MESCALINE

The sacred cactus of the Huichols in Mexico, the peyotl (Lophophora Williamsii) contains mescaline. It was isolated in 1896 and synthesized in 1919, but it was not until 1927 that its effects on the human mind were described (note 112) It is a strong hallucinogen whose effects, when taken in a dose of around 400 mg, are equivalent to those of LSD. Duration of effectiveness: 10 - 12 hours.

This was the hallucinogen on which Huxley based his "Doors of Perception" (note 113), the primal hallucinogen, the standard for all hallucinogens.

The substance has become virtually or completely unavailable. The capsules which were marketed as mescaline in the early seventies turned out not to contain any mescaline at all.