Cactus -Phenylethylamine alkaloids

Cactus alkaloids. About 2000 cactus species (stem succulents) of tropical and subtropical desert areas are known, some of which contain h lucinogenic principles, e. g., Lophophora species indigenous to Mexico together with other hallucinogenic cacti the latter are known as peyote (see Lophophora alkaloids). They contain ca. 5% alkaloids such as mescaline, anhalo-nine, lophophorine, pellotine, etc., mainly isoquinoline alkaloids, and phenylethylamine alkaloids. 

Lophophora alkaloids. Alkaloids from the Mexican Lophophora cacti ( peyote) cultivated as ornamental cacti in Europe, see cactus alkaloids. The plants contain ca. 5% of alkaloids, mainly phenylethylamine alkaloids and simple isoquinoline derivatives. Their best known property is the generation of colored hallucinations and other sensory changes. The most toxic alkaloid of this group is lophophorine (see Anhalonium alkaloids). 

This cactus is an important source of the so-called phenylethylamine (phenethylamine) alkaloids with a C6C2N skeleton.The main component... 

Peyote, Lophophora williamsii, appears to be the most prolific cactus, in terms of alkaloid production. In addition to mescaline and other 3-phenylethylamines, this cactus contains anhalamine (1), anhaladine (10), anhalonidine (11), pellotine (2), anhalanine (12), anhalonine (13), lophophorine (14), and O-methylanhalonidine (Lundstrom, 1983). 

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