Confidence: The Ultimate Guide to Lead With Authenticity (The Truth About Self-confidence and What It Really Takes to Create It)
Author: Thomas Shumate
Date: 2022-03-07T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: New Thought; cc; Nonfiction; Self-Esteem; New Age; Self Help; Health & Well Being; Self Improvement; Psychology; Religion & Spirituality; Counselling; Psychedelic Library; Yoga Library
Description: This book will give you the tools, the mindset and a whole new perspective on how you can empower yourself, and gain confidence like never before! You might think they are superhuman. However, to your surprise, they are people just like you and me. They eat, drink and sleep every day just like we do. But there is something else that distinguishes us between them. They have phenomenal qualities that make a total difference between ordinary and extraordinary. This book will help your little ones: - Believe in themselves and love themselves as they are, - Overcome the fear of failure and understa

Table of Contents

- Chapter 1: What Is Peyote?
- Chapter 2: History of Peyote
- Chapter 3: The Science Behind Peyote
- Chapter 4: The Effects of Peyote
- Chapter 5: Pros And Cons of Peyote
- Chapter 6: Peyote Compared To Similar Cacti
- Chapter 7: The Future of Peyote

Peyote

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to the Peyote Cactus and the Full Psychoactive Effects

Copyright 2015 by Colin Willis - All rights reserved.

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Table Of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: What Is Peyote?
Chapter 2: History of Peyote
Chapter 3: The Science Behind Peyote
Chapter 4: The Effects of Peyote
Chapter 5: Pros And Cons of Peyote
Chapter 6: Peyote Compared To Similar Cacti
Chapter 7: The Future of Peyote
Conclusion

Introduction

You’ve probably heard about “Peyote” some time before. Maybe you’ve heard about how consuming it is supposed to give a person some semblance of euphoria and even alter one’s way of thinking. So, what exactly is peyote and what does it do?

This short and concise book will focus on the history of this small and spineless cactus, the science behind peyote, and how it can affect one’s body. Most practically, we will also look at the pros and cons of this substance and how it compares to other similar “drugs”.

In this book we are aiming to look at this topic in an unbiased light. We are not promoting the consumption of peyote, per se, but we want to make sure that if someone is interested in this controversial topic, they can reach more informed conclusions.

We hope that you are able to learn a thing or two!

Chapter 1:

What Is Peyote?

For North American Indians, peyote (Lophophora williamsii) has been used as a sacramental and medicinal herb for centuries. Knowledge of the cactus, as well as prehistoric trade of it, was established even before Europe’s conquest of Mexico. At that time, inquisitors from Spain insisted that the use of the plant was a crime against God. Traditional peyote users, ironically, who have relied on the cactus for divine inspiration and guidance, have become targets of evangelism.

When most Americans think of a cactus plant, they envision a cylindrical shaped object with sharp, prickly points protruding from it. However, the peyote cactus has quite a different aesthetic than this archetype. The peyote cactus typically measures less than 12 centimeters in diameter. This round cactus, instead of having spines like the “typical” cactus, has fuzzy tufts.

Interestingly, peyote rarely rises more than one inch above the surface of the soil. The largest portion is actually underground in the form of a carrot-like long root. The exposed portion is commonly referred to as the “button,” which is cut and consumed in a dried or fresh form. Normally, anywhere from four to twelve “buttons” are removed and made into tea or eaten directly. A common lore regarding peyote is the presence of strychnine in the fuzz or flesh. However, this has not found to be true upon scientific investigation.

Typically, peyote is found in the Chihuahuan Desert, particularly in parts of Southern Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and as far south as Mexico’s San Luis Potosi state. Peyote has been a commercial item for many years. Most recently, it has been harvested for commercial purposes in Texas. However, sale is now restricted to Native American Church (NAC) members. When harvested properly, several new peyote heads form from the original root, and thus, generating new plants for future use. Plants, unfortunately, are often deeply cut and left with virtually little to no root in the ground.

Commercially, peyote is best known for its alkaloid properties. The plant produces over fifty compounds that are chemically related. The effects of consuming peyote vary from feeling a surge of physical energy when taken sparingly to visionary experiences when it is consumed in large quantities. Some individuals also experience nausea or stomach discomfort during the first few hours after consuming it. On average, it takes about ten hours for the apparent psychic effects to last. Experienced consumers of peyote know and welcome the medicine’s feeling - working with them as a physical and spiritual blessing.

Cultivation

Recently, large areas of “peyote gardens” in Texas are starting to be used for grazing land, resulting in much of the cacti, including peyote, being destroyed. While its natural habitat must be preserved, the task of cultivating peyote rests upon those who honor it.

Private collections of the cactus are cultivated lovingly and are kept in earth shrines or altars. Licensed peyote dealers (peyoteros) from Texas maintain peyote gardens for those who seek to purchase the plant. Members of the Native American Church maintain peyote plants around or in their homes. There are also individuals not associated with NAC who cultivate peyote for their own purposes. Peyote grows from either clonal offshoots (pups) or seed. The pups re-grow constantly from harvested plants’ roots. Uncut and older specimens also grow pups from the base.

During the first few years of its growth, peyote maintains a very small, yet precious, state. The plants, in their natural conditions, may take about four years to reach the size of dimes. Nevertheless, under the right conditions, the plant’s growth can be even faster. One can expect to harvest seed-grown peyote in around five years if they nurture it properly.

The seeds must be evenly and gently tamped into a soil and washed fine sand soil combination. A small board can work for pressing the seeds into the ground so that the tops are level with the surface of the soil. When kept moist and under natural lighting (indirect), peyote seeds should sprout in about two weeks.

In a peyote-growing project, some of the things to avoid are too much cold, water, fertilizer, and sunlight. After the first year, the peyote seedlings must be big enough to transplant to a permanent and larger location. When growing peyote from grafts, the seedlings or offshoots may be grafted on to cactus rootstock, which grows faster. This increases the peyote growth rate quickly. Larger grafts can be sliced above the stock/graft joint for them to re-root by themselves. New offshoots, provided that the peyote base is left above the host cactus, will appear quickly from the “topless” peyote. This produces new grafting candidates.

Chapter 2:

History of Peyote

Not much is known about peyote before the arrival of the European settlers in the 16th century. Carbon dating has indicated that the substance derived from peyote was being consumed as far back as 3780 B.C. While its native habitat was a small area in present-day Mexico, the effects of peyote were known amongst tribes that lived more than 1,000 miles away.

Interestingly, the use of peyote was still considered controversial even during those times. The plant has been looked upon with suspicion from the time the Europeans arrived on North American shores. When the first Europeans arrived, in what is the present-day southern United States, they saw that peyote was being used widely among many Native American tribes.

Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, a 16th century explorer who specialized in Native American culture, was the first to document peyote in his writings. He observed that those who consumed peyote “see visions that are either laughable or frightful.” He added that intoxication lasts for two to three days and then stops. His observations of peyote were quite objective. However, others still saw peyote in a suspicious light.

Furthermore, an unnamed Spanish missionary called peyote a “diabolical root.” This may have been because the Europeans were uneasy about the plant due to its link to “heathen superstitions and rituals.” Explorers and missionaries criticized those who had a history of using peyote. Some witnesses to such rituals observed that users of peyote were able to “see terrifying visions.” Many potential peyote users became scared at the thought of this. In a catechism account on techniques to evangelize the locals, a missionary described inquiries that were asked to future converts, including if they had consumed peyote or had given it to others for them to find out if they were keeping secrets or had stolen any items.

Shortly after this period, the Spanish Inquisition joined the drive to banish peyote from the locals who had just been converted to Christianity. There was an edict declaring, “the use of peyote, which was introduced for detecting thefts, foretelling future events, and for divining of events, is considered superstition and is opposed to the integrity and purity of the Church.”

The edict also restricted members of the Church from using peyote and those found not following this rule would be punished as if they had engaged in heresy acts. In the next century, after the issuance of the peyote edict, there were 74 hearings regarding the use or possession of peyote. However, research has concluded that a large number of Christian converts still used peyote for its psychoactive effects but were good at keeping it under wraps.

However, the Inquisition was not what ended peyote’s widespread usage. Through major changes in the next few centuries, most of the local tribes died out or integrated into modern society. As the population and traditional culture passed on, the once prevalent peyote ceremonies also diminished. Still, there was a small minority of people who used peyote in folk medicine on a very small scale.

After some years, a few Midwest Indian tribes started using peyote in hopes of reviving traditional practices, after the practice was gone in the south. These groups became what we have referred to as the Native American Church (NAC). As the peyote revival continued, authorities in the United States sought for the banning and restriction of peyote. They even moved to ban sacred religious rituals like the Ghost Dance, as these practices involved the use of peyote.

Decades later, even more regulations were enforced. Unlike most of the irrational banning that had occurred in the previous few centuries, these regulations were a product of research conducted by the American Medical Association, which determined peyote use to be habit-forming.

By 1965, the drug had become part of a list of controlled psychedelic substances. The 1965 ruling, however, was contrary to older anti-peyote efforts because it enabled Native Americans to still be allowed to use it, although only for religious rituals.

In other regions, peyote’s use became illegal under more stringent state laws. Eventually, the state laws eased up and most states allowed peyote’s use for religious purposes by the 1970s. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1994 provided a federal exemption for peyote when it came to Native American Church rituals.

Chapter 3:

The Science Behind Peyote

Peyote contains the amphetamine mescaline, which is peyote’s main active psychedelic compound. The peyote cactus’s “buttons” are what is used as hallucinogens for the consumer. This mescaline, however, is also found in other cacti, such as the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pachanoi) or the Peruvian Torch cactus (Trichocereus peruvianus),

Because peyote only grows in specific areas of the Earth, this severely restricts its supply, resulting in a common practice by drug sellers to instead sell drugs like LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) or PCP (Phencyclidine) as mescaline, in order to meet the high demand of customers.

Through chemical synthesis, mescaline can also be recreated in a laboratory. Mescaline sulfate, which is a crystalline and white material, is mescaline in its pure form and can be placed in a capsule form. Mescaline and peyote, under the Controlled Substances Act by the United States, are on the list of Schedule I hallucinogens. As an exception, peyote’s non-drug use by members of the Native American Church’s religious ceremonies is still legal.

Morphology

Morphological studies have given us vital information regarding peyote’s evolution as a plant. Investigations on both reproductive and vegetative parts support the proposal that Lophophora is a genus that is categorized into two species:

Reproductive Parts

The flowers of the peyote contain naked ovaries, or the lack of scales on the wall of the ovaries. This is a characteristic shared with flowers of Pelecyphora, Obregonia, Ariocarpus, and Mammillaria. All floral parts of Lophophora are borne on the perianth tube atop the cavity that contains the ovules. Lophophora’s flower color varies from nearly white to a deep red-pink. The peyote flower’s development is similar to that of Mammillaria.

Peyote’s fruits are similar to those of Ariocarpus and Obregonia in the sense that they develop for roughly a year before rapidly elongating at maturity. Obregonia and Lophophora’s fruits normally only have the upper half filled with seeds, while the seeds in Ariocarpus are completely filled. Lophophora seeds are warty, black, and with a flattened and large whitish hilum. The seeds are similar to those of Obregonia and Ariocarpus, although there are some of the testa’s minor differences.

Vegetative Parts

Located at the peyote’s depressed center, the apical meristem or growing point, is relatively large and nearly identical to those apical meristems found in other small and similar cacti. Arising from the meristem, the young leaf is indistinguishable from the subtending axillary bud and the expanding leaf base. Separated usually from the actual leaf by a small constriction, the leaf base rapidly grows to become the tubercle, rib, or podarium.

The leaf base acts as the peyote’s food-producing, or photosynthetic, part. With enough magnification, the seedlings’ vestigial leaves are large enough to be distinguished but are never more than microscopic in mature peyote plants’ vegetative shoot. Spines appear on young seedlings, while adult peyote produce spine primordia, yet they do not always turn into spines.

Peyote’s several-headed condition (caespitose) occurs apparently through the adventive buds’ activation. The buds appear on the tuberous portion of the root-stem axis, which is located beneath the crown. The growth is often a result of injury and occurs if the peyote’s top is cut off. Some peyote populations, however, tend to develop the caespitose than other peyote.

The peyote’s epidermal cells contain cell walls that are slightly thicker than those of the parenchyma cells, which are underlying. A hypodermal layer can sometimes be recognized early as it develops. The epidermis is normally covered by both wax and cuticle, with the wax mainly responsible for the glaucous, or blue-green color, of peyote.

Stomata are abundant, particularly on the photosynthetically active, or younger parts, of the vegetation. The stomata are paralytic and are subtended usually by intercellular spaces. A stoma’s subsidiary cells are usually around twice the size of nearby epidermal cells.

Peyote also has trichomes that persist for a relatively long time. They form in the “wool,” or hair tufts, which arise from each areole. The trichomes are also uniserate on “younger” areoles, but they are multiserate on “older” areoles.

The peyote’s cortex has ergastic substances. They are usually druses of calcium oxalate, which exceed 250 microns in diameter. However, these ergastic substances are not always found within a millimeter of the epidermis, rather, these substances in the form of anisotropic crystals can be spotted easily if paraffin-embedded or fresh sections are checked under polarized light. The peyote’s mucilage cells do not appear in its vegetative parts but are inherent in young fruits and flowers.

Pharmacology

Peyote’s major chemical substance, mescaline, is part of a family of compounds commonly known as phenethylamines. This makes it distinctive from other psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD, both of which are part of the indole family. A lot of synthetic “designer” psychedelics, like MDMA (ecstasy) and 2C-B, are also considered to be phenethylamines. Therefore, they are related to mescaline’s chemistry. Mescaline’s chemical structure is similar to that of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine.

Methods of Use

Mescaline
Orally, mescaline is administered in liquid, capsule, tablet, or powdered forms. Mescaline, in its purely liquid form, can be administered through injection. Users normally take 300 to 500 mg, approximately the equivalent of three to six peyote buttons. The effects of taking mescaline appear in one to two hours and disappear gradually from ten to twelve hours after it was orally administered. This method is the less popular of the two.

Peyote
The buttons can be taken away from the root and then dried. They can either be soaked in water or chewed to produce a liquid that is ingestible. The buttons may also be powder-ground and then smoked with a leaf material, such as tobacco or cannabis, and this is the more common form of consumption.

Chapter 4:

The Effects of Peyote

As a psychedelic drug, the effects of peyote – whether taken in processed form or directly from the plant – are hallucinogenic. Mescaline, which is derived from the peyote plant, produces cognitive, emotional, and perceptual experiences that vary widely among users based on setting, dosage, personality, drug history, and expectations.

Mescaline’s only documented long-term effect is a prolonged psychotic state that is akin to paranoid schizophrenia. However, this effect may only appear in people who have been diagnosed previously with a mental illness. Nonetheless, conclusive research has not shown that there are no other negative long-term effects as of yet, so always remember to use at your own discretion.

Peyote’s Physical Effects

Shivering and chills
Sweating and elevated body temperature
Appetite suppression
Vomiting and intense nausea
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Muscle weakness and twitches
Impaired motor coordination
Rapid reflexes
Tension, numbness, anxiety, dizziness, pupil dilation, and trembling

Peyote’s Psychological Effects

Distorted vision and vivid mental images
Perception of hearing colors or seeing music (synesthesia)
Altered time and space perception
Distorted body sense (users can feel either heavy or weightless)
Preoccupation with trivial objects, experiences, and thoughts
Loss of the sense of reality by melding current experiences with the past
Difficulty in maintaining attention, focusing, thinking, and concentrating
Heightened sensory experience, like sharper vision and brighter colors
Highly adverse reactions such as confusion, frightening hallucinations, disorientation, agitation, paranoia, terror, panic, and/or depression

Tolerance and Addiction

Tolerance to mescaline or peyote normally develops rapidly with daily use, usually within three to six days. Cross-tolerance can occur with other drugs like psilocybin and LSD. When one abstains from mescaline for a few days, normal sensitivity is restored. While it may be possible, there is currently no reported evidence of psychological or physical dependence from consuming this plant.

Common Uses

While the knowledge of peyote’s effects are slowly starting to spread in Western society, there is also a large, growing number of people who use peyote – either for religious or recreational purposes in these countries.

For millennia, peyote has figured significantly in much of the cultural heritage of the Native American people. In their sacred ceremonies, members of the tribes would gather in a circle inside a form of shelter, such as a teepee. A designated and elected medicine man would then lead participants in chants and songs during the consumption phase.

In our current world, there are also a growing number of people who use peyote not for religious purposes but for strictly recreational ones. While federal law prohibits the use of peyote outside of religious ceremonies, this does not stop thousands of people from using the substance at parties or other social gatherings. There are also others who seek to consume peyote in privacy.

However, many Native Americans are not happy with this new trend of using peyote for recreational purposes. The main catalyst for this stance is that they feel a certain form of disrespect in turning a sacred plant into a commercial experience for those who do not fully respect the plant’s effects. Furthermore, most of the people who consume the plant for social purposes are not seeking any religious effects, which is what the original purpose is.

An anonymous quote promotes peyote as a drug for more intense spiritual purposes rather than for recreational ones. It says that, “Peyote, compared to other hallucinogens, is a very concentrated and focused fire. It is an inner fire that leads to increased energy and gives spiritual insights.”

The majority of the NAC believes that the proper use of peyote is important for attaining spiritual guidance. This means that they feel the substance does not present any benefits unless it is utilized in the right environment. Church members do not allow minors to participate in ceremonies until a healer personally vouches for and approves their participation.

Chapter 5:

Pros And Cons of Peyote

The line between the pros and cons of peyote is blurred. To some, peyote is only considered a pro when used for ceremonial uses and it is a con if used for recreational purposes. Peyote, even when used in the right religious environment, can pose various health risks. Consequently, one should be aware of the potential mental and physiological risks that can be brought on by its use, much more so than a common recreational drug like marijuana.

Like many similar psychedelic drugs of choice, peyote has given some users a feeling of euphoria. Others have claimed that they are able to reach much more creative states when they are on the substance, especially when they are creating music or art. While these effects do vary among individuals, they are also fairly predictable. Additionally, peyote can enhance the natural senses that we all have.

Foods can taste better, music can sound even more melodious, and one can find themselves hearing sounds that they were previously unaware of. While some people claim that consuming peyote results in a more reflective experience, this is not necessarily confirmed to be a predictable occurrence, particularly as this drug’s main effect is as a hallucinogen.

As with any powerful hallucinogen, there are side effects that must be weighed out. Nausea is the most common side effect of using peyote. This is normal of any hallucinogen, especially when new users consume such hallucinogens. Peyote’s regular users say that the nausea diminishes as the drug is consumed on a more frequent basis, which is to say that this effect in inversely proportional to the times the plant is consumed. Other short-term, yet negative, effects are shortness of breath, weakness, faster heart rate, increased blood pressure, and feelings of terror and anxiety.

Peyote’s effects get worse when the plant is consumed in larger doses. An excess intake of peyote can cause one to experience severe anxiety that lasts for as long as two days. A high peyote dosage, in other cases, can cause one to have an adverse physical reaction, as cases of users being rushed to the hospital for treatment have been recorded. Still, such severe health problems normally occur when a user takes an unnecessarily high mescaline dosage, which is peyote’s most potent and purest derivative.

While peyote’s short-term effects are not always serious, there are some users that take peyote to excess. Those who frequently consume peyote (at least bi-weekly) can be susceptible to HPPV (hallucinogen persisting perception disorder). The effects of HPPV are also seen in frequent users of other hallucinogens like LSD. HPPV causes sufferers to have hallucination flashbacks for a long time after taking the substance. HPPV’s biggest risk is that the sufferer may have a flashback while driving a car or participating in a dangerous activity, such as climbing a mountain or handling power tools.

Generally, moderate peyote consumption is safe. However, it does pose risks to pregnant women, users with low or high blood pressure, users on immolators, and those having mental psychoses. Additionally, the consumption of peyote can be risky when used together with other drugs, especially those with contradictory effects to the body. Particularly, alcohol and peyote is a risky combination. This is because there are pharmacological similarities in the alkaloids of peyote and the brain when one is intoxicated.

In conclusion, while peyote clearly has more side effects than many other recreational substances, there are also many people who swear that it is an experience everyone must try. Based on the criteria laid out in this book, the safest route to consume this intriguing plant would be to make sure you are in a healthy state at the time, get it from a reliable source, consume it with someone who has already gone through the experience before, and do not use it often.

Peyote’s Long-Term Effects

There has been research conducted on the long-term effects of regular peyote consumption. Such research determined that people who consume peyote for ceremonial purposes do not experience any adverse effects, except for the short-term and non-life-threatening stomach pain and nausea. The lack of lasting mental and physical trauma is a factor that makes peyote quite different from many other hallucinogens.

While peyote is safe to use in low to moderate doses, there are others, unfortunately, who consume peyote in excess. These people tend to suffer HPPV, as discussed earlier. The real risk is that regular and heavy users of mescaline could develop progressive tolerance to it. While a really large dosage can cause an overdose, the built-up mescaline tolerance is a risk in itself, as its effects can be transferred to other hallucinogens. A person who can tolerate mescaline can also tolerate angel dust or LSD, even if the person has never used either of those drugs.

However, the unfortunate reality of non-ceremonial peyote use is that when it is consumed in a recreational setting, there is a chance that the product has either been diluted or mixed with substances that the user is unaware of. Peyote that is sold on the streets and marketed as “mescaline” commonly has other drugs mixed in it, like angel dust, ecstasy, or LSD. Mescaline itself is not harmful, so what makes mescaline risky is the addition of more dangerous drugs added to it - another reason why getting it from a quality source is of the utmost importance.

Chapter 6:

Peyote Compared To Similar Cacti

As previously mentioned, peyote is usually found in the deserts of Mexico and in the southern portion of Texas. Therefore, it is not surprising to find other similar cacti that can be substituted for peyote. However, many of these plants are also evaluated and monitored for their psychopharmacological activity and alkaloidal content.

Progress in the study of such plants has been slow because most of the experimentation has been done on lab animals instead of humans. Some of these plants also have mescaline and other alkaloids with sympathomimetic properties. Needless to say, there is a need for more research on the activity of these cacti.

Tsuwiri

This cactus’s botanical name is Ariocarpus retusus and it is translated quite literally as “False Peyote.” Users of this cactus make pilgrimages to the places where peyote grows. The users seek a sacrament. If a person has not been purified properly, the spirits will guide him to the tsuwiri. If he consumes it, then he will have a “bad trip” or suffer madness, as the legend goes. Tsuwiri is notable amongst almost all native tribes and can be called Chaute or Chautle. Such names are also utilized for other Ariocarpus species.

In small amounts, the cactus has hordenine, N-methyltryamine, traces of N-methyl-4-B-phenethylamine, and N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxy-B-phenethylamine. Tsuwiri also has a flavone identified as retusin. While alkaloid content in tsuwiri may differ during various seasons or growth stages, the amounts in tsuwiri appear insufficient to produce psychopharmacological responses, from a scientific point of view.

Peyotillo

Botanically called Pelecyphora aselliforms, peyotillo is also sometimes known as the “hatchet cactus” due to its tubercules, which are oddly flat. Peyotillo is usually found growing in central Mexico’s San Louis Potosi state. Peyotillo has traces of mescaline that are too little to have any effect.

Peyotillo also has anhaladine, anhalidine, hordenine, 4-methoxy-B-phenethy-lamine pellotine, B-phenethylamine, N-methyl-B-phenethylamine, N-methylmescaline, 3-demethyltrichocereine, 3,4-dimethoxy-B-pheneththyl-amine, and N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxy-B-phenethylamine. These substances are also found in larger, more potent quantities in peyote.

Sunami

Ariocarpus fissuratus, also known as sunami, has long been used in the field of folk medicine in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is deemed to be even more powerful than peyote and can be consumed in the same ways as peyote, and it can be made into a drink. It is also known as Chaute (a generic term for Ariocarpus plants) in some tribes. Sunami has mostly hordenine, some N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxy-B-phenethylamine, and a relatively trace amount of N-methyl-tyramine.

Dolichothele

Several Native American tribes occasionally use any Dolichothele’s species as a peyote-like sacrament. These include D. uberiforma, D. surculosa, D. sphaerica, D. melalenca, D. longimamma, and D. baumii. Recent studies have also determined that such species have alkaloids like dolichotheline (N-isovalerylhistamine), hordenine, synephrine, N-methyltryamine, B-O-methylsynephrine, and N-methylphenethylamine.

Doñana

Coryphantha macromeris, or doñana, is found in northern Mexico and contains macromerine, which is a phenethylamine drug known to have about twenty percent of mescaline’s potency. It also contains normacromerine, tyramine, synephrine, metanephrine, hordenine, N-formylnor-macromerin, and N-methyl-3,4-dimethoxy-B-phenethylamine, among other trace substances.

Most of these alkaloids have also been identified in varieties of C. conifer, C. ottonis, C. durangensis, C. ramillosa, and C. poselgeriana. As there is usually no more than 0.1 percent macromerine found in doñana, and that one gram or more of macromerine may be needed to experience a psychotropic effect, one would have to consume over one kilo of the dried doñana, or 20 pounds of fresh doñana. A single human cannot consume such large amounts. If one wants to experiment with the plant’s hallucinogenic properties, one has to extract the mixed alkaloids.

Other Cacti

The Tarahumares have used other cacti as substitutes for peyote. Some of these are Aztekium ritterii, Obregonia denegrii, A. myriostigma, Solisia pectinate, A. capricorne, and Astrophytum asterias. Members of the Tarahumares tribe also ingest a cactus that they refer to as “Mulato” and claim that the cactus gives runners additional speed, clears vision for spiritual insights, and prolongs life.

Another cactus that is used in the same way as “Mulato” is called “Rosapara.” Botanists have determined it to be the same as Mulato at an advanced vegetative stage. Also used occasionally for a narcotic is a large cactus called Cawe (Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum).

Chapter 7:

The Future of Peyote

The peyote plant, the trading of it, and the use of it by Native Americans as a religious sacrament are innately tied to the Native American Church’s future. Issues regarding peyote’s legal status will rapidly become secondary to its conservation and availability in enough quantities to satisfy the requirements of the NAC.

Peyote’s natural population diminished in the latter half of the 20th century because of various events and factors, some intentional and others not. Recent endeavors to check and buck the trend have centered on three areas: conservation, consumption, and access.

Access to peyote gardens entails economic, social, and legal factors. Increased regulation of the peyote trade has kept most NAC members from harvesting the peyote cacti themselves. While one can acquire the needed authorizations and permits, few peyotists get peyote in this way. The main limitation is access to areas where peyote grows freely, especially the more north someone lives.

In a southern Texas area wherein peyote can be found in abundance, most of the land is owned by private entities. Stringent trespassing laws and frequent patrols of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies work together to make unauthorized entry avoidable. In the past 30 years, Native Americans and peyoteros have found that their access to private lands is increasingly restricted.

In the 1960s, non-Native Americans who advocated the drug culture during the time went to southern Texas in droves hoping for a high experience with peyote. Often cutting fences, breaking down gates, and illegally entering the lands, these “hippies” were often bothersome to the locals. As a result, many landowners sought for more stringent trespassing laws, and they also secured their lands effectively with locked gates that were hardier.

While interest in the cactus waned among non-Native Americans in the succeeding years, the effects of their past activities remained. More commerce in sport-hunting leases also drove landowners to protect their properties even further and lead to the building of chain-link fences in order to restrict game movement. Such competition for peyote access inevitably caused landowners to lease peyoteros harvesting rights at a high cost.

While peyote’s demand has increased relatively recently, the northern extent of peyote’s range in the United States has dramatically receded. In research regarding the peyote trade’s extent, George Morgan estimated that 1.1 million peyote plants were sold commercially between September 1972 and August 1973. The State of Texas, in 1993, reported that 1.9 million peyote cacti were harvested and marketed legally. Such trends continued in the following year when a staggering number of 2.1 million cacti were reportedly sold.

Peyotism’s spread to the Navajo Reservation, and the subsequent adoption, has made these people the peyote trade’s largest consumers. About 80 percent of the sold peyote goes to the Navajos.

Another threat, and perhaps even a more pressing one, is its natural habitat’s destruction via the land conversion from unused grounds to commercial pasturage. The region’s use for grazing started in the 1750s with the European settlement and rapidly led to an increase in brush vegetation and overgrazing. Increased use of the eradication of brush through dragging and chopping in the 1930s briefly disrupted the peyote’s natural growth pattern.

Such practices changed to the plowing and sowing of non-native and native grasses, which became even more destructive. The growth of peyote only continues in places that evade plowing. There were government incentives to promote plowing but they were stopped during the 1980s, and this was when peyote became an endangered species in Texas.

Peyote’s future is dependent on more habitat conservation, promotion of harvest methods that stimulate the growth of peyote, and more cooperation among landowners, peyoteros, and Native American Church members. NAC leaders have been studying other ways to obtain more peyote, including cultivation and the importation of plants from Mexico.

However, neither option has found any support from the United States’ state and federal officials. A foremost peyote botanist, George Anderson, is optimistic that the peyote cactus can still survive but is doubtful that the plant can be produced in adequate quantities to support the needs of the present and the future.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this! We hope this short, concise book was able to teach you a thing or two about the majestic peyote cactus.

Now that you understand the important factors regarding peyote, you can decide if you want to try it, or if you can inform your friends who ask you about it. Plus, a little addition to your knowledge doesn’t hurt, right? Our world is becoming increasingly interested in the use of peyote and other out-of-body experience inducing substances, in hopes to enhance the human experience on Earth.

If you’ve learned anything from this book, please take the time to share your thoughts by sending me a personal message, or even posting a review on Amazon. It would be greatly appreciated and I try my best to get back to every message!

Thank you and good luck in your journey!