Uncovering The Secrets Of Peyote Cactus Mescaline

Mescaline is a psychoactive chemical similar to LSD and psilocybin. It is considered a naturally occurring psychedelic protoalkaloid and commonly found in the peyote cactus plant. 

It has been suggested that mescaline has medical potential to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD and alcoholism. However its illegal status as a Schedule I substance limits its availability, making any potential interest to study it rather difficult. 

A group of scientists are attempting to advance and change perception on this remarkable chemical. The research, a joint effort consisting of scientists from Germany, China, the United States and Israel attempts to identify the specific enzymes which induce psychedelic effects. 

Aside from that it also highlights conservation issues, as the desert plant is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and overharvesting. 

A remarkably tiny plant with huge cultural significance

Peyote are small, spineless cacti native to Mexico and Southwestern Texas. Its name is a Spanish word adapted from the Nahuatl term peyōtl which means ‘caterpillar cocoon’. 

Peyote has been used by indigenous North Americans since 5,500 years ago as medicine and religious ceremonies. It is harvested by cutting the crown of the cactus, disc-shaped buttons that grow on the above-ground part of the plant and dried. When cut properly, the root remains intact, allowing the cactus to regrow itself eventually. 

However if the harvester does not know what they’re doing it can kill the plant. This, coupled with the fact that peyote is an extremely slow growing species has led it to be over-harvested and listed as an endangered species. 

Untapped potential waiting to be discovered

Aside from ceremonial application, peyote has traditionally been used by indigenous people to treat snake bites, burns, wounds and even rheumatism. 

When Spanish colonizers arrived in the Americas, interest quickly spread amongst the medical community. Many early journals recorded its effects on human physiology and theorized on its best application. Early pharmaceutical preparations include tonics and tinctures using fluid extracted from the peyote. 

Chemist Juan Manuel Noriega noted in his 1904 published book Historia de las Drogas that small doses of peyote increased energy and raised blood pressure.Since then there have been several attempts to synthesis the mescaline found in peyote, starting from 1919 by the chemist Ernst Späth and right until its prohibition in 1971.

Fun fact:

Mescaline is illegal in the United States except for certain religious groups such as the Native American Church under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. 

Learning to synthesize mescaline is the key to the peyote cactus’ survival

We’re still not sure why only some cacti produce mescaline. Scientists theorize it could be a form of defense to protect its bulbous, ground-hugging shape. Mescaline makes the spineless plant’s flesh bitter, which could deter insects and other predators. But that doesn’t explain why the San Pedro cactus, a much taller cousin which does have spines, also produces mescaline, although in much smaller amounts. 

In order to understand the biochemical pathway of how mescaline is created, scientists from the research used mass spectroscopy to decipher the entire genome of the peyote cactus. By identifying which genes are expressed in which part of the plant, we will be able to zone in on areas with the highest concentration of mescaline.

With the genome mapped out, scientists will have a better understanding of the mescaline manufacturing pathway and hopefully reconstruct it artificially. Lead researcher Dr Paula Berman says that being able to copy this natural process with biotechnology will not only help the development of new psychiatric drugs but also slow down overharvesting of cacti in the wild.