What is the Real Name of the Peyote Cactus?

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small, spineless cactus that contains mescaline, an analgesic substance used traditionally by Native American Indians of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico for spiritual healing and visionary purposes. Pick out the peyote for sale.

Since Aldous Huxley and other 20th-century explorers experimented with it, interest in this master plant has spread throughout Western culture. Unfortunately, unsustainable harvesting practices, as well as tourists seeking adventure trips, threaten its availability.

Origin

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii), commonly called a button-shaped cactus, has long been used by Native American Indians for religious ceremonies and medical treatment. Its psychoactive alkaloids, such as mescaline, can produce altered states of consciousness that allow spiritual development and healing; it has even changed many Western peoples’ perspectives upon studying, consuming, or listening to its wisdom.

Until the early 20th century, peyote was not widely recognized outside tribes that used it and experienced its effects. In late 1800s Germany, Arthur Heffter became one of the first scientists to isolate mescaline from peyote; its hallucinogenic properties were soon confirmed.

Peyote remains widely utilized by Huichol and Tarahumara tribes of Mexico and members of the Native American Church, who may use its harvest for religious rituals. Otherwise, cultivating or using peyote without first receiving a permit from CITES is prohibited.

Though popular, overharvesting and land clearance pose a real threat to cacti’s native habitats. Luckily, they’re resilient plants with fast regeneration rates from cut sections; their lateral areoles produce new buttons, which soon grow into full-sized plants within months.

Medicinal Use

Lophophora williamsii, commonly called peyote, is a mind-altering plant found throughout southern Texas and north-central Mexico. Used by native tribes for medical, spiritual, ceremonial, and ritualistic uses, yet widely misunderstood in Western society as it contains the powerful hallucinogen mescaline that has been misused recreationally by some users; protected under the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I drug.

Peyote plants require up to 30 years to fully bloom from seedling to adult and are widely cultivated to supply ceremonial use by Native American Church. Cultivation occurs on a large scale to fit their formal needs; their crown features disc-shaped buttons that can be harvested and dried or cut and boiled into water to produce peyote tea; it’s safe for chewing or swallowing and has effects lasting approximately 12 hours after mescaline use.

Cacti are integral to Huichol Indian religion, which practices animism and believes all living things have souls that communicate with each other. Many Huichol pilgrimages annually to Real de Catorce to consume peyote during sacred rites that they claim teach them more about life; according to Native American Church shamans, peyote helps teach contentment and peace as well as provide greater awareness of what’s around them.

Hallucinogenic Effects

Lophophora williamsii is an exceptionally drought-resistant flower. With no spines and an unpleasant bitter taste to deter desert animals from nibbling it up, its prickly surface contains over 50 psychoactive alkaloids, including mescaline. While psilocybin or LSD has long been used in psychoanalysis and may induce euphoria, peyote has been the centerpiece of religious ceremonies for over 5,500 years.

At these ceremonies, participants fast to aid the gastrointestinal absorption of mescaline and minimize side effects such as nausea. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, taking large doses of peyote may cause psychosis and induce suicidal or homicidal thoughts.

Native American tribes believe mescaline can treat everything from snake bites and wounds to diabetes, skin problems, and rheumatism – but modern medicine does not support most of these claims. Further studies are required to understand the chemical interactions between peyote and its constituents. Studies have not established any link between long-term peyote use and mental or physical disabilities, though frequent users can experience flashbacks as the effects fade. Mescaline and other psychedelics do not promote drug-seeking behavior directly; instead, they can lead to a tolerance that requires higher dosages to achieve desired outcomes – leading to addiction or toxic results from improper harvesting and processing of cacti.

Legality

Native Americans in south Texas and northern Mexico have used Lophophora williamsii (peyote cactus) in religious ceremonies for millennia. Cacti are natural hallucinogens containing mescaline, and their use has played a pivotal role in shaping many cultures throughout history. Cacti have long been used as medicines, from treating toothache and pain in childbirth to cholera outbreaks, skin diseases, and colds. Unfortunately, due to links with mental illness, the plant is illegal in most states; considered a Schedule I drug (high potential for abuse with no accepted medicinal properties), yet with one notable exemption (Native American Church). For religious use only, it can still grow and utilize peyote plants for religious ceremonies.

When consumed, Peyote contains mescaline, which can produce various side effects when taken orally, including hallucinations, dizziness, blurred vision, and an overall sense of peace and well-being. Other possible reactions to taking mescaline include headache, stomachache, and depression.

Pikea (Piyote) has been used for over 5,500 years, yet scientists only recently realized its psychedelic properties. German chemist Arthur Heffter discovered its mescaline content when he took a 150mg dose and reported experiencing mind-boggling hallucinations.