Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Aspects of Peyote and Mescaline: Clinical and Forensic Repercussions

If you choose to consume mescaline, it’s essential to do so in a safe and controlled setting, preferably with a sober friend or a guide who can help you navigate the experience. Compared to the other psychedelics, there are few clinical trials exploring the effects of mescaline. Research suggests that this is likely due to its greater onset of action and duration. Research suggests that tolerance to mescaline builds after repeated use over the course of days. Cross-tolerance with psilocybin is also likely due to their similar effects on serotonin receptors 72, 70, 73.

Mescaline can cause intense, often vivid hallucinations of shapes, colors, and patterns. Hallucinations may be pleasant or unpleasant, depending on the user’s experience. Our dedicated professional staff is here to guide you or your loved one on the journey to lasting recovery, offering support every step of the way. Although modern use of Mescaline has declined, it is still used for recreational purposes and is also sometimes used to supplement various types of meditation and Psychedelic therapy. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is a mesculan drug leading treatment provider and has trusted rehab programs across the country. To learn about treatment options with AAC, please contact one of our caring admissions navigators free at .

Because they share the same mechanism of action, mescaline and LSD have very similar effects. They both cause hallucinations, increase suggestibility, intensify emotions and color perception, and may create a subjective sense of deep mysticism or profound wonder 39, 1, 40, 41. Research suggests that the effects of both compounds can last up to 12 hours with higher doses, however, mescaline tends to last slightly longer 24, 37, 38.

Sensory Hallucinations

Mescaline is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in the peyote cactus, which grows in Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. It has been used for centuries by indigenous people for religious and spiritual ceremonies and recreational purposes. Mescaline produces profound psychoactive effects like other psychedelics, such as LSD or psilocybin. Search methodology was performed as described in previous publications on the metabolism and metabolomics of other drugs 5, 18-27.

• In general, the hallucinogenic experience is much more intense for schizophrenic patients and causes a notable increase in anxiety and disorganized thoughts.
• The first metabolite is formed by TMPA demethylation, being further combined with glutamine, by glutamine N-acyltransferase, to be eliminated as 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenacetylglutamine, which has already been identified in human urine 43, 69.
• The impact of mescaline on mental health is unknown due to a lack of quality clinical data.
• When taken in high doses or combined with other drugs, mescaline can cause hallucinations and delirium.
• Of course, further research is needed to fully understand the therapeutic potential of mescaline.
• Mescaline produces profound psychoactive effects like other psychedelics, such as LSD or psilocybin.

Mescaline is mostly concentrated in cactus buds (i.e., the photosynthetic portion of the stem above ground), being also detected in small concentrations in non-chlorophyllous stem and roots 47. Tyrosine and phenylalanine serve as the metabolic precursors to the biosynthesis of mescaline. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. Mescaline has a bitter taste so some people grind peyote buttons into an off-white powder that is put into capsules. Mescaline is a psychoactive compound and a natural hallucinogen found in cacti such as the San Pedro and peyote.

Holistic Approaches to Recovery

This process involves gradually reducing drug use over time, with medical supervision, to prevent any serious complications or side effects. During this period, medications may be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and nausea. Prolonged mescaline use can lead to various physical health problems, including dehydration, nausea and vomiting, weakness or fatigue, fluctuating blood pressure, increased heart rate or palpitations, tremors, and seizures. Additionally, the drug can cause long-term damage to the liver and kidneys when used in high doses or frequently. Overdoses of mescaline can be fatal, so it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms. Some common overdose symptoms include confusion, agitation, increased heart rate, intense hallucinations, nausea and vomiting, extreme anxiety or paranoia, seizures, and coma.

How is Mescaline taken?

The hallucinogenic effects of mescaline will last longer for some people than others. Depending on a person’s height, weight, mental state, previous drug use, mescaline can last between 10 and 20 hours. The effects of mescaline can last between 10 to 12 hours, and the intensity of these effects depends on the dosage you take. A study of 61 Native American Church members claimed that peyote use had no negative effects on mental function or psychology. Another study of 130k people did not find an association between mescaline or peyote use and rates of mental health issues. One study looked at the mental health of 61 long-term peyote users in the Native American Church compared to 79 members of the Navajo tribe with no or little history of drug use.

Effects of Mescaline

• A “bad trip” on mescaline can include intense fear, panic attacks, paranoia, and feelings of detachment.
• Its current status, as a controlled substance, limits the availability of the drug to researchers and by virtue of this, very few studies concerning the activity and potential therapeutic effects of mescaline in humans have been conducted since the early 1970s.
• Peyote contains a large spectrum of phenylethylamine (or phenethylamine or β-phenylethylamine) alkaloids, the principal being mescaline for which the content of Lophophora williamsii is about 0.4% fresh (undried) and 3-6% dried 
28, 42.
• Tyrosine and phenylalanine serve as metabolic precursors towards the synthesis of mescaline.
• In spite of the increasing number of relevant recent publications, most of the existing information is yet ancient and limited, urging systematic studies on this topic, both in vitro and in vivo.
• If you suspect someone has overdosed on mescaline, it is important to seek medical help immediately.

Some scientists think that serotonin receptor-activators may have the potential to treat alcohol and cocaine dependence. Another study of over 130K people suggested that mescaline use was linked to lower rates of both serious psychological distress and needing psychiatric medication compared to never using the drug 47. The impact of mescaline on mental health is unknown due to a lack of quality clinical data. Despite their differences in potency and effects, some researchers think that mescaline and LSD have enough in common that they are hard to tell apart. In fact, in blinded clinical trials, people were unable to distinguish which one they have taken 36, 38.

Allegedly, they considered it to be a divine substance with healing properties 7, 8, 1. Our goal is to not have a single piece of inaccurate information on this website. If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please leave a comment or contact us at 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.

However, it’s important to note that more research is needed before these drugs can be approved for medical use. Additionally, psychedelic and dissociative drugs should only be taken in a safe setting under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. People who suffer from addiction to the drug may experience depression, anxiety, paranoia, panic attacks, and other mental health issues.

Mescaline undergoes detoxification mainly by oxidative deamination into an intermediate and unstable aldehyde, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetaldehyde, that is rapidly oxidized to the inactive TMPA or reduced to the inactive 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylethanol 68, 71, 76, 77. The fact that the peak of mescaline effects does not coincide with its peak concentration in brain, provided evidence on the contribution of its metabolites for hallucinogenic effects. The enzyme responsible for the deamination of mescaline to the aldehyde derivative is still a controversial issue among the scientific community. This reaction may be carried out by a monoamine oxidase (MAO) or a diamine oxidase (DAO). Studies with mice have shown that this route is inhibited by TPN, nicotinamide, iproniazid, semicarbazid, and other inhibitor compounds of mono or diamine oxidase 43, 78.