lot to think about. Yeah, it looks like we do still have a little bit of time for some questions that we were asked by UNLV students. Are you up for the challenge? Always? Okay, the first one is how does the experience of taking peyote compare types of magic mushrooms. Oh yeah, so kind of like I mentioned earlier, other psychedelics, they each have kind of their own profile with different qualities that are associated with their experiences. So taking peyote, again, the trip itself takes a very long onset time can last up to 12 hours. Taking magic mushrooms or psilocybin actually has a little bit less of a onset time and compared to other psychedelics like LSD mescalin tends to produce a more physically focused experience. So it's an entheogen like we talked about but also an empathogen. So this means that users may experience intense feelings of euphoria, physical warmth and pleasure, as well as profound changes in their perception and thought.
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Okay.
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Right. And then our last question is, is it more dangerous for people with mental illnesses to do hallucinogens such as mescaline? Yeah, this is an interesting topic, because it's tricky, and not as straightforward as you might think. So again, there's always a degree of risk and potential for adverse effects when taking any type of drug. Individuals with certain mental health conditions may be more exposed to certain risks. Because mescaline, you know, can alter your perception, thinking, your emotion in sometimes unpredictable ways, maybe in ways that you're not prepared for. So that's why it's really important that the research on psychedelics is being done, because then we can better understand the qualities of the different types of psychedelics, which ones might be better for certain types of people at certain times. And things like this show are really important, because we can just talk about it in an open forum and help people kind of, you know, learn because knowledge is power. For sure. Well, thank you so much for this wonderful discussion. Thank you. We hope that you found this trip with The Chemical Collective informative and thought-provoking.
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Until next time, stay curious.
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Please be advised that the voices and opinions you may hear do not necessarily represent the views of KUNV Las Vegas, Please be advised that the voices and opinions you may hear do not necessarily represent the views of KUNV Las Vegas,
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the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.