Classic psychedelic
Peyote
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
- Onset
- 45-90 minutes
- Duration
- 8-12 hours
- Origin
- Natural - Chihuahuan Desert cactus (Mexico/Texas)
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.
- On 1 December 2023 the Huachuma Collective, curanderos and curanderas of northern Peru, called on "practitioners of San Pedro ceremonies in Peru and around the world to stop using wild San Pedro and instead start cultivating the plant en masse from cuttings and seeds." The same statement opposes commercial San Pedro powder and chips. (Huachuma Collective, 1 Dec 2023; Huachuma Collective, English PDF, 1 Dec 2023; The Microdose (UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics), 22 Jan 2024)
Reported effects
- vivid visual hallucinations
- deep introspection
- spiritual communion
- ego dissolution
- synesthesia
- time distortion
- emotional openness
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.