Mescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a psychedelichallucinogenic drug and entheogen of the phenethylamine family. It is ether synthesized or extracted from the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii), the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pachanoi), or the Peruvian Torch (Trichocereus peruvianus). It was first isolated and identified in 1897 by the German Arthur Heffter and first synthesized in 1919. The effective dosage is 200 - 400 mg (3.75 mg/kg) with the effects lasting for up to twelve hours. It is not physically addictive. In the US it was made illegal in 1970 by the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. Extract from peyote was used in religious ceremonies from the earliest human contact, notably by the Huichols in Mexico.
Mescaline can be synthesized, usually starting from 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (PiHKAL entry (http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/pihkal/pihkal096.shtml)).
The hallucinogenic effects of the mescaline is necessary for the healing ceremony to function properly.
Mescaline is unique among drugs in that its main action is a stimulant of the visual and visuo-psychic areas of the cortex (Kluver, 65).
The use of the mescaline in the ritual to achieve this positive result is a welcome contrast to many current negative attitudes towards psychedelic experiences.
Mescaline is a hallucinogen obtained from the a small, spineless cactus Peyote (Lophophora williamsi).
While mescaline produced rich visual hallucinations which were important to the native peyote cults, the full spectrum of effects served as a chemically induced model of mental illness.
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