Classic psychedelic
Lophophora williamsii
Central to the religious practice of the Native American Church (NAC) and the Huichol (Wixaritari) people of Mexico. The Huichol undertake an annual pilgrimage to Wirikuta to harvest peyote as a sacrament. Archaeological evidence dates peyote use to approximately 3700 BCE.
At a glance
Why we don't list peyote retreats
Wild peyote is slow-growing and under pressure, and it is the sacrament of the Native American Church, whose leadership has asked that it not be opened to a wider market. Colorado's natural medicine law defines mescaline so that it excludes peyote, Lophophora williamsii, by name.
If mescaline is what you're looking for, cultivated San Pedro carries the same primary alkaloid. Mescaline itself is a controlled substance under the 1971 UN Convention, so check the law where you are.
Cultivated plants only
The Andean curanderos who work with San Pedro have asked people to stop using wild plants, so we point only to cultivated San Pedro.
Reported effects
Legal status
Schedule I in the US with religious exemption for Native American Church members. Legal for religious use in Mexico.
Research
Limited modern clinical research due to scheduling barriers. A 2005 study by Halpern et al. found no evidence of cognitive deficits among long-term NAC peyote users.
Johnson MW, et al. · Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2019
Broad review of classic psychedelics covering population studies, early clinical trials, mystical experience and brain imaging, as of 2019.
What the study foundKrebs TS, et al. · PLoS ONE · 2013
US survey of 130,152 adults: lifetime psychedelic use was not linked to higher rates of mental health problems.
What the study foundHalpern JH, et al. · Biological Psychiatry · 2005
Navajo Native American Church members who regularly use peyote showed no mental health or cognitive deficits compared with non-users.
What the study foundThe dispatch
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