PLANTS WITH WHICH PEYOTE IS CONFUSED
PLANTS WITH WHICH THE PEYOTE IS CONFUSED
This list contains plants (not Cacti) with which the Peyote is confused.
Mostly a name belonging to the Peyote is used for a plant or drink of another plant.
1. Agave angustifolia
Agave angustifolia = Maguey = century plant (English).
mescal = meskal = mezcal = 2 x distilled alcoholic drink made from fermented juice of Agave angustifolia .
Tequila = the most famous mezcal drink, made from the blue Agave.
This blue Agave is native to southwest Mexico, around the town of Tequila in Jalisco.
Pulque = another mezcal drink with 2-6% alcohol
= synonymous with Peyote.
mescal plant = mescal cactus = Agave angustifolia, from which strong drinks such as Tequila and Pulque are made.
Botanically, the Agave is not a Cactus, but a succulent plant.
2. Piule
= (Spanish, Mexico) = mescaline-containing black bean of the plant Rynchosia phaseoloides.
= synonymous with Peyote.
3. Sophora secundiflora (Leguminosae).
Highly poisonous plant of the Fabaceae family (Leguminosae) that grows together with Peyote in nature.
The fruit of the Sophora secundiflora is a colourful red bean.
This red bean is called ‘Mescal Bean’.
This Mescal Bean contains the toxic substance ‘cytisine’ (a type of pyridine).
When ingested, cytisine causes nausea, vomiting, hallucinations.
And in too large quantities, even death.
4. Mescal Bean (= Mescaline bean)
History of the Mescal bean
Mescal beans have been used in rituals and ceremonies by Indians in Texas and Mexico since 8000 BC.
These Mescal beans were and are also used as medicine.
The seeds of this desert bush were worn as necklaces by the leaders of a Peyote ceremony.
There is probably a connection between the ancient Mescal bean ceremony and the modern Peyote religion.