What is Mescaline/Peyote? - In The Know Zone What is Mescaline/Peyote? Mescaline comes from the cactus plant, peyote -- Lophophora williamsii. Peyote has been used ceremonially for three thousand years by native peoples in Texas and Mexico, where it grows. Mescaline is structurally similar to the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. Predictably, it has some effect on the function of these neurotransmitters, as well as having an effect on the neurotransmitter serotonin. Peyote was first banned by Europeans in the early 16th Century because of the frightening behavior it caused in users. Its use spread to native tribes in other parts of the U.S. in the late 19th Century. By 1922, there were an estimated 13,000-22,000 ceremonial users of peyote in the U.S. The active ingredient in peyote, mescaline was first synthesized in 1919. By 1930 over a dozen states had outlawed possession of peyote.

Various studies were conducted on peyote/mescaline during the 20th Century. No useful medical application of the drug was found. Peyote/mescaline was banned in the U.S. in 1967 and placed on Schedule I in 1970. The heads or "buttons" of the cactus are chewed, ground up, or soaked in water and then ingested. Sometimes the powder from ground buttons is sold in gelatin capsules. Plant-derived Hallucinogens Plant-Derived Hallucinogens Peyote (mescaline) Mescaline comes from a small button-shaped portion of the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii). These buttons can be eaten or made into a tea. They are very bitter-tasting. The drug can also be synthesized in a lab. The drug in these buttons creates hallucinations, often in the form of a thoroughly altered perception of the world. The person high on mescaline may be unable to moderate his behavior and comments and so the tendency is to abuse this drug away from one’s family that might disapprove. The effects of this drug last up to twelve hours.

The user may see colors more brightly or have a strong emotional reaction to music. A mescaline trip may include: Nausea Colorful hallucinations that may last for hours Distortions in physical senses False feelings of power or safety Confusion. After heavy use of this drug, a person is at risk for these problems: Increased risk of psychiatric illness Problems remembering Tolerance to the drug, meaning more must be used to get the same effects Psychological dependence on the drug Anxiety Depression Flashbacks. A woman is at risk for uterine contractions which can harm an unborn baby if she is pregnant. The drug is not considered physically addictive but a person can develop a tolerance and a psychological addiction. Nicknames: Beans, buttons, cactus, topi, cactus buttons, mesc. Psilocybin This drug is obtained by eating certain types of mushrooms that grow in South America, Mexico or the US. They may be eaten when fresh or dried or be made into a tea. The resulting high may take a half hour or more to show up and can last six hours or more. The drug causes intense changes in perceptions of light, color, sound and time and the user may hallucinate.

Some people lose control of their trip and become terrified or may have a psychotic episode if they took a large dose. Signs of use: Physical weakness and loss of coordination Nausea Changes in mood or behavior Memory loss A heavy user of psilocybin will develop a tolerance, meaning he must take higher doses to get the same effect, and he is likely to become psychologically addicted to the drug. After a heavy dose, a user may be unable to separate the fantasy world he is perceiving from the real world. Nicknames: Boomers, little smoke, Mexican mushrooms, musk, sacred mushrooms, silly putty, simple simon, Las mujercitas Salvia Salvia is a leafy herb that is smoked for its short-acting effects. Users often hide themselves out of public sight and the smoker may be accompanied by sober “sitters.” The drug produces a manic, hallucinatory state that peaks within ten minutes and wears off in less than an hour. The drugged person may run around uncontrollably and laugh without reason. Objects may look distorted and the person may only have partial control of body movements. Some people find this drug so uncomfortable that they never try it a second time.

Phenethylamines Phenethylamines are strong stimulants with hallucinogenic effects. Besides Ecstasy (MDMA), other drugs in this class include: Bromo-DragonFLY Bromo-DragonFLY was given this nickname because the shape of the molecule resembles a dragonfly. The difference between what is considered a “safe” dose and a fatal dose is very, very small. Several deaths have occurred as a result of this or similar drugs. Adverse effects of this drug include liver failure, kidney failure and amputation of fingers and toes. Besides being very potent, the effects of this drug may last as long as three days. Confusion, heart problems, seizures and hallucinations often result. Appearance: May be sold as a white or off-white powder in a small plastic bag, labeled “not for food, drug, household or cosmetic use.” Smiles: This is a new form of phenethylamine that surfaced in 2012 and was associated with multiple deaths. It is also known as 2C-1. Use results in hallucination that are both seen and heard and self-destructive activity.

The other formulas of phenethylamine are known only by number-letter designation, for example: 2C-B, 2C-E, 2C-T-7, 2C-P. GHB GHB is short for gamma-hydroxybutyric acid or gamma-hydroxybutyrate. GHB is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that slows the heart and breathing to possibly dangerous levels. It is particularly dangerous to mix with alcohol or opiates as they have a similarly effect. It is highly addictive. GHB acts as a sedative and anesthetic that is usually sold as a white powder or clear liquid. It causes memory loss so it used as a date-rape drug. It is also used as a party drug. For some people, it causes hallucinations in what they see or hear. GHB effects: Peyote Peyote Home › Peyote Peyote Peyote is a psychoactive alkaloid that comes from a small cactus that grows wildly in the Chihuahuan Desert. The cactus can be found in areas of Texas and Mexico and is common among scrub where there is limestone settlement.

This plant, particularly the mescaline within the plant, can produce a wide range of effects including deep insight into one’s spiritual side. Auditory and visual hallucinations are also common with the use of Peyote. For more information about Peyote and its effects, call 800-592-1193 . What is Peyote? There are a number of different species of the cactus responsible for producing mescaline. Peyote often grows in groups of cactuses the form close to the ground. The plants may be blue, green, yellow or a combination of reds and greens. Yellowish or whitish hairs, not spines, are often seen growing on the outer pieces of the cactus. The spineless nature of the Peyote cactus is one of the reasons why this cactus originally was consumed by natives in tribal areas centuries ago. Each of the Peyote cactus’ disc shaped “buttons” connects to form a rose-like look. These buttons are harvested and dried for later use. When Peyote is consumed, either chewed or boiled down to make a tea, it will produce euphoric, psychoactive effects .

The bitterness of the plant often causes the user to first feel nauseous prior to feeling the onset of the psychoactive effects of the drug. How Peyote is Abused Peyote is a type of hallucinogenic cactus. Common use of Peyote, or mescaline which is derived from peyote, consists of chewing on the plant or boiling it to create a reduction that can be drank as a tea. The consumption of 10-20 grams of dried peyote buttons will produce a wide range of effects including hallucinations, metaphysical insight or spiritual introspection. Since ancient times, tribes in the Mexico region have been chewing on Peyote buttons to induce a sense of anesthetic or pain relief qualities. Many Native American tribes continue to use Peyote for the pain relief properties that come from chewing the plant. Although not openly considered an anesthetic, Peyote is often used for the reduction of pain in child birth, to reduce the pain associated with a toothache or to reduce the pain associated with certain types of skin disease. Native American tribes continue to use Peyote as a curative drug for a wide array of ailments. Peyote Effects Various effects can arise when a user takes Peyote.

The major downfall to this drug, like other hallucinogens , is that when taken there is no sure fire way to know how the drug will affect the user or what types of side effects may arise. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse , some feel only deep meditation like symptoms while others may suffer intense anxiety or hallucinations that could pose serious risks in terms of the behavioral outcomes of the user. Long term use of Peyote has not been found to cause any serious side effects but very few studies have been performed to truly narrow down the exact effects of Peyote on a user who takes the drug for an extended period of time. This is mostly due to the fact that the majority of people who abuse hallucinogens do not become addicted and do not continue to abuse the drugs for extended time periods. Most people who abuse hallucinogens such as Peyote eventually stop their drug abuse and require little or no professional treatment . Is Peyote Addictive? Studies conclude that there is no real danger of addiction when a user takes peyote. While most hallucinogens are not addictive , this does not make them safe or the use of such justifiable. There are a number of potential dangers that may arise when peyote is being abused.

Sustained use of the drug may not lead to addiction, but it could cause adverse reactions in terms of health based on poor eating habits, poor sleep habits or ritualistic behaviors which may interfere with regular day-to-day routines. While using Peyote may not be addictive, consumption of this drug can cause the user to react in abnormal ways and may lead to behavioral changes that pose serious risks to both the user and to individual members of society. Users who take the drug an experience a “bad trip” or otherwise uncomfortable or unsettling high may be more prone to lash out, to react in an irrational manner, to be violent or to otherwise cause undue harm to themselves or to others. If you or someone you know abuses Peyote, call 800-592-1193 toll-free for treatment information. Related Articles MESCALINE MESCALINE COMMON NAMES:: anhalontum, beans, buttons, cactus, hikori, huatari, mesc, mescal, mescal buttons, moon, plants, seni, wakowi Mescaline is the hallucinatory heart of peyote.

Excised from the scrubby peyote cactus, Lophorophora williamsii, bY the scalpel of chemistry and transplanted into the mind of man, mescaline beats its LSD-like rhythm with only a slight change of tempo. Just one of several alkaloids in peyote (see Peyote), mescaline is the main psychoactive chemical, triggering the senses into creating an illusion-filled world. It is available in its natural state as peyote buttons, or it may be extracted as organic mescaline, which.looks and tastes like brown dirt.. Synthetic mescaline sulfate comes in white needlepoint crystals, without much improvement in flavor. Since dosage ranges from 300 to 800 mg, a capsule of mescaline sulfate would have to be either a No. 1 or No. 0 size, or as large as a horse capsule. True synthetic mescaline is rarely, if ever, sold on the street. What is usually passed off as mescaline is either PCP, LSD, a combination of LSD/PCP, amphetamines, STP, belladonna alkaloids, or improperly synthesized contaminants.

A member of the amine group of chemicals, which includes speed, STP, and: adrenalin, mescaline differs structurally from other hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin. Its chemical name is 3,4,3-trimethoxyphenylethylamine and it is related to the hormone epinephrine and the neurohormone norepinephrine. Rarely injected, mescaline can be made into capsules, tablets, or a liquid, but cannot be compressed into little pills. It is most commonly ingested in capsule form, one way to disguise its unpalatabillty, or chewed as peyote buttons. One to six buttons are held in the mouth until soft, then swallowed, either chewed or unchewed. Some prefer macerating the buttons in a coffee grinder first, but either way, there's no avoiding the inevitable bitter, soapy taste and probable subsequent vomiting. Throwing up, if necessary, is recommended. It does not alter the drug's effects, and the relief it provides is immense: Stomach disruption is common.

Peyote fibers are emetic, and though they may be cleaned off, nausea-producing elements of the mescaline itself will remain. Synthetic mescaline sulfate is preferred over natural peyote because its side effects, including nausea, are less intense. Medically classified as a hallucinogen, mescaline has been used in psychotherapy and as a treatment for opiate dependency and alcoholism. The drug acts as a heart and respiratory stimulant, though pulse may decrease slightly. Once absorbed by the intestinal tract, mescaline heads immediately for the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen. Within twenty-four hours, 60 to 90 percent of the drug has-been excreted unchanged in, the urine. Effects appear within one to two hours after ingestion, peak after two hours, and may continue up to twelve hours. Mescaline's action stimulates the visual and visuo-psychic areas of the brain. Blocking effects have been noted on muscles and neuromuscular complexes, and an increase in deep `tendon reflexes, systolic blood pressure, and temperature, as well as pupil dilation, may occur.

All of this body action is preparation for a trip to what has been called an "optical fairyland." Visual perception is altered' to such a degree that even the mundane becomes miraculous. Colors gain a stained-glass depth and richness, concentrating on central, bright color rather than peripheral, dim color. Everyday objects undergo a phantasmagorical transformation, shifting and slipping in color and form, creating their own reality. Synesthesia, a crossover of the senses where color is heard and music is seen, is common. True hallucinations do not occur. The tripper is aware that the illusions and fantasies which dance through his head are a vaudeville show he entered with a mescaline ticket. Aldous Huxley and Carlos Castaneda saw mescaline as not merely the source of show, but as an entree into a mystical world as well. While sensual perception-sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell-is in delightful turmoil, intellect and judgment remain clear and functional. Past experiences may not only be recalled but re-experienced, as well, in the mind. As with LSD, set and setting are vital in determining the , direction of a mescaline trip.

Set (the mood, expectations and personality of the tripper) and setting (physical surroundings and emotional environment) psychologically affect the tripper and may tip him to either side of the illusionary tightrope. One way, and he's off on a mystical sensory trip; the other, and he may exhibit schizophrenic tendencies-extreme moodiness, unprovoked blasts of emotion, anxiety, confusion, depression, and tremors. Nausea, anorexia, and insomnia may occur, regardless of the direction the trip is taking g, Ambivalent feelings are not uncommon; feeling happy and sad, giddy and mad, the tripper may be bewildered by the haphazard rain of emotions he experiences. While tolerance develops rapidly--within three to six days-mescaline is not considered either physiologically or psychologically addicting, since withdrawal symptoms do not occur. A cross-tolerance to LSD and psilocybin exists. Overdose is unlikely unless mescaline is combined with other drugs such as barbiturates, physostigmine, and insulin. Hyperin sulinism may result from the combination of mescaline and insulin. A bad trip should be treated psychologically rather than chemically.

Reassurance, comfort, and support can transform a frightening experience into a learning experience. Introduction of other drugs may magnify the bad trip, causing possible shock or death. Other hazards include the drug's potential for pushing borderline schizophrenics over the edge, and, in the case of needle freaks, exposing trippers to the problems of injection: hepatitis, tetanus, gas gangrene, local abscesses, and other in fections. Lung disease, heart disease, and diseases of the blood vessels have been known to occur. Like most other drugs, mescaline should be avoided during pregnancy. Listed along with LSD, STP, marijuana, and psilocybin as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, mescaline is legal only for members of the Native American Church (see Peyote). Manufacture, production, and distribution of mescaline is punishable by a maximum prison sentence and fine of five years and/or $15,000. Possession is punished by imprisonment of not more than one year and/or a fine of not more than $5,000. The name "mescaline" comes from the Mescalero, Apaches, a tribe that adopted the.

peyote ritual of the Mexican Indians and helped spread the mystical religion northward to other American Indian tribes A German chemist first isolated mescaline from the peyote plant in 1896, long after the Indians had discovered its effects. The drug was synthesized twenty-three years later. Mescaline made its street debut in the form of peyote but- tons in the 1950s, then graduated in the late 1960s to popular use in both organic and synthetic states. Former LSD users, frightened by the Great Chromosome Scare, turned to mescaline and other chemicals to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Difficult to obtain, surrounded by myth,: mescaline remains an elusive guide to our inner visions. 2683mescaline-healing | SpiritQuest – Ayahuasca & Huachuma Plant Medicine Retreat Center | Iquitos, Peru – Amazon Jungle Healing Center 3. c) tunnel, funnel, alley, cone or vessel; 4. d) spiral. The fineness of the lines is often stressed. They are so thin that it is hard to say whether they are black or white. These form constants are also seen in other altered states.

One observer has seen the same hallucinatory constants during four different childhood sicknesses. This has led him to conclude, "All the geometric forms and designs characteristic of mescaline-induced phenomena can, under proper conditions, be entopically observed" (Kluver, 65). Some of the form constants are also found in, "the visual phenomena of insulin hypoglycemia, and in phenomena induced by simply looking at disks with black, white, or colored sectors rotating at certain speeds" (Kluver, 65). These hallucinatory forms have also been reported from migraine attacks. One author tries to account for the different form constants by referring to the various structures in the eye. He concludes from anatomical and observed data that,"the rods and foveal cones can look backwards and that the retinal pigment and the choriocapillary circulation can, therefore, be seen under certain conditions" (Kluver, 65). In essence, our hallucinations are views of looking backward at the retina, according to this theory. This would explain the prevalence of lines in mescaline hallucinations. Mescaline intoxication is a complicated and somewhat incomprehensible thing.

These accounts are taken from experiments done with Peyote in the 1920's. I am using these accounts on the assumption that the psychedelic mescaline experience will be fairly uniform, regardless of the plant used. It is important to understand that no written account can adequately describe the experience. The form constants experienced with mescaline intoxication overlap into the sensory sphere of experience. A Professor Forster felt a net-like "cobweb" on his tongue. Another subject felt that his legs were spirals. For him, the spiral of his leg blended with another spiral that was rotating in the visual field. "One has the sensation of somatic and optic unity" (Kluver, 71). Lines are one of the most prevalent things seen while under the influence of mescaline. This is often seen as a "lattice" or "fretwork. A physician, Dr. Beringer was conducting an experiment involving mescaline. One of his subjects stated that: He saw fretwork before his eyes, his arms, hands, and fingers turned into fretwork and that he became identical with the fretwork. There was no difference between the fretwork and himself, between inside and outside.

All objects in the room and the walls changed into fretwork and thus became identical with him. While writing, the words turned into fretwork and there was, therefore, an identity of fretwork and handwriting. 'The fretwork is I.' In other people the "lattice", or "fretwork" became so dominant that it appeared to dominate the whole personality. All ideas turned into glass fretwork, which he saw, thought ,and felt. He also felt, saw, tasted, and smelled tones that became fretwork. He himself was the tone (Kluver, 72). Weir Mitchell took an extract of one and one half Peyote buttons and he eventually saw: A white spear of grey stone grew up to huge height, and became a tall, richly furnished Gothic tower of very elaborate and definite design, with many rather worn statues standing in the doorways or on stone brackets. As I gazed every projecting angle, cornice, and even the face of the stones at their joinings were by degrees covered or hung with clusters of what seemed to be huge precious stones, but uncut. These were green, purple, red, and orange; never clear yellow and never blue.

All seemed to possess interior light, and to give the faintest idea of the perfectly satisfying intensity and purity of these gorgeous colors is quite beyond my power. As I looked, and it lasted long, the tower became of a fine mouse hue, and everywhere the vast pendant masses of emerald green, ruby red, and orange began to drip a slow rain of colors. Here were miles of rippled purple, half transparent and of ineffable beauty. Now and then soft golden clouds floated from these folds (Kluver, 16).

This quote is from someone who had been injected with .2 gm of the sulfate of mescaline by physicians: A steel veil the meshes of which are constantly changing in size and form…beads in different colors…red, brownish, and violet threads running together in center…gold rain falling vertically… regular and irregular forms in iridescent colors resembling shells and sea urchins… transparent oriental rugs, but infinitely small…wallpaper designs…countless rugs with such magnificent hues and such singular brilliancy that I cannot even imagine them now…cobweb like figures or concentric circles and squares…the pyramid of the tower of a Gothic dome… architectural forms, buttresses, rosettes, leafwork, fretwork, and circular patterns…modern cubistic patterns…gammadia forms from the points of which radiate innumerable lines in the forms of screws and spirals, in flashes and calm curves, a kaleidoscopic play of ornaments, patterns, crystals and prisms which creates the impression of a never-ending uniformity…hexagonal small honeycombs hung down from the ceiling…incessant play of filigreed colors… in the face of B I saw a lattice of yellow-greenish horizontal stripes (Kluver, 

17).

The power of mescaline to completely change reality temporarily can be seen in the following experience of Henri Michaux. He mistakenly took a dose of the sulfate of mescaline that was about six times his normal dose. It was where one is nothing but oneself, it was there that, with mad speed, hundreds of lines of force combed my being which could never re-integrate itself quickly enough, for, before it could come together again, another line of rakes began raking it, and then again, and then again. Intense beyond intensity, the struggle, and I, active as never before in my life, miraculously surpassing myself, but surpassed out of all proportion by the dislocating phenomenon. Enormous Z's are passing through me (stripes- vibrations-zig-zags?). Then, either broken S's, or what may be their halves, incomplete O's, a little like giant eggshells. I have once more become a passage, a passage in time. This then was the furrow with the fluid in it, absolutely devoid of viscosity, and that is how I pass from second 51 to second 52, to second 53, then to second 54 and so on.

It is my passage forward (Michaux, 65). I found one account of the effects of San Pedro in particular. This account is short, and obviously this is only a fraction of the total mescaline experience, but it does agree with the experience of the mescaline in Peyote. The effects of Huachuma are: …first a slight dizziness that one hardly notices. And then a great vision, a clearing of all the faculties of the individual. It produces a light numbness in the body and afterward a tranquillity. And then comes a detachment, a type of visual force in the individual inclusive of all the senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, etc-all the senses, including the sixth sense, the telepathic sense of transmitting oneself across time and matter…. It develops the power of perception…in the sense that when one wants to see something far away…he can distinguish powers or problems or disturbances at a great distance, so as to deal with them (Furst, 130). The Huachuma cactus (aka 'San Pedro'), Echinopsis pachanoi, is native to several places in South America.

It is found in Southern Ecuador at the Chanchan valley ranging from 6,600-9,000 feet. In Peru, in the Huancabamba valley and in Quebrada Santa Cruz at 10,800 ft. It grows naturally in these locales, but is cultivated all over Peru and in other places in South America. T. pachanoi has a tree like body, 10-20 ft high, up to 4" in diameter and several branches starting from the base. It is bluish green, and frosted at first. It has 4-7 ribs, which are broad and rounded, with slight transverse depressions over the small areoles. There are 1-4 spines per areole, very small or completely absent, and dark yellow to brown. The flower is funnel shaped, to 9.8" long and 7.9" in diameter. It is white with a light green tinge. The alkaloid, mescaline, is contained in the top 1/2 inch of skin. Alkaloids in other cacti serve as seedling inhibitors and parasite repellents. This is probably true of San Pedro as well.

The mescaline comprises .12% of the whole fresh plant material. This is approximately 1.2 grams of mescaline per kilo. Mescaline is also found in at least 10 other Echinopsis species, some of which are used in the same manner as E. pachanoi (Ostolaza, 102). Awareness of the psycho-spiritual nature of the Huachuma cactus has been documented for over 3000 years. Engraved stone carvings, at Chavin, date to 1300 B.C. portray figures holding sections of the cactus. Representations of San Pedro also show up on Moche ceramics, Nazca urns and Chimu ceramics. It has been suggested that cacti were under cultivation in Peru as early as 200 B.C. (Davis, 368) but evidence indicates the date is much earlier. Establishing continuity between pre-Columbian use of this cactus and present day use is challenging. When the European explorers first landed in South America, their religion, Christianity, dramatically changed the indigenous cultures.

European Christianity literally invaded the original region where the use of Huachuma indigenously evolved. "Under such pressures, the indigenous religious practices, including the utilization of Echinopsis pachanoi, undoubtedly were transformed" (Davis, 372). In Peru, in Huancabamba, the post-colonial culture has replaced indigenous cultures. The San Pedro healing cult has survived, but is quite different than it was. In fact, the name "San Pedro" refers to Saint Peter of the Roman Catholic Church who is considered to be the keeper of the gates to Heaven. Early observers saw that the Huachuma culture was so Christian that they erroneously concluded that it represented a strictly post-contact, colonial phenomenon (Davis, 372). However, the archaeological evidence points to elements of the original ceremonies in the ceremonies I am reporting on. To understand the roots of Huachuma healing cult we need to understand the basic tenants of South American shamanism in general. These are: 1. The belief in spirit guardians. 2. The realization that special sacred places are animistically endowed with supernatural power. 3. The concept of metaphysical combat with disease demons or spirits. 4.

The close association of certain magical plants with spiritual power, healing, and enlightenment. 5. The belief in spiritual or supernatural forces as principal causal agents of illness (Davis 371). The healing role is performed by the shaman, or curandero. The shaman's world view is central to the meaning and function of the healing ritual. To the curandero, the existence of opposite forces does not mean splitting the world in two (the 'Sacred' and 'Profane') or establishing a rigid dichotomy between 'this' world of matter and the 'other' world of spirit. On the contrary, the curandero seeks to perceive unity in the dynamic interaction between the forces of good and evil through the attainment of 'vision'. Such a view of the world is very flexible and adaptable; it leaves room for the acceptance of new symbols and ideas and allows competing elements to enter into one's structuring of reality and the behavior determined by such structuring (Furst, 123). For example, this view allows the shaman to see no contradiction between modern medicine and traditional curing. Nor does he see modern medicine as a threat to his vocation.

He is seeking to assimilate scientific knowledge and techniques into practice by taking correspondence courses and reading medical literature. Basically, if he knows more about modern medicine, he will be more adept at healing people with Huachuma. The reasons that people wish a shaman to perform the ritual are diverse. They can be physical illness, or simply bad luck. In any case, the assumption is that there are spiritual forces which are causing these problems. In a ritual performed in Peru, on the night of February 15, 1981, the patients had these problems: * A girl who has been paralyzed, who also had back pain, stomach pain, and great depression. * A family's cattle herd had got diseased and been reduced from 58 to 6. * An aunt recently gone mad. * A businessman who wanted to know who had embezzled from his business. * Insanity caused by seeing a wife in the arms of another man (Davis, 372). The huachuma ritual ceremony is called a mesada. The focus of the mesada is a reflection of the intention, experience, and mastery of the presiding maestro.

Briefly, the mesada ritual consists of the shaman healing the patients with the conjunction of his own spiritual power, the mescaline which activates the conscious energy of the arts, and an altar, called a mesa. The mesa is covered with power objects, called 'artes', which serve to conducted potentiated metaphysical energy from their origins in time and space. The layout of the objects on the mesa reflects the knowledge, skill, and mastery of the maestro. In the northern mesa tradition, derived from the Chavin model, the mesa is a metaphysical construct of the universal order reflecting the universal concept of duality and it's reconciliation of the complimentary opposites. There are three fields on the mesa. In the original pre-columbian mesa construct, the field to the left is associated with feminine life-giving energy (positive). The field to right is associated with masculine life-taking energy (negative). The center field of the mesa is the field of balance, harmony, and reconciliation of duality to form a sacred Whole greater than the parts. Not all maestros consider the two opposite sides to be 'good' and 'evil'.

They are usually considered complementary halves of a whole, positive and negative like the poles of a battery, but not necessarily good and evil. This is a concept firmly rooted in indigenous symbolic systems (Furst, 127). It is essential to have the right field, which represents negativity because this is the realm responsible for illness and bad luck, and consequently capable of revealing their sources (Furst, 125). The arts on either side are often associated with animals and usually include "huacos" (ie: artifacts from huacas, ancient ceremonial centers), poisonous herbs in bottles, and stones (from places of the dead (cemeteries or archaeological sites) The middle field, or neutral zone is dedicated to finding balance between the two opposite energies. Good luck herbs are placed here and a good luck charm is made during the ritual using these herbs. Balancing fields often have sun images. There are also magnetic or reflective stones. In the contemporary 'San Pedro' tradition, a syncretic derivative of the pre-columbian huachuma mesada in which the energetic definitions, i.e.

positive and negative energy are reversed from the pre-columbian model, The right field often incorporates extensive Catholic imagery such as pictures and statues of saints and other christian icons. Indigenous positive power objects include medicinal plants, shells (fertility symbols), and containers of 'el remedio', the huachuma medicine. In front of the fields there are meditation symbols as well as a representation of the shaman (Joralemon, 22). The symbols on the right side are used to guide the creation of a proper herbal healing mixture. At the back of the mesa are six to twelve upright staffs called 'chontas'. These serve as a protective shield against the intentional negative influeces of others, as well as 'antennae' to conduct healing energy to the mesa from animistic sources such as mountains, lakes, and huacas. Every maestros array of arts is diverse and usually unique to their mesa. Among the arts incorporated in the three fields may be stones, shells, pre-columbian ceramics, whistling vessels, maracas, bowls, mirrors, magnets and an array of medicinal and magical plants and potions.

Wooden staffs called 'chontas' made from hard tropical palm wood usually form the backdrop of the mesa. Each patient is invited to place a personal offering or art on the mesa (Davis, 373). These personal offerings may be stones, shells, scented water or perfume, and objects of connection to individuals in need who are not in attendance. The authentic pre-columbian Huachuma healing mesada ritual involves a complex array of arts and pre-columbian mystical concepts. However, this ritual is also quite eclectic and receptive to foreign mystical and religious beliefs and concepts, which is why the original pre-columbian ritual was amenable to Catholic influences. Ironically, the left field became associated with Satan, and the right field with Jesus and Mary. In one mesa structure, the neutral zone was governed by San Ciprio, a sorcerer who became a saint, symbolically representing the human potential for redemption and transformation. All true maestros have power objects they use on the mesa. These manifest negative and positive energy which are used to heal or practice sorcery according to the intention and nature of the maestro.

An authentic maestro realizes these objects to be conscious and alive, awaiting the ritual awakening of their energy by the skilled maestro. Each art has a special quality which can be used for healing or to summon power. Collectively, they are a projection of his own spiritual power, which becomes activated whenever the mesa is used in the conjunction with the drinking of the visionary Huachuma medicine. The original pre-columbian mesada was a long event usually spanning both day and night. It consists of a lengthy preliminary purification ceremony and then the ritual itself. The ceremonial acts consist of prayers, invocations, and chants (accompanied by the beat of the shamanic rattle), addressed to all the supernaturals of the indigenous and Roman Catholic faiths. At midnight, when the purifying ceremonial acts are complete, there is some preliminary chanting, then all present must drink one to three cups of the ceremonial potion. The shaman takes the first cupful, and then the patients. Usually nothing is added to the San Pedro infusion. However, in cases of illness believed to be caused by sorcery some things may be added. These additional ingredients are usually powdered bones, certain plants, and cemetery dust or dust from archaeological ruins.

Also, a purgative potion may be made from another plant which is to be taken after taking the San Pedro drink. Some shamans add strongly psychoactive plants like Brugmansia sp. (angel trumpet; tree datura), but this is considered by most to be drastic shock therapy (Furst, 119). In the beginning phase of the ritual each patient stands before the left side of the altar. As the medicine begins to take effect, the maestro chants the patients name and visualizes the forms of animals that represent the poisons/problems of the patients. While each patient stands before the mesa and the shaman chants his name, everyone else stares at the staffs behind the mesa. Consensus among the hallucinating patients will be reached as to which staff is vibrating. The shaman then chants with the staff in his hand and this focuses his vision and activates the power of the staff and associated objects on the mesa. This focusing of vision helps the curandero "see" the cause of the patient's problem. This first part of the ritual is essentially to gain control of the negative forces that have been called into play (Furst, 128).

During this first part of the ritual, the maestro may massage or suck on parts of patients bodies to extract the supernatural source of the affliction. In certain very serious cases, the forces which cause the illness are believed to be powerful enough to attack the patient during the curing session. This is dangerous and requires immediate emergency action. The shaman seizes a sword or staff and charges out beyond the mesa and the patients. He then conducts a ferocious battle with the attacking forces, which only he can see in his San Pedro visions. In one ceremony the shaman performs seven somersaults in the form of a cross,while grasping the sword in both hands with the sharp edge held forward. This is intended to drive off the attacking forces and shock the sorcerer who is directing them (Furst, 130). The second part of the ritual is considered the most important part. The central field of the mesa is associated with balance and luck, and there are herbs of good fortune placed in it. Patients appear before the mesa and the shaman identifies which herbs are going to be used for that patient's good luck charm. The third phase is for identifying the particular herbs that will cure the patients' ailments.

These herbs have been placed on the right side. After identification through hallucinations,the shaman tosses some shells as a form of divination to confirm if he made the right choices of herbs (Joralemon, 26). This divination is a basic part of any San Pedro healing ritual. It shows an association between hallucinations, mesa objects, and the element of control that the shaman has over the ritual. Mesa artifacts are closely linked to mescaline-induced hallucinations in that they serve to anchor visualizations in such a way as to permit their application to the achievement of specific ends. By so controlling the drug experience, the shaman is able to direct the ritual toward healing objectives. In other words, this control allows the shaman to structure the course of a visionary episode so that it leads to the goal of curing (Joralemon, 24). At the end, some shamans blow perfume, water, sugar, and facial powder over everyone. Then there is a final benediction or prayer. Each participant is presented with the bottle of sacred healing herbs (Davis, 373). The patients are sent on their way. The San Pedro cactus has a long history of being used for its psychedelic effects.

It has often been used for healing in a ritual which evolved in Peru. This ancient ritual represents a journey from life-taking to life-giving forces. This is inherently a positive event. 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. Literature Cited Davis, E. Wade. 1983. Sacred Plants of the San Pedro Cult. Harvard University: Botanical Museum leaflets. Furst, Peter T., 1972. Flesh of the Gods (The ritual use of Hallucinogens). New York: Praeger Publishers. Anonymous. 1991. "Hallucinogens-A trip to nowhere." Current Health 2 January 1991: 14-16. Joralemon, Donald. 1984. Symbolic Space and Ritual Time in a Peruvian Healing Ceremony. San Diego: San Diego Museum of Man; Ethnic Technology Notes #19, 1984. Kluver, Heinrich. 1966. Mescal and Mechanisms of Hallucinations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. McKenna, Terence.

1989. "Plan, Plant, Planet." Whole Earth Review Fall 1989: 5-11. Michaux, Henri. 1956. Miserable Miracle. Monaco: Editions du Rocher. Rheingold, Howard. 1989. "Ethnobotany and The Search for Vanishing Knowledge." Whole Earth Review Fall 1989: 16-23. Anonymous. 1984. "Trichocereus Pachanoi BR & R." Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 56 1984: 103-104. An Expanded Bibliography of Huachuma, San Pedro and Peruvian Mesa Practice … If you find resonance with the healing and transformative nature of these plants … you might consider joining us in a positive life-changing pilgrimage … colorized images are copyrighted "extraordinary experiential explorations in ancient and contemporary Huachuma shamanism … " ~ group size limited to fifteen seriously motivated pilgrims ~ minimum group size is six ~ Written application screening is required.

This is a unique potentially life-transforming opportunity for those who feel a calling and who are seeking positive dynamic change in their lives.. It is for the serious seeker of holistic healing and higher consciousness. The Pilgrimage FromTime is not for the casual tourist. It's not a tour, it's a pilgrimage. "A truly magical journey of discovery. revelation, and personal transformation at ancient centers of shamanic power … PLEASE NOTE … this extraordinary pilgrimage is exciting, challenging, and intense on many levels … it is not a casual tourist experience and is definitely not for everyone … BUT … if you think you're ready to walk through the portals of Time and Space to experience the non-ordinary yet undeniable reality of ancient Chavín shamanic cosmology … … if you are prepared to stand before unvarnished Truth … … and look in the mirror without your mask … … if you truly wish to See the Universe within and around you … then let us hear from you . Due to the powerful and delicate nature of this journey, personal screening is required for participation. Alcohol consumption is strictly abstained in the course of this pilgrimage. Where Do Hallucinogens Come From? | NIDA for Teens Print Where Do Hallucinogens Come From?

Some hallucinogens can be found in plants. Mescaline comes from a cactus called peyote. And certain mushrooms, also known as “magic” mushrooms, are hallucinogens. But many hallucinogens are chemicals that don’t occur in nature. Some examples are: LSD, also called acid MDA, also called the “love drug,” related to the stimulant amphetamine MDMA, known as ecstasy, also related to amphetamine PCP, often called angel dust Find NIDA for Teens on: Site last updated January 19, 2017 NOTE: PDF documents require the free Adobe Reader . Microsoft Word documents require the free Microsoft Word Viewer . Flash content requires the free Adobe Flash Player . National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week and the National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week logo design are registered marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health® A Brief History of the San Pedro Cactus The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances by Richard Rudgley Little, Brown and Company (1998) The San Pedro cactus is the name given to psychoactive species of the genus Trichocereus (T. pachanoi, T.

peruvianus) which comprises about thirty species, mainly found in the Andes. It is a large columnar cactus that grows up to heights of twenty feet and it contains mescaline, as does the well-known peyote cactus. The San Pedro cactus has also been found to have other psychoactive alkaloids. The mescaline seems to be most highly concentrated in the skin, which can be peeled, dried and made into a powder for consumption. The usual native preparation of the cactus involves boiling slices of the stem for a number of hours and then, once cooled, the resulting liquid is drunk. Sometimes the San Pedro is used in conjunction with other psychoactive plants, such as coca, tobacco, Brugmansia and Anadenanthera. The hallucinogenic properties of its traditional use, including aguacolla, cardo, cuchuma, gigant�n, hermoso, huando and, of course, San Pedro. Like many other of the entheogenic substances used in the aboriginal religions of the Americas, the use of the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus is ancient and its use has been a continuous tradition in Peru for over 3,000 years.

The earliest depiction of the cactus is a carving which shows a mythological being holding the San Pedro. It belongs to the Chav�n culture (c. 1400-400 BC) and was found in an old temple at Chav�n de Huantar in the northern highlands of Peru, and dates about 1300 BC. A particularly surprising discovery was made by a Peruvian archaeologist named Rosa Fung in a pile of ancient refuse at the Chav�n site of Las Aldas near Casma; namely what seem to be remnants of cigars made from the cactus. Artistic renderings of it also appear on later Chav�n artefacts such as textiles and pottery (ranging from about 700-500 BC). The San Pedro is also a decorative motif of later Peruvian ceramic traditions, such as the Salinar style (c. 400-200 BC), the Nasca urns (c. 100 BC-AD 700). It has also been proposed that a recurrent snail motif in Moche art represents a mescaline-soaked snail which has partaken of the San Pedro.

If this is the case then the snail may be added to the list of animals having psychoactive properties. Not surprisingly, considering their general contempt for native life and particularly the use of psychoactive plants, European missionaries were very negative when reporting the use of the San Pedro. Yet a Spanish missionary, cited by Christian R�tsch, grudgingly admitted the cactus' medicinal value in the midst of a tirade reviling it: it is a plant with whose aid the devil is able to strengthen the Indians in their idolatry; those who drink its juice lose their senses and are as if dead; they are almost carried away by the drink and dream a thousand unusual things and believe that they are true. The juice is good against burning of the kidneys and, in small amounts, is also good against high fever, hepatitis, and burning in the bladder. An account of the cactus by a shaman is in radical contrast to this rather contemptuous view: the drug first ... produces ... drowsiness or a dreamy state and a feeling of lethargy ... a slight dizziness ... then a great 'vision', a clearing of all the faculties ... it produces a light numbness in the body and afterward a tranquillity.

And then comes detachment, a type of visual force ... inclusive of all the senses ... including the sixth sense, the telepathic sense of transmitting oneself across time and matter ... like a kind of removal of one's thought to a distant dimension. The entheogenic status of the cactus remains as strong today as it always was. Not only do its uses in shamanic trances and healing sessions continue but it is also used to combat more recent problems such as alcoholism. The peyote cactus used widely by the North American Indians is also considered a medicine against alcoholism and this parallel is all the more striking as both cacti contain mescaline. Cacti & plants | Peyote | San Pedro - Azarius Azarius Your cart is rather empty Total: $ 0,00 Cacti & plants Cacti & plants | Peyote | San Pedro These psychoactive plants and cacti are not only fun to cultivate, they can also provide you with a great psychedelic gift as a reward for the challenge. Mother Nature at her finest! Azarius has painstakingly searched the globe for only the finest genetics, with viable cuttings and live plants of unique plants.

Sacred cacti No collection would be complete without the sacred cacti: peyote (Lophophora williamsii), San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi) and Peruvian torch (Echinopsis peruviana). These cacti are cultivated instead of taken from their natural habitat, where they have unfortunately become quite scarce. Also available: grow kits for cultivating your very own cacti. Order psychoactive plants & cacti online S This is a cutting of the Echinopsis lageniformis (syn. Trichocereus bridgesii), a beautiful blue, grey member of the San Pedro family. The cactus is a rapid and easy grower. Unavailable in your country The monstrose is a special variety of the Echinopsis lageniformis (syn. Trichocereus bridgesii) known for its long, spineless stem. Itï¿½s also known as the penis plant. Though it grows slowly,… 25-30 cm - $ 29,86 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country This is a cutting of the Peruvian torch, Echinopsis peruviana (syn.

Trichocereus peruvianus), a member of the San Pedro family, which you can put in the earth to grow. Unavailable in your country The Cuzcoensis cactus (Echinopsis peruviana) belongs to the same species of cacti as the san pedro and Peruvian torch. Itï¿½s named after the city of Cuzco in Peru, where it… 25-30 cm - $ 32,52 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country Seeds of the Peruvian torch or Echinopsis peruviana (syn. Trichocereus peruvianus), a variant of the San Pedro cactus. One the most potent and fastest growing 'holy' cacti. 20 seeds - $ 5,43 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country Peyote (Lophophora williamsii), also known as 'the divine cactus', for growing indoors. These cacti should be grown for a couple of years before they can be harvested. Unavailable in your country Peyote or Lophophora williamsii, 'the divine cactus', growing in a cluster.

This peyote cluster shows in a beautiful way how the Fibonacci sequence can be found in nature. Unavailable in your country A Peyote cactus grafted on a San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi) stock. Not just a beauty, the graft also makes the Peyote grow several times faster than on its own. 10-11 cm - $ 64,60 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country Complete kit for growing your own peyote cacti. Comes with 20 seeds, instructions, potting soil and coarse sand. 1 piece - $ 12,49 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country Lophophora williamsii or Peyote seeds for growing your very own Peyote cactus. Meant for growing not consumption. 20 seeds - $ 6,51 Unavailable in your country Unavailable in your country This extraordinary desert fern seems dead but when you put it in a bowl of water it opens up and becomes all green and alive. The water from the rose… 1 flower - $ 2,71

Question: Mescaline comes from what plant?
Answer: Cactus