Always check your local laws before cultivating peyote and be aware that, while it’s a relatively low-maintenance cactus to grow, it may take several years to establish a decent-sized garden. There are numerous resources online for learning how to grow peyote at home. Mescaline can be detected in the urine for one to four days after use, but it’s not included in either standard or extended drug screens. Virtually all labs require a specific test for the substance, so unless your employer is a real stickler and worried that you’ve been spending your free time at peyote ceremonies, you should be fine. This shortage of peyote endangers native traditions that have been in practice for generations. As the world grows more interconnected, peyote is often used in locations and contexts that are very different from the indigenous cultures in which it originated.
It should be avoided if you have a history of mental illness, heart conditions, or high blood pressure, as well as by pregnant or breastfeeding women because of the risk of birth defects. For more information on taking peyote safely, see Precautions and Safety and toxicity. Addiction is another promising application for mescaline’s therapeutic potential. As peyote, mescaline has long been used in traditional ceremonial contexts to treat alcoholism. It’s interesting to note that while alcohol abuse rates among the Navajo and other Native American tribes are said to be roughly twice the U.S. average, they are significantly lower among NAC members. This correlation isn’t conclusive, of course, but research does suggest that there could be a more-than-casual link.
Potential risks
Mescaline effects are generally felt within minutes of consumption, peaking at two to four hours and lasting for up to eight. During this time, you are likely to see closed-eye visuals of colors and patterns, such as mosaics, arabesques, and spirals. These visuals often transform into more definite objects like architecture, animals, and humans. At the same time, ordinary objects in your surroundings may appear more interesting, beautiful, and amazingly mystical—qualities that define the mescaline experience.
Chances are someone in the group can point you in the direction of a local Kambo practitioner. The entry points will heal and fade with time but depending on your skin color and type you may always have small visible scars. Kambo Care uses a special blazing technique on clients that will limit scarring. Be conscious with your consumption of certain foods, energies, media, people etc. Refrain from difficult to digest and or energetically dense foods for at least 72 hours (OR MORE!) such as dairy and meat.
Cleansing rituals
Read more about Kambo Stick here.
Finally, you may consider bringing some personally meaningful items. These can be small artifacts, such as crystals, pendants, small totems, amulets, or anything else you find dear and/or consider to hold some power or personal memories. A nice gesture of your will to create a connection with the sacred space is contributing an object to the altar or the land or in the ceremonial maloca.
A peyote trip is often characterized by personal blessings, healing, and insights, and many people emerge with an awareness of their place in the web of being. Some people who have taken part in peyote ceremonies have found that the experience allows them to confront their own shadow in order to move past it.