Lophophora lewinii

Mescaline is an alkaloid isolated from the peyote cactus, species Lophophora williamsii or Anhalonium lewinii, that grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. Mescaline is found in buttons that grow on top of the plant. Aztec and Native American Indians used the buttons in religious rites and for treatment of snakebite, flu, and arthritis. Some street names include bad seed, blue caps, cactus buttons, devils root, mesc, moon, peyote, shaman, and tops. 

An alkaloid obtained from the cactus Lophophora williamsii (= Anhalonium williamsii = A. lewinii) (Cactaceae), which grows in the northern regions of Mexico. The cactus is also known by the names peyote or peyotl and dried slices of the cactus are called mescal buttons . 

Tliis led to some early confusion in chemical studies, and the tendency, later vindicated, to separatepeyotl into two distinct species. What is now considered to be L. diffusa was earlier identified in some chemical studies as Anhalonium wiUiamsii-, whereas the true j4- wiUiamsii (now knows as L. wiUiamsii) was sometimes incorrecdy called A lewinii. There are anatomical and ecological differences, apart from the chemical variations, distinguishing the two species of Lophophora (Anderson 1969 Anderson 1980 Bruhn 6c Holmstedt 1974)-... 

In chemical literature Anhalonium lewinii, A. williamsii Lem. and A. jourdanianum Lewin are mentioned as different species. However, botanists definitely recognize only one species Anhalonium williamsii Britton and Rose Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire) Coulter). It would be worth while to investigate, using fresh and well-identified material, whether only pellotine is present in A. williamsii, as stated by Heffter. Such findings may give support to a revision of the taxonomy of these cacti. 

Anhalonium lewinii Hennings, syn. Lophophora wilUamsii (Lemaire) Coulter Britton and Rose, known as pellote, peyote, peyotl, and challote. The dried slices are called mescal buttons. Contains mescaline, N-methylmescaline, iV-acetylmescaline, anhalamine, anhalidine, anhalinine, anhalonidine, pellotine, 0-methylanhalonidine, anhalonine, and lophopho-rine (1, 37-59). 

EXTENSIONS AND COMMENTARY Mescaline is one of the oldest psychedelics known to man. It is the major active component of the small dumpling cactus known as Peyote. It grows wild in the Southwestern United States and in Northern Mexico, and has been used as an intimate component of a number of religious traditions amongst the native Indians of these areas. The cactus has the botanical name of Lophophora williamsii or Anhalonium lewinii and is immediately recognizable by its small round shape and the appearance of tufts of soft fuzz in place of the more conventional spines. The dried plant material has been classically used with... 

Anhalonkim alkaloids. A group of isoquinoline alkaloids from the Mexican cactus species Anhalonium (Lophophora) williamsii (Peyotl) and A. lewinii, with... 

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