View source for Peyote

{{short description|Species of psychoactive cactus}}
{{Redirect|Mescalito|the Ryan Bingham album|Mescalito (album)}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Peyote
| image = Peyote Cactus.jpg
| image_caption = Peyote in the wild
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Terry, M. |date=2017 |title=''Lophophora williamsii'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T151962A121515326 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151962A121515326.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Lophophora
| species = williamsii
| authority = ([[Charles Antoine Lemaire|Lem.]] ex J.F.Cels) [[John Merle Coulter|J.M.Coult.]]
| synonyms = ''Echinocactus williamsii'' Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck<br />
''Lophophora lewinii'' (K. Schumann) Rusby<br />
''Lophophora echinata'' Croizat<br />
''Lophophora fricii'' Habermann<br />
''L. williamsii'' var. ''fricii'' (Habermann) Grym<br />
''L. diffusa'' subsp. ''fricii'' (Habermann) Halda<br />
''Lophophora jourdaniana'' Haberman
}}

The '''peyote''' ({{IPAc-en|p|eɪ|ˈ|oʊ|t|i}}; ''Lophophora williamsii'' {{IPAc-en|l|ə|ˈ|f|ɒ|f|ə|r|ə|_|w|ɪ|l|i|ˈ|æ|m|z|i|aɪ}}) is a small, spineless [[cactus]] which contains [[Psychoactive cactus|psychoactive alkaloids]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bauer |first=Barbara E. |date=2021-11-01 |title=The Compounds in Psychedelic Cacti |url=https://psychedelicreview.com/the-compounds-in-psychedelic-cacti/ |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=Psychedelic Science Review |language=en-US}}</ref> particularly [[mescaline]].<ref name=SalakHuicholIndians>{{cite web |last=Salak |first=Kira |title=Lost Souls of the Peyote Trail (published in National Geographic Adventure) |work=Kira Salak |publisher=Kira Salak, KiraSalak.com |url=http://www.kirasalak.com/Peyote.html |access-date=2013-09-12}}</ref> {{lang|es|Peyote}} is a Spanish word derived from the [[Nahuatl]] {{Lang|nah|peyōtl}} ({{IPA|nah|ˈpejoːt͡ɬ|}}), meaning "caterpillar [[Pupa#Cocoon|cocoon]]", from a root {{Lang|nah|peyōni}}, "to glisten".<ref>Other sources, apparently incorrectly, translate the Nahuatl word as "divine messenger". {{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Edward F. |year=2001 |title=The Cactus Family |location=Pentland, Oregon |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-498-5 }} p. 396.</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Peyote |encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |year=2020 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=peyote&submit.x=0&submit.y=0 }}</ref><ref name=Andr03>{{cite book |last=Andrews |first=J. Richard |year=2003 |title=Workbook for Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Revised Edition |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-3453-6}} p. 246. See [[wikt:peyotl|peyotl]] in Wiktionary.</ref> 

It is native to southern [[North America]], primarily found in desert scrub and limestone-rich areas of northern [[Mexico]] and [[south Texas]], particularly in the [[Chihuahuan Desert]] at elevations of 100–1500 meters. It flowers from March to May, and sometimes as late as September. Its flowers are pink or white, with [[thigmotactic]] anthers (like ''[[Opuntia]]''). It is a small, spineless cactus that grows in clusters, produces edible fruits, and contains psychoactive alkaloids—primarily mescaline—at concentrations of about 0.4% when fresh and up to 6% when dried.<!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->

Peyote is a slow-growing cactus that can be cultivated more rapidly through techniques such as grafting, and while wild populations in regions like south Texas have declined due to harvesting, cultivation, and the use of alternatives like [[Echinopsis pachanoi|San Pedro]] are being explored as potential [[Conservation biology|conservation]] approaches.<!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->

It has been used for over 5,000 years by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]] for ceremonial, [[Spirituality|spiritual]], and [[traditional medicine|folk medicine]] purposes. Its effects last up to 12 hours. The [[Native American Church]] considers ingestion of peyote a sacrament and uses it in all-night healing ceremonies to connect with the spiritual world. Native American Church members often personify peyote as a divine spirit akin to [[Jesus]]. In [[Wixarika]] ([[Huichol people|Huichol]]) culture, peyote is considered the soul of their religion and a visionary [[sacrament]] that connects them to their principal deities — corn, [[deer]], peyote, and the [[eagle]]. Peyote and its psychoactive component mescaline are generally controlled substances worldwide, but many laws—including in Canada and the United States—exempt its use in authentic Native American religious ceremonies, with U.S. federal law and some states allowing such ceremonial use regardless of [[race (biology)|race]].<!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->

==Description==
{{more citations needed|section|date=July 2019}}
[[File:Lophophora williamsii ies.jpg|thumb|A group of ''Lophophora williamsii'']]
[[File:Lophophora williamsii.jpg|thumb|A flowering peyote]]
The various species of the genus ''[[Lophophora]]'' grow low to the ground and they often form groups with numerous, crowded shoots. The blue-green, yellow-green or sometimes reddish-green shoots are mostly flattened spheres with sunken shoot tips. They can reach heights of {{convert|2|to|7|cm|sp=us}} and diameters of {{convert|4|to|12|cm|abbr=on}}. There are often significant, vertical ribs consisting of low and rounded or hump-like bumps. From the cusp [[areole]]s arises a tuft of soft, yellowish or whitish woolly hairs. Spines are absent.  Flowers are pink or white to slightly yellowish, sometimes reddish. They open during the day, are from {{convert|1|to|2.4|cm|abbr=on}} long, and reach a diameter from {{convert|1|to|2.2|cm|abbr=on}}.

[[File:L. williamsii.JPG|thumb|right|''Lophophora williamsii'' seedling at roughly {{frac|1|1|2}} months of age]]
The cactus produces flowers sporadically; these are followed by small edible pink fruit. The club-shaped to elongated, fleshy fruits are bare and more or less rosy colored. At maturity, they are brownish-white and dry. The fruits do not burst open on their own and they are between {{convert|1.5|to|2|cm|abbr=on}} long. They contain black, pear-shaped seeds that are 1 to 1.5&nbsp;mm long and 1&nbsp;mm wide. The seeds require hot and humid conditions to germinate. Peyote contains a large spectrum of [[phenethylamine]] alkaloids.<ref name=":0" /> The principal one is mescaline for which the content of ''Lophophora williamsii'' is about 0.4% fresh (undried) and 3–6% dried.<ref name="erowid">{{cite web |date=2008-03-08 |title=Lophophora |url=http://www.erowid.org/plants/cacti/cacti_guide/cacti_guide_lophopho.shtml |access-date=2013-09-12 |work=Visionary Cactus Guide |publisher=Erowid.org}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
French botanist [[Charles Antoine Lemaire]] described the species as ''Echinocactus williamsii'' in 1845. It was placed in the new genus ''Lophophora'' in 1894 by  American botanist [[John Merle Coulter]].

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Distribución del Peyote.jpg|thumb|right|Range of wild peyote]]
''L. williamsii'' is native to southern [[North America]], mainly distributed in [[Mexico]]. In the United States, it grows in Southern Texas. In Mexico, it grows in the [[States of Mexico|states]] of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Coahuila]], [[Nuevo León]], and [[Tamaulipas]] in the north to [[San Luis Potosi]] and [[Zacatecas]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Martin |first=Terry |title=Stalking the wild ''Lophophora'' Part 1: Chihuahua and Coahuila |journal=Cactus and Succulent Journal |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=181–186 |publisher=Cactus and Succulent Society of America |date=July 2008 |url=http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%201.pdf |issn=0007-9367 |doi=10.2985/0007-9367(2008)80[181:STWL]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=49320798 |access-date=2013-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006132110/http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%201.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Martin |first=Terry |title=Stalking the wild Lophophora Part 2: Zacatecas, San Luis potosí, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas |journal=Cactus and Succulent Journal |volume=80 |issue=5 |pages=222–228 |publisher=Cactus and Succulent Society of America |date=September 2008 |url=http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%202.pdf |issn=0007-9367 |doi=10.2985/0007-9367(2008)80[222:STWL]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=90032958 |access-date=2013-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073201/http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%202.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Martin |first=Terry |title=Stalking the wild Lophophora Part 3: San Luis Potosí (central), Querétaro, and Mexico City |journal=Cactus and Succulent Journal |volume=80 |issue=6 |pages=310–317 |publisher=Cactus and Succulent Society of America |date=November 2008 |url=http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%203.pdf |issn=0007-9367 |doi=10.2985/0007-9367-80.6.310 |s2cid=85180357 |access-date=2013-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084708/http://www.lophophora.info/Stalking%20the%20wild%20Lophophora_english-part%203.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref> It is primarily found at elevations of {{convert|100|to|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} and exceptionally up to {{convert|1900|m|ft|abbr=on}} in the [[Chihuahuan desert]], but is also present in the milder climate of Tamaulipas. Its habitat is primarily in desert scrub, particularly [[Tamaulipan mezquital|thorn scrub]] in Tamaulipas. It is common on or near [[limestone]] hills.<ref name=flora>{{Cite book|last=Zimmerman|first=Allan D. |author2=Parfitt, Bruce D.|contribution=Lophophora williamsii|year=2006
|title=Flora of North America |volume=4|page=242|contribution-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242413607|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

==Constituents==
{{See also|Substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline}}

Peyote contains a variety of [[alkaloid]]s including [[mescaline]], [[pellotine]], [[anhalonidine]], and [[hordenine]], among others.<ref name="Doesburg-van KleffensZimmermann-KlemdGründemann2023">{{cite journal | vauthors = Doesburg-van Kleffens M, Zimmermann-Klemd AM, Gründemann C | title = An Overview on the Hallucinogenic Peyote and Its Alkaloid Mescaline: The Importance of Context, Ceremony and Culture | journal = Molecules | volume = 28 | issue = 24 | date = December 2023 | page = 7942 | pmid = 38138432 | pmc = 10746114 | doi = 10.3390/molecules28247942 | doi-access = free | url = }}</ref><ref name="Shulgin1979">{{cite journal | vauthors = Shulgin AT | title = Chemistry of phenethylamines related to mescaline | journal = J Psychedelic Drugs | volume = 11 | issue = 1-2 | pages = 41–52 | date = 1979 | pmid = 522167 | doi = 10.1080/02791072.1979.10472091 | url = https://bitnest.netfirms.com/external/10.1080/02791072.1979.10472091}}</ref> In terms of total alkaloid content, mescaline makes up 30%, pellotine 17%, anhalonidine 14%, and hordenine 8%.<ref name="Doesburg-van KleffensZimmermann-KlemdGründemann2023" /> Other major alkaloids include [[anhalamine]], [[anhalidine]], [[anhalinine]], [[anhalonine]], [[lophophorine]], [[O-methylanhalonidine|''O''-methylanhalonidine]].<ref name="Lundström1985" /> [[Peyophorine]] is a minor constituent, while [[isoanhalamine]], [[isoanhalidine]], [[isoanhalonidine]], and [[isopellotine]] are trace constituents.<ref name="Lundström1985" /> [[Tyramine]] and [[N-methyltyramine|''N''-methyltyramine]] are also present in peyote.<ref name="Shulgin1979" /> More than 50{{nbsp}}different alkaloids have been isolated from peyote, but many of them in only minor or trace amounts.<ref name="Lundström1985">{{cite book | last=Lundström | first=J. | title=The Chemistry and Biology of Isoquinoline Alkaloids | chapter=The Occurrence of Simple Isoquinolines in Plants | series=Proceedings in Life Sciences | publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg | publication-place=Berlin, Heidelberg | date=1985 | isbn=978-3-642-70130-6 | doi=10.1007/978-3-642-70128-3_4 | chapter-url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-642-70128-3_4 | access-date=20 May 2025 | pages=47–61}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
Peyote is extremely slow growing. Cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, sometimes taking less than three years to go from seedling to mature flowering adult. More rapid growth can be achieved by grafting peyote onto mature [[Echinopsis pachanoi|San Pedro]] root stock. The top of the above-ground part of the cactus, the crown, consists of disc-shaped buttons. These are cut above the roots and sometimes dried. When done properly, the top of the root forms a callus and the root does not rot. When poor harvesting techniques are used, however, the entire plant dies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harvesting Technique |url=https://cactusconservation.org/cci-research/harvesting-technique/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Cactus Conservation Institute |language=en-US}}</ref> Currently in South Texas, peyote grows naturally but has been over-harvested, to the point that the state has listed it as an [[endangered species]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mchem|first=Benjamin Bury|date=2021-08-02|title=Could Synthetic Mescaline Protect Declining Peyote Populations?|url=https://chacruna.net/synthetic_mescaline_protect_declining_peyote_populations/|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Chacruna|language=en-US}}</ref> Cultivation is an important conservation tool for this particular species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ermakova |first1=Anna O. |last2=Terry |first2=Martin K. |last3=Trout |first3=Keeper |date=2022-05-23 |title=Cultivation as a conservation tool for cacti: review of the botanical evidence and a case study of Lophophora williamsii |url=https://bioone.org/journals/bradleya/volume-2022/issue-sp40/brad.sp40.2022.a8/Cultivation-as-a-conservation-tool-for-cacti--review-of/10.25223/brad.sp40.2022.a8.full |journal=Bradleya |volume=2022 |issue=sp40 |pages=71–82 |doi=10.25223/brad.sp40.2022.a8 |s2cid=248989923 |issn=0265-086X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Promoting San Pedro as a Peyote substitute may act as an intervention to reduce Peyote consumption.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Engel, L. |author2=Barratt, M. |author3=Ferris, J. |author4=Puljevic, C. |author5=Winstock, A. |date=2023 |title=Choosing San Pedro or Peyote |url=https://www.themescalinegarden.com/news/choosing-san-pedro-or-peyote |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=The Mescaline Garden |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Uses==
===Psychoactivity and folk medicine===
{{Psychedelic sidebar}}
[[File:Dried Peyote.jpg|thumb|250px|Dried Peyote (''Lophophora williamsii''), containing around 5-6% mescaline by weight]]

When used for its [[Psychoactive drug|psychoactive]] properties, common doses for pure mescaline range from roughly 200 to 400&nbsp;mg. This translates to a dose of roughly 10 to 20&nbsp;g of dried peyote buttons of average potency; however, potency varies considerably between samples, making it difficult to measure doses accurately without first extracting the mescaline. The concentration of mescaline is typically highest at the sides of the peyote button.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Van Der Sypt |first=Frederick |date=2022-04-03 |title=Validation and exploratory application of a simple, rapid and economical procedure (MESQ) for the quantification of mescaline in fresh cactus tissue and aqueous cactus extracts |url=https://zenodo.org/records/6409376 |journal=PhytoChem & BioSub Journal |doi=10.5281/zenodo.6409376}}</ref> The effects last about 10 to 12 hours.<ref>{{CitePiHKAL}}</ref> Peyote is reported to trigger rich visual or auditory effects (see [[synesthesia]]) and spiritual or philosophical insights.<ref name="fp">{{cite journal|pmc=5701998|year=2017|last1=Orsolini|first1=L|title=The "Endless Trip" among the NPS Users: Psychopathology and Psychopharmacology in the Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder. A Systematic Review|journal=Frontiers in Psychiatry|volume=8|page=240|last2=Papanti|first2=G. D|last3=De Berardis|first3=D|last4=Guirguis|first4=A|last5=Corkery|first5=J. M|last6=Schifano|first6=F|doi=10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00240|pmid=29209235|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="bbr">{{cite journal|pmc=4642895|year=2014|last1=Halberstadt|first1=A. L|title=Recent Advances in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Serotonergic Hallucinogens|journal=Behavioural Brain Research|volume=277|pages=99–120|doi=10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.016|pmid=25036425}}</ref>

In addition to psychoactive use, some Native American tribes use the plant in [[traditional medicine|folk medicine]]. They employ peyote for varied ailments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schultes |first=Richard Evans|date=1938|title=The appeal of peyote (Lophophora williamsii) as a medicine|journal=American Anthropologist|volume=40|issue=4|pages=698–715|doi=10.1525/aa.1938.40.4.02a00100|doi-access=}}</ref> Although uncommon, use of peyote and mescaline has been associated with poisoning.<ref name="poisoning">{{cite journal|pmid=20170392|year=2010|last1=Carstairs|first1=S. D|title=Peyote and mescaline exposures: A 12-year review of a statewide poison center database|journal=Clinical Toxicology|volume=48 |issue=4|pages=350–3|last2=Cantrell|first2=F. L|doi=10.3109/15563650903586745|s2cid=39261212}}</ref> Peyote contains the [[alkaloid]], [[hordenine]] (also called peyocactin).<ref name=econ>{{Cite journal |last=McCleary |first=J.A. |author2=Sypherd, P.S. |author3=Walkington, D.L. |title=Antibiotic Activity of an Extract Of Peyote [Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire) Coulter] |journal=Economic Botany |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=247–249|year=1960 |doi=10.1007/bf02907956|bibcode=1960EcBot..14..247M |s2cid=41659698 }}</ref>

[[File:Hordenin - Hordenine.svg|thumb|right|Chemical structure of [[hordenine]] (peyocactin), a  compound contained in the peyote cactus]]

===History===
In 2005, researchers used [[radiocarbon dating]] and alkaloid analysis to study two specimens of peyote buttons found in [[archaeological]] digs from a site called Shumla Cave No. 5 on the Rio Grande in Texas. The results dated the specimens to between 3780 and 3660 [[Common Era|BCE]]. Alkaloid extraction yielded approximately 2% of the alkaloids including mescaline in both samples. This indicates that native North Americans were likely to have used peyote since at least 5500 years ago.<ref name=prehistoric>{{cite journal |vauthors=El-Seedi HR, De Smet PA, Beck O, Possnert G, Bruhn JG |title=Prehistoric peyote use: alkaloid analysis and radiocarbon dating of archaeological specimens of Lophophora from Texas |journal=J Ethnopharmacol |volume=101 |issue=1–3 |pages=238–42 |date=October 2005 |pmid=15990261 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2005.04.022 }}</ref>

Specimens from a burial cave in west central Coahuila, Mexico have been similarly analyzed and dated to 810 to 1070 CE.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Bruhn JG, Lindgren JE, Holmstedt B, Adovasio JM |title=Peyote Alkaloids: Identification in a Prehistoric Specimen of Lophophora from Coahuila, Mexico |journal=Science |volume=199 |issue=4336 |pages=1437–1438 |date=March 1978 |pmid=17796678 |doi=10.1126/science.199.4336.1437 |bibcode=1978Sci...199.1437B |s2cid=19355963 }}</ref>

[[File:Lophophorawilliamsii.jpg|thumb |Peyote in [[Wirikuta]], Mexico]]

From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by indigenous peoples, such as the [[Huichol people|Huichol]]<ref>Lumholtz, Carl, ''Unknown Mexico'', New York: Scribners, 1902</ref> of northern Mexico and by various Native American tribes, native to or relocated to the Southern Plains states of present-day [[Oklahoma]] and Texas. Its usage was also recorded among various Southwestern [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan-language]] tribal groups. The [[Tonkawa]], the [[Mescalero]], and [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]] were the source or first practitioners of [[peyote religion]] in the regions north of present-day Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanethnography.com/article.php?id=12|title=The use of Peyote by the Carrizo and Lipan Apache tribes|last=Opler|first=Morris Edward|author-link=Morris Edward Opler|publisher=American Ethnography Quasimonthly|access-date=19 January 2009|year=2008 |orig-date=1938}}</ref> They were also the principal group to introduce peyote to newly arrived migrants, such as the [[Comanche]] and [[Kiowa]] from the Northern Plains. The religious, ceremonial, and healing uses of peyote may date back over 2000 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanethnography.com/article.php?id=20|title=The appeal of peyote (Lophophora Williamsii) as a medicine|last=Schultes|first=Richard Evans|author-link=Richard Evans Schultes|work=American Ethnography Quasimonthly|access-date=19 January 2009|year=2008 |orig-date=1938}}</ref>

Under the auspices of what came to be known as the Native American Church, in the 19th century, American Indians in more widespread regions to the north began to use peyote in religious practices, as part of a revival of native spirituality. Its members refer to peyote as "the sacred medicine", and use it to combat spiritual, physical, and other social ills. Concerned about the drug's psychoactive effects, between the 1880s and 1930s, U.S. authorities attempted to ban Native American religious rituals involving peyote, including the [[Ghost Dance]]. Today the Native American Church is one among several religious organizations to use peyote as part of its religious practice. Some users claim the drug connects them to God.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37101268|title=The people who take drugs to see God|work=BBC News|date=21 August 2016}}</ref>

Traditional Navajo belief or ceremonial practice did not mention the use of peyote before its introduction by the neighboring [[Ute people|Utes]]. The Navajo Nation now has the most members of the Native American Church.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Since 1846, the official ''Mexican Pharmacopoeia'' recommended the use of peyote extract in “microdose” as a tonic for the heart.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olvera-Hernández |first=Nidia |date=2023-07-05 |title=Old Uses of Peyote in Traditional Mexican Medicine and its Inclusion in Official Pharmacopeia |url=https://chacruna.net/history-of-peyote-science-in-mexico/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Chacruna |language=en-US}}</ref> 

John Raleigh Briggs (1851–1907) was the first to draw scientific attention of the Western scientific world to peyote.<ref><nowiki>{{cite journal %2FBF02862854 | doi=10.1007/BF02862854 | title=Early peyote research an interdisciplinary study | year=1973 | last1=Bruhn | first1=Jan G. | last2=Holmstedt | first2=Bo | journal=Economic Botany | volume=28 | issue=4 | pages=353–390 | s2cid=6988545 }}</nowiki></ref> [[Louis Lewin]] described ''Anhalonium lewinii'' in 1888.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Louis|last=Lewin|author-link=Louis Lewin|title=Ueber Anhalonium Lewinii|language=de|date=1888-05-18|journal=Archiv für Experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie|volume=24|issue=6|pages=401–411|doi=10.1007/bf01923627|s2cid=38375777|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1428356}}</ref> British sexologist [[Havelock Ellis]] self experimented with it on [[Good Friday]] 1896, publishing details in 1898.<ref>"Mescal: A New Artificial Paradise". The Contemporary Review. LXXIII. 1898.</ref> [[Arthur Heffter]] conducted self experiments on its effects in 1897.<ref>[http://www.heffter.org/review/Review2/chap2.pdf Daniel Perrine, "Visions of the Night: Western Medicine Meets Peyote, 1887–1899"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722210159/http://www.heffter.org/review/Review2/chap2.pdf |date=2008-07-22}}, in ''The Heffter Review of Psychedelic Research'', Vol. 2, 2001, p.42, accessed 15 Nov 2009</ref> Similarly, [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Ethnography|ethnographer]] [[Carl Sofus Lumholtz]]<ref>Lumholtz, Carl, ''Unknown Mexico'', New York: Scribners (1902)</ref> studied and wrote about the use of peyote among the Indians of Mexico. Lumholtz also reported that, lacking other intoxicants, [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Rangers]] captured by Union forces during the [[American Civil War]] soaked peyote buttons in water and became "intoxicated with the liquid".<ref>Lumholtz, Carl, ''Unknown Mexico'', New York: Scribners (1902), p.358</ref>

===Adverse reactions===
A study published in 2007 found no evidence of long-term cognitive problems related to peyote use in Native American Church ceremonies, but researchers stressed their results may not apply to those who use peyote in other contexts.<ref>Halpern JH, Sherwood AR, Hudson JI, Yurgelun-Todd D, Pope HG Jr. "Psychological and cognitive effects of long-term peyote use among Native Americans." ''Biol Psychiatry''. 2005;58(8):624–631.</ref> A four-year large-scale study of [[Navajo people|Navajo]] who regularly ingested peyote found only one case where peyote was associated with a [[psychotic break]] in an otherwise healthy person; other psychotic episodes were attributed to peyote use in conjunction with pre-existing substance abuse or mental health problems.<ref>Bergman RL (1971). "Navajo peyote use: its apparent safety," ''Amer J Psychiat'' 128(6):695–699[51–55].</ref> Later research found that those with pre-existing mental health issues are more likely to have adverse reactions to peyote.<ref>Inaba, D.S. & Cohen, W.E. (2004). ''Uppers, Downers, All Arounders''. (pp. 229–230, 232). Oregon: CNS Publications, Inc.</ref> Peyote use does not appear to be associated with [[hallucinogen persisting perception disorder]] (a.k.a. "flashbacks") after religious use.<ref>Halpern, J. H. (1996). "The use of hallucinogens in the treatment of addiction." ''Addiction Research'', 4(2);177–189.</ref> Peyote also does not seem to be associated with [[physical dependence]], but some users may experience [[psychological dependence]].<ref>Hyman, S. E. & Malenka, R. C. (2001). "Addiction and the brain: The neurobiology of compulsion and its persistence." ''Neuroscience''. 2;696</ref>

Peyote can have strong [[emetic]] effects, and one death has been attributed to [[Mallory–Weiss syndrome|esophageal bleeding]] caused by vomiting after peyote ingestion in a Native American patient with a history of alcohol abuse.<ref>K B Nolte and R E Zumwalt. "Fatal peyote ingestion associated with Mallory-Weiss lacerations." ''West J Med''. 1999 Jun; 170(6): 328.</ref> Peyote is also known to cause potentially serious variations in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and [[mydriasis|pupillary dilation]].<ref>Nole and Zumwalt 1999 {{full citation needed|date=May 2021}}</ref><ref name=poisoning />

Research into the [[Huichol]] natives of central-western Mexico, who have taken peyote regularly for an estimated 1,500 years or more, found no evidence of chromosome damage in either men or women.<ref>Dorrance; Janiger; and Teplitz (1975), "Effect of peyote on human chromosomes: Cytogenic study of the Huichol Indians of northern Mexico." ''JAMA'' 234:299–302.</ref>

According to a statement made by [[Gertrude Bonnin]] in [[1916]], a member of the [[Sioux]] tribe, the use of Peyote had been the direct cause of death among 25 [[Ute people|Utes]] in last two years.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Catches |first=Vincent |date=1991 |title=Native American Church: The Half-Moon Way |journal= 	Wíčazo Ša Review |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=17–24 |doi=10.2307/1409324|jstor=1409324 }}</ref>

==Cultural significance==
===Wixarika (Huichol) culture===
The [[Huichol people|Wixarika]] religion consists of four principal [[deities]]: Corn, Kayumarie (Blue Deer), Hikuri (Peyote), and the Eagle, all descended from their Sun God. Schaefer has interpreted this to mean that peyote is the soul of their religious culture and a [[visionary]] [[sacrament]] that opens a pathway to the other deities.<ref>Stacy B. Schaefer, Peter T. Furst. ''People of the Peyote: Huichol Indian History, Religion, and Survival''. UNM Press, 1997. Pg 52–53</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Huichol art">
File:Arte Huichol A.JPG
File:MaskNecklacesTep.JPG
File:Huichol-Fadenbild.jpg
File:Huichol Trabajando.JPG
</gallery>

== Religion ==

=== Native American Church ===
{{Main article|Native American Church}}
Peyote is considered sacramental and sacred in the Native American Church, also known as Peyotism. It is used in rituals for "a closer understanding of the spiritual world"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beyer |first=Catharine |date=2023-11-11 |title=Why Can the Native American Church Still Use Peyote? |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/peyote-and-the-native-american-church-95705 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Learn Religions |language=en}}</ref> and to commune with God and the spirits (including the deceased) in order to receive spiritual power, guidance, reproof, and healing. To many followers, peyote itself is personified as "Peyote Spirit", considered to be either God's equivalent for the Indians to [[Jesus]] for mainstream Christians, or Jesus himself.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Native American Church {{!}} Peyote Religion, Ceremonies & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Native-American-Church |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Peyote is consumed during an all-night healing ceremony inside a [[hogan]], a traditional Navajo building, or a [[tipi]]. The ritual starts around 8 P.M Saturday, and includes [[prayer]], [[singing]], sacramental eating of peyote, water rites, and [[contemplation]]. It concludes with a communion breakfast on Sunday morning.<ref name=":1" />

==Legality==
{{main|Legal status of psychoactive cactus by country}}

===United Nations===
{{Main|Convention on Psychotropic Substances}}

===Canada===
Mescaline is listed as a Schedule III controlled substance under the Canadian [[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act]], but peyote is specifically exempt.<ref>[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/page-15.html#SCHEDULE_IIIListItem17ID0EBRBA laws-lois.justice.gc.ca], Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – S.C. 1996, c. 19 (SCHEDULE III), accessed 26 Feb 2020</ref> Possession and use of peyote plants is legal.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/psychedelic-use-spreads-in-b-c-native-community-1.1111869 cbc.ca]; CBC News: Psychedelic use spreads in B.C. native community, accessed 15 Aug 2016.</ref>

===United States===
Non-drug uses of peyote in religious ceremonies by the Native American Church and its members is exempt from registration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Section 1307.31 Native American Church |work=Code of Federal Regulations |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration Office of Diversion Control |url=http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/cfr/1307/1307_31.htm |access-date=2013-09-12 |archive-date=2015-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001050710/http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/cfr/1307/1307_31.htm }}</ref> This law has been codified as a [[statute]] in the [[American Indian Religious Freedom Act]] of 1978, and made part of the [[common law]] in ''[[Peyote Way Church of God, Inc. v. Thornburgh]]'', (5th Cir. 1991);<ref>James W.H. McCord, Sandra McCord, and C. Suzanne Bailey, ''Criminal and Procedure for the Paralegal: A Systems Approach'', p. 178–179 (4th ed. Delmar Cengage 2012) {{ISBN|978-1-4354-4016-6}}</ref> it is also in [[administrative law]] at the {{USCFR|21|1307|31}} which states for "Special Exempt Persons":
<blockquote>Section 1307.31 Native American Church. The listing of peyote as a controlled substance in Schedule I does not apply to the nondrug use of peyote in bona fide religious ceremonies of the Native American Church, and members of the Native American Church so using peyote are exempt from registration. Any person who manufactures peyote for or distributes peyote to the Native American Church, however, is required to obtain registration annually and to comply with all other requirements of law.</blockquote>

''U.S. v. Boyll'', 774 F.Supp. 1333 (D.N.M. 1991)<ref>{{cite court |litigants=UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. Robert Lawrence BOYLL, Defendant. |vol=Crim. No. 90-207-JB |pinpoint=774 F.Supp. 133 (D.N.M. 1991) |court=United States District Court, D. New Mexico |date=1991-09-03 |url=http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/religion/boyll.html}}</ref> addresses this racial issue specifically and concludes:

<blockquote>
For the reasons set out in this Memorandum Opinion and
Order, the Court holds that, pursuant to 21 C.F.R. § 1307.31
(1990), the classification of peyote as a Schedule I controlled
substance, see 21 U.S.C. § 812(c), Schedule I(c)(12), does not
apply to the importation, possession or use of peyote for 'bona
fide' ceremonial use by members of the Native American Church,
regardless of race.
</blockquote>

Following the passage of the [[American Indian Religious Freedom Act]] Amendments of 1994, United States [[federal law]] (and many [[state law]]s) protects the [[harvest]], [[Possession (law)|possession]], [[ingestion|consumption]] and [[Plant cultivation|cultivation]] of peyote as part of "[[bona fide]] religious ceremonies" the federal statute is the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, codified at {{USC|42|1996a}}, "Traditional Indian religious use of the peyote sacrament", exempting only use by Native American persons. US v. Boyll expanded permitted use to all persons engaged in traditional Indian religious use, regardless of race. All US states with the exception of Idaho, Utah, and Texas allow usage by non-native, non-enrolled persons in the context of ceremonies of the Native American Church. Some states such as Arizona additionally exempt any general bona fide religious activity or spiritual intent. US jurisdictions enacted these specific statutory exemptions in reaction to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]]'s decision in ''[[Employment Division v. Smith]]'', {{ussc|494|872|1990}}, which held that laws prohibiting the use of peyote that do not specifically exempt religious use nevertheless do not violate the [[Free Exercise Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]]. Though use in Native American Church ceremonies or traditional Indian religious use, regardless of race, is legal under US federal law and additional uses are legal under some state laws, peyote is listed by the United States DEA as a [[Controlled Substances Act#Schedule I controlled substances|Schedule I]] controlled substance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf|title=Substance: Peyote, DEA#: 7415, CSA SCH: I, NARC: N, Other names: Cactus which contains mescaline}}</ref>

The US military prohibits inductees from enlistment for prior drug usage, however past usage of peyote is permissible if found to be used in accordance with Native American cultural practices.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://usmilitary.about.com/library/pdf/navrecruit.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040712040446im_/http://usmilitary.about.com/library/pdf/navrecruit.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=2004-07-12 | title=Navy Recruiting Manual-Enlisted COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8F}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ayahuasca]]
* [[Carlos Castaneda]] – an author of books involving his experiences with peyote.
* [[Convention on Psychotropic Substances#Psychedelic plants and fungi|Convention on Psychotropic Substances: Psychedelic plants and fungi]]
* ''[[Echinopsis lageniformis]]''
* [[N,N-Dimethyltryptamine|''N'',''N''-Dimethyltryptamine]]
* [[Psychedelic experience]]
* [[Peyote song]]
* [[Reuben Snake]]
* [[R. Gordon Wasson]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Calabrese, Joseph D. "The Therapeutic Use of Peyote in the Native American Church" Chapter 3 in Vol. 1 of ''Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments'', Michael J. Winkelman and Thomas B. Roberts (editors) (2007). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.
* Dawson, Alexander S. 2018. ''The Peyote Effect: From the Inquisition to the War on Drugs''. University of California Press, 2018.
* Jay, Mike. 2019. ''Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic''. Yale University Press
*Feeney, Kevin. "The Legal Basis for Religious Peyote Use." Chapter 13 in Vol 1 of ''Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments'', Michael J. Winkelman and Thomas B. Roberts (editors) (2007). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.
* Baggot, Matthew J. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100612225343/http://csp.org/practices/entheogens/docs/baggot-peyote.html A Note on the Safety of Peyote when Used Religiously]. [[Council on Spiritual Practices]], 1996.
* Labate, Beatriz; Cavnar, Clancy: ''Peyote: History, Tradition, Politics, and Conservation.'' Praeger, 2016. 
* Rätsch, Christian, ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants, Enthnopharmacology and Its Applications'' 1998/2005, Rochester, Vermont, Park Street Press, {{ISBN|978-0-89281-978-2}}
* Pollan, Michael 2021 This Is Your Mind on Plants © 2021 Penguin Books

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lophophora williamsii}}
* [https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/LOWI ''Lophophora williamsii''] USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

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{{Psychedelics}}
{{Serotonin receptor modulators}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lophophora]]
[[Category:5-HT2A agonists]]
[[Category:Herbal and fungal hallucinogens]]
[[Category:Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert]]
[[Category:Flora of Texas]]
[[Category:Flora of New Mexico]]
[[Category:Flora of Zacatecas]]
[[Category:Native American Church]]
[[Category:Huichol]]
[[Category:Religion and politics]]
[[Category:Cacti of the United States]]
[[Category:Cacti of Mexico]]
[[Category:Psychoactive cacti]]