Peyote, (Lophophora Williamsii), also called mescal button, species of hallucinogenic cactus (family Cactaceae). Peyote is found only on limestone soils of the Chihuahuan desert of southern Texas and northern Mexico.
Peyote (Lophophora Williamsii) is the sacred cactus of the Native American Church. The green parts are harvested for their mescaline, a potent entheogen. These specimens are for growing indoors.
Active Alkaloids
* mescaline (3,4,5- trimethoxy-B-phenethylamine)
* n-methylmescaline
* n-acetylmescaline
* lophophorine
* thyramine
* hordinenine
* anhalaninine
* anhalonidine
* pellotine
* o-methyllanhalonidine
Growing
The roots of these cacti have been established for some years, and it is key to not overwater them. Only water the plants occasionally as they naturally go for long times without water. Do not water the Peyote from mid-autumn untill the end of winter because root rot may occur. During the first watering of the year, you may have to soak the pots in a bucket as extremely dry soil has trouble taking up water.
Peyotes like a lot of sun light and warmth, and it would be best to place them in a south facing window. Another possibility is to put them in a greenhouse. They can withstand temperatures of 4 – 50 degrees Celcius.
Every two years add a layer of fresh soil or a cactus-specific fertiliser. Always try fertiliser at half the recommended dosage. Peyote can swell and burst if over fertilized. This doesn’t kill the plant but can slow growth while the wound heals.
When the cactus gets wider than it’s pot, re-pot it in a pot that is a few centimeters wider than the cactus.
Growing a Peyote cactus is a very slow process.
Peyote is well known for its hallucinogenic effects; the plant contains at least 28 alkaloids, the principal one of which is mescaline. Peyote figures prominently in the traditional religious rituals of certain North American Indian peoples as well as in the current rituals (many adapted from traditional rituals) of the Native American Church. The sale, use, or possession of dried mescal buttons or live plants is prohibited by law in many places, although a number of areas also provide exemptions for use in formal religious rites. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978) is the primary legislation governing the religious uses of peyote in the United States.