Sarah Brown
Peyote and mushrooms are both hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, which alter the brain's perception of sensory input. While they are often referred to interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the two substances. Peyote, derived from the peyote cactus, contains mescaline as its active ingredient, while mushrooms contain psilocybin. Both substances can induce hallucinations and a sense of euphoria, but they also carry risks of adverse effects, including nausea, panic, and paranoia. Regular use of either substance can lead to increased tolerance and potential addiction, highlighting the importance of understanding the unique characteristics and impacts of peyote and mushrooms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Mescaline |
| Other names | Buttons, peyoto, cactus, shrooms, mushrooms, magic mushrooms |
| Methods of ingestion | Pills, powder, liquid, tea, food, joints, cigarettes |
| Effects | Hallucinations, euphoria, increased body temperature, increased heart rate, heavy sweating, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, lack of coordination, anxiety, panic, fear |
| Addiction | Possible |
| Medical emergency | Possible |
| Growth | Slow |
| Native to | Mexico, Southern United States |
| Uses | Ceremonial, spiritual, folk medicine, recreational |
| History | Used for over 5,000 years by Indigenous peoples of the Americas |
| Active alkaloids | Mescaline (30%), pellotine (17%), anhalonidine (14%), hordenine (8%) |
| Other alkaloids | Tyramine, N-methyltyramine, anhalamine, anhalidine, anhalinine, anhalonine, lophophorine, O-methylanhalonidine, peyophorine, isoanhalamine, isoanhalidine, isoanhalonidine, isopellotine |
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What You'll Learn
Peyote and mushrooms are both hallucinogens
Mushrooms, on the other hand, contain psilocybin, a compound that breaks down into psilocin in the body. Psilocin binds to serotonin receptors in the brain, causing hallucinations and a phenomenon known as synesthesia, where senses blend. This can lead to experiences such as "seeing sounds" or "tasting colours". Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as "magic mushrooms", have been ingested by humans for thousands of years and are currently being studied for their potential therapeutic benefits.
Both peyote and mushrooms can lead to addiction, and high rates of hallucinogen use can result in increased tolerance, which can be dangerous and trigger medical emergencies. The effects of peyote include an increase in body temperature and heart rate, heavy sweating, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, and lack of coordination. Hallucinations are common among users, as is a feeling of euphoria. Similarly, the ingestion of psilocybin mushrooms can lead to physical and psychiatric medical emergencies, especially if the user is living with a mental health disorder or consumes a large dose.
In summary, peyote and mushrooms are both hallucinogenic substances with distinct active ingredients that produce similar effects. While both have been used for centuries, often for spiritual or ritualistic purposes, they also carry risks and side effects that can be harmful to the user.
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Peyote is a cactus native to Southern North America
Peyote, or its scientific name, Lophophora williamsii, is a type of cactus native to Southern North America. It is a slow-growing cactus that produces sporadic flowers and small edible pink fruit. The fruit is club-shaped to elongated and fleshy, and it is bare and rosy-coloured. At maturity, the fruit turns brownish-white and dry. The fruit does not burst open on its own and is between 1.5 to 2 cm long. The seeds within the fruit are black, pear-shaped, and between 1 to 1.5 mm long and 1 mm wide. These seeds require hot and humid conditions to germinate.
Peyote is native to Southern North America, mainly distributed in Mexico. In Mexico, it grows in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, and Zacatecas. It is primarily found at elevations of 100 to 1,500 m and exceptionally up to 1,900 m in the Chihuahuan desert. Its habitat is primarily desert scrub, particularly thorn scrub in Tamaulipas, and it is common on or near limestone hills.
Peyote has been used by indigenous peoples, such as the Huichol of northern Mexico and various Native American tribes native to or relocated to the Southern Plains states of present-day Oklahoma and Texas. Its usage was also recorded among various Southwestern Athabaskan-language tribal groups, such as the Tonkawa, the Mescalero, and Lipan Apache. Peyote has been used for over 5,000 years by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for ceremonial, spiritual, and folk medicine purposes. Its effects can last up to 12 hours.
The Native American Church considers the ingestion of peyote a sacrament and uses it in all-night healing ceremonies to connect with the spiritual world. Native American Church members often personify peyote as a divine spirit akin to Jesus. In Wixarika (Huichol) culture, peyote is considered the soul of their religion and a visionary sacrament that connects them to their principal deities—corn, deer, peyote, and the eagle.
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Mushrooms are sold on the street, and may be poisonous
Mushrooms containing psilocybin are sold on the street and may be poisonous or carry pathogens that can cause illness or death. There is also a risk of medical emergency that may be physical or psychiatric in nature. The risk increases if the user has an underlying mental health condition or ingests a large dose of the drug.
Touching or handling toxic mushrooms does not cause sickness, but ingestion does. Poisonous mushrooms can be found in almost any habitat. They may resemble edible mushrooms, which can be dangerous. For example, the autumn skullcap mushroom is poisonous and can be deadly if eaten, but it is often mistaken for hallucinogenic mushrooms. Similarly, destroying angel mushrooms are incredibly toxic but look similar to edible button mushrooms and meadow mushrooms.
It is important to be able to identify mushrooms correctly before consuming them. While some sources claim that only a few of the 70-80 species of poisonous mushrooms are fatal when ingested, others state that several deaths and poisonings have been caused by mistaking poisonous mushrooms for edible ones. For instance, in 2008, English author Nicholas Evans mistakenly collected and served webcap mushrooms to his relatives, resulting in hospitalization and kidney transplants for four of them.
It is worth noting that the risk of poisoning is not limited to wild mushrooms. For example, mushrooms can grow in home gardens, and even in window boxes, as one person from Ghana reported. In this case, it is still important to identify the mushrooms correctly before disposing of them safely.
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Peyote has been used by Native Americans for over 5000 years
Peyote, derived from the Nahuatl word "peyōtl" meaning "caterpillar cocoon", is a spineless cactus native to southern North America. It has been used by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for over 5000 years for various purposes, including ceremonial, spiritual, and medicinal. Radiocarbon dating and alkaloid analysis of peyote buttons found in Texas dated the specimens to between 3780 and 3660 BCE, indicating that Native Americans have used peyote for approximately 5500 years.
The active ingredient in peyote is mescaline, which belongs to the phenethylamine family of compounds. It is typically ingested orally and can induce hallucinations, a sense of well-being, and other psychological effects. Native Americans consider peyote sacred, believing it to be a divine "messenger" that enables them to communicate with God or their deities directly.
In the 19th century, with the rise of reservations and the loss of cultural heritage, some Native American leaders actively spread a new kind of peyote cult. This new religion, known as the Native American Church, was established to protect the rights of Indians to freely practice their religious activities involving peyote. Members of the Native American Church consider peyote ingestion a sacrament and use it in all-night healing ceremonies to connect with the spiritual world.
The use of peyote has also been recorded among various Southwestern Athabaskan-language tribal groups and the Huichol natives of central-western Mexico, who have used it regularly for an estimated 1500 years or more. The Huichol people consider peyote to be the soul of their religion, a visionary sacrament that connects them to their principal deities, including corn, deer, peyote, and the eagle.
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Peyote and mushrooms can cause a psychedelic trip
Peyote and mushrooms are both hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, which can cause a person to have hallucinations and a loss of sense of reality. They are both classified as Schedule I drugs, meaning they are considered to have a high risk for abuse and addiction and are not legal for medical or recreational use in the US.
Peyote is a spineless cactus native to southern North America and northern Mexico. The active ingredient in peyote is mescaline, which belongs to the phenethylamine family of compounds and has a chemical structure similar to the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. Mescaline makes up about 30% of the total alkaloid content of peyote. Peyote has been used for over 5,000 years by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for ceremonial, spiritual, and folk medicine purposes. The effects of peyote include hallucinations, a feeling of euphoria, an increase in body temperature and heart rate, heavy sweating, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, and lack of coordination. Regular use of peyote can lead to increased tolerance and the development of addiction.
The active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms is psilocybin, a chemical found in certain types of fresh or dried mushrooms. Mushrooms containing psilocybin are typically found in tropical and subtropical regions of the United States, Central America, Mexico, and South America. They are also known as magic mushrooms or shrooms. Mushrooms can be cooked, boiled into a drink, eaten raw, or prepared with chocolate to mask their bitter taste. The effects of mushrooms include hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, lack of muscle coordination and weakness, altered perception of space and time, and heightened sensory awareness. In some cases, mushrooms can trigger a sense of anxiety, panic, terror, or psychosis. As with peyote, regular use of mushrooms can lead to increased tolerance and the development of addiction.
In summary, peyote and mushrooms are both hallucinogenic substances that can cause a person to experience a loss of sense of reality and have hallucinations. They have similar effects, including hallucinations, altered perception, and nausea. However, they have different active ingredients (mescaline in peyote and psilocybin in mushrooms) and originate from different sources (peyote is a cactus, while mushrooms are a type of fungus). Both substances are considered highly addictive and carry legal and health risks.
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Frequently asked questions
Peyote is a cactus that contains the hallucinogenic substance mescaline.
Mushrooms that are sold on the street contain psilocybin, which may be poisonous or carry pathogens that can cause illness or death. Peyote, on the other hand, contains mescaline, which can trigger an increase in body temperature and heart rate, heavy sweating, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, and lack of coordination.
Hallucinations are common among users of peyote, as is a feeling of euphoria. In some cases, high doses or a poor reaction to the drug can result in extreme anxiety, panic, or fear. Regular use of peyote can also lead to increased tolerance in less than a week.
Although it is possible to become addicted to both peyote and mushrooms, people who struggle with addiction usually report different drugs of choice. High rates of hallucinogen use can cause high tolerance, which can be dangerous and trigger a medical emergency.
