Taking mescaline in the form of peyote constitutes the main sacrament of the Native American Church. Native Americans are the only people allowed to use peyote–otherwise, it is a Schedule I drug with no approved medical uses. But, weak as it may be in comparison, mescaline is still capable of producing changes in your moods, thoughts, and perceptions. Even if the addiction is psychological rather than physical, it can take control of your life.

This means you need to take more of it to get the same effect as before 1. 'Peyote buttons' are most often chewed but they can also be mixed with water and swallowed. Sometimes mescaline is made into a powder and put into capsules and swallowed 1. The top of the peyote cactus is referred to as the 'crown' and consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut off 2. Mescaline is a psychoactive compound and a natural hallucinogen found in cacti such as the San Pedro and peyote. The influence of mescaline can be seen in some of the most iconic works of art and literature of the 20th century.

Additionally, people addicted to the drug may lose their jobs or find themselves in legal trouble due to impaired judgment while under the influence. In many places, mescaline is illegal, and possession of the drug can result in criminal charges and imprisonment. Studies have shown that the drug can impair working memory and reduce reaction time, meaning its users may be at a higher risk for accidents or injuries while under the influence of mescaline. Additionally, some research indicates that prolonged drug use can lead to deficits in learning and recall. Polydrug use is a term for the use of more than one drug or type of drug at the same time or one after another. Polydrug use can involve both illicit drugs and legal substances, such as alcohol and medications.

Treatment

Functional MRI studies show that psychedelics like mescaline reduce activity in the DMN, temporarily suspending rigid thought patterns. While some find this liberating, others may experience it as unsettling, particularly if distressing thoughts emerge. Sounds may appear more resonant, layered, or even synesthetic—where auditory stimuli evoke visual sensations.

Mescaline Misuse: Side Effects, Risks & Treatment

Mescaline has likely been used in religious ceremonies by Native Americans dating back 5700 years. While synthetic mescaline does exist, the natural consumption of mescaline from cacti like Peyote and San Pedro is more common, particularly in traditional and religious contexts. Mescaline-containing cactus material can be soaked in water to create a psychotropic infusion. Cognitive flexibility often increases, allowing for novel associations between ideas. Some describe a heightened ability to perceive multiple perspectives simultaneously, linked to increased connectivity between brain regions that do not typically communicate as freely.

• Mescaline is a psychedelic or hallucinogenic drug whose use leads to altered perceptions.
• Research in Neuropsychopharmacology (2020) highlighted that mescaline interacts with neuromuscular pathways, leading to involuntary shaking, jaw clenching, or muscle rigidity.
• Mescaline produces perceptual, cognitive, and emotional experiences that vary widely among users based on dose size, setting, expectations, personality, and drug history.
• These cases suggest mescaline may act as a catalyst for latent psychiatric conditions.
• Schedule I drugs have no approved medical uses and are illegal to possess in any amount.
• So there you have it, a brief overview of mescaline and its fascinating properties.

A 2021 review in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine noted that mescaline can cause transient tachycardia and mild hypertension due to its mesculan drug stimulatory effects on the sympathetic nervous system. These changes are generally not severe in healthy individuals but could pose risks for those with pre-existing heart conditions. Elevated norepinephrine levels suggest mescaline increases autonomic arousal, contributing to sensations of restlessness or heightened alertness. Some report palpitations or a pronounced awareness of their heartbeat, which can be unsettling.

Physical health risks

Its interaction with serotonin 2A receptors often amplifies underlying thoughts and feelings. Some report a profound sense of interconnectedness, fostering deep empathy and emotional openness. Qualitative analyses of psychedelic experiences describe moments of intense emotional clarity, sometimes leading to spontaneous resolutions of personal conflicts or trauma-related insights. Finally, it's important to create an individualized relapse prevention plan.

Can Mescaline Addiction Lead to Long-Term Mental Health Issues?

Though mescaline may currently have a small presence in today’s psychedelic renaissance, increased research could see a revival of interest in mescaline, and a potentially new major candidate for psychedelic-assisted therapies. While some Hallucinogens can be addictive, Mescaline and certain other Psychedelics, such as LSD and Psilocybin, are typically regarded as non-addictive and aren’t known to cause any harmful long-term effects. However, there are documented cases of life-time Psychedelic use inducing flashbacks and Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD), a condition of recurrent psychotic episodes, hallucinations, and panic attacks. It is important to note that symptoms of HPPD are also present in people who have never used Psychedelics before, especially among those with anxiety disorders, so it’s unlikely that the majority of cases are caused as a result of drug use. In an interview of over 500 Native Americans that regularly participate in Peyote ceremonies, none of them reported having any flashbacks or persistent visual symptoms.

The fresh or dried buttons are chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid. Peyote buttons may also be ground into a powder that can be placed inside gelatin capsules to be swallowed, or smoked with a leaf material such as cannabis or tobacco 2. Mescaline acts similarly to other psychedelics by binding to and activating the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor with low affinity and high efficacy. Mescaline is also known to bind to and activate the serotonin 5-HT2C receptor.

Can You Overdose on Mescaline?

Additionally, those experiencing a bad trip may have difficulty speaking or expressing themselves. It’s important to seek immediate medical help if one experiences these symptoms while taking mescaline. Mescaline addiction can lead to serious social consequences, including strained relationships with family and friends.

We recognise the continued connection of First Nations people to the land, the waterways and to community and kin, and pay respects to Elders past and present. If you’re caught driving under the influence, you may receive a heavy fine, driving ban, or prison sentence. Like drinking and driving, driving when high is illegal – and you can still be unfit to drive the day after using mescaline. You can get a heavy fine, be disqualified from driving or even go to prison. Mescaline, like many other drugs, can be detected with a hair follicle drug test for up to 90 days 14. Archeological evidence for the ritualistic use of mescaline-containing cacti dates back to over 5000 years..

Being in a good state of mind, with trusted friends and a safe environment before taking mescaline reduces the risk of having a ‘bad’ trip. If you or someone else needs urgent help after taking drugs or drinking, call 999 for an ambulance. How long the effects last and the drug stays in your system depends on how much you’ve taken, your size and what other drugs you may have also taken. Though perhaps less popular than psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, mescaline continues to captivate the minds of those interested in exploring altered states of consciousness. Today, while mescaline is still not widely used, it remains a fascinating topic of scientific and cultural interest. Its rich history and significance in indigenous cultures are an important reminder of the diverse ways humans have sought to connect with the divine.

How Long Do Peyote Effects Last?

Peyote buttons are most often chewed, but they can also be mixed with water and swallowed. Sometimes mescaline is made into a powder and put into capsules and swallowed. Mescaline comes from button-shaped seeds found in the peyote cactus and also from some other members of the Cactaceae plant family and from the Fabaceae bean family. Mescaline is not physically addictive, but like other hallucinogenic drugs you can become tolerant to their effects.

The naturally occurring hallucinogens make it popular for consumption as a psychedelic hallucinogen. The effects of mescaline include changes in perception, thought patterns, and emotional states. It can also cause physical sensations such as nausea, vomiting, and sweating.

Synthetic mescaline is highly sought after by connoisseurs and is typically produced in limited batches, owing to its low potency and relatively high production cost. Mescaline is a potent hallucinogen found in the peyote cactus that causes visions and other sensory apparitions that aren't real. This is due to the chemical reaction the drug has with neural pathways in the brain.

Following the discovery of LSD, mescaline became a substance of great interest among early psychedelic researchers. Humphrey Osmond coined the term ‘psychedelic’ from the Greek words ‘psyche’ (mind) and ‘delous’ (to manifest), after observing how drugs like mescaline could reveal unconscious parts of one’s mind. Research into mescaline was banned, however, following Nixon’s 1971 ban on psychoactive drugs.. Starting in 2020, when Oregon passed Measure 110, it decriminalized the personal possession of small amounts of all drugs, including psychedelics, a similar decriminalization push has spread across the US.

On the other hand, some people report anxiety or paranoia while under the influence of mescaline. So there you have it, a brief overview of mescaline and its fascinating properties. It is a psychoactive compound found in cacti such as the San Pedro and peyote cactus, with a long history of use in indigenous cultures for religious and spiritual purposes.

The terms in vogue forthese drugs at that time, such as ‘psychotomimetic’ and ‘hallucinogen’, hademerged from psychiatry and connected their effects to mental disorders. The mescalineexperience, Huxley argued, was not a psychotic episode but a transcendentstate, a communion with the ‘Mind-at-Large’. The risk of having negative mental health reactions to hallucinogens is dependent mainly on the existing mental state of the user. As hallucinogens like mescaline can distort reality and heighten emotional states, being in a bad mood or negative mental state can lead to people having bad trips.