You may have heard of the psychedelic drug mescaline, but do you know what happens in a mescaline ceremony?

Mescaline 

Mescaline is a psychedelic substance found in cacti from the Echinopsis genus that is often consumed in a liquid or solid form in order to experience its well-known visual hallucinations and spiritual, dream-like, and euphoric effects. 

Mescaline has been used in Native American religious traditions for hundreds of years and is also often referred to as ‘peyote’ due to the mescaline-heavy peyote cacti often used to create it. 

Mescaline Legality 

As a hallucinogenic substance, mescaline is classified as a schedule 1 illegal substance, however, members of Native American churches who use mescaline in religious ceremonies are granted exceptions to consume it. 

Mescaline Ceremony 

As an important part of Native American religions, mescaline ceremonies have their own specific rituals that will differ from area to area. Typically, the consumption of mescaline is used to bring about religious inspiration and is also considered to be a medicine. Mescaline is often consumed in mescaline ceremonies by eating the ground top of a mescaline cactus plant, like peyote, or drinking a mescaline brew. 

Experiencing mescaline is a sacred and important ritual and is treated with respect. Mescaline is typically taken in a group setting with people remaining together and sitting for hours while its psychotropic effects are experienced and discussed. Mescaline ceremonies can also be for a specific purpose, with the focus of people and prayers on a certain goal such as helping an individual overcome some sort of personal struggle. 

Mescaline ceremonies are also not typically considered the fun experience you might associate with psychedelics and instead are often considered to be serious and solemn experiences. 

Mescaline Side Effects 

One study looked into the negative effects this hallucinogen might be having on Native American Church members. A series of memory, attention, and functioning tests were administered to Navajo Native American study participants who regularly consume peyote. 

The results showed that regular religious peyote use showed no increase in psychological or cognitive deficits. Participants who had a former history of alcohol addiction did show significant mental health and neuropsychological deficits, however total lifetime peyote use was determined to have no significant association with neuropsychological performance.  

How Mescaline Works 

Mescaline activates serotonin receptors such as 5-HT2 receptors, which are thought to be involved in creating the stimulation and hallucinations seen with mescaline consumption. Serotonin receptors are G-protein coupled receptors that control the release of certain neurotransmitters and hormones. These serotonin receptor targets play key roles in cognitive functioning and the facilitation of the hallucinogenic and euphoric effects of mescaline. 

5-HT2A receptors found in neocortical pyramidal cells are specifically thought to induce the hallucinogenic effects of mescaline by increasing glutamate levels in the cortex through presynaptic receptor-mediated release. The cortex is the largest area of the brain and it is responsible for information processing and as such increased glutamatergic transmission in this area can result in higher-level cognitive functioning and changes to perception that could explain some of the effects of mescaline.