Peyote Powder

The peyote cactus, or Lophophora williamsii, is unassuming at first glance. It’s small and spineless, unlike other cacti.

But inside the small buttons that grow from the plant lies a hallucinogenic substance called mescaline. The effects of this chemical component are responsible for peyote’s role as an important element of some religious rituals. More recently, mescaline made it the focus of some legal disputes.

The chemical makeup of mescaline is comparable to other hallucinogenic substances like LSD and psilocybin (shrooms).

Experience

Many factors contribute to the peyote experience, including dose, mindset, setting, and method of consumption. With that in mind, each individual journey will be unique to the person, time, and place, and there’s no way to predict exactly what will happen. But, peyote does induce some common experiences and effects that can help you prepare for your journey.

Dosage

A light dose of peyote is 50-100g fresh or 10-20g dry, which equates in either case to roughly three to six mid-sized buttons. Moderate doses range up to 150g fresh or 30g dry (six to twelve buttons), while strong doses range up to 200g fresh or 40g dry (eight to sixteen buttons). Anything above this is considered heavy.

It is hard to be precise, however, due to the varying levels of mescaline in any given peyote button. Growing location and season of harvest can also affect their potency, as can age—older peyote tends to be more potent.