The Ethnopharmacological Use of Mescaline for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review
Jonathan Shaw, Aidan Yong, Jacky Lee, Justin Cheng, Anton Andricioaei, Jen-Yeu Wang, Yaara Zisman-Ilani, Robert G. Bota
International Journal of Molecular Sciences March 28, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/ijms27073081 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Alternative medicine Depression economics Systematic review Inclusion mineral Medline Clinical psychology Alkaloids |
| Key findings | The existing literature on mescaline is limited and of highly variable quality, preventing definitive conclusions regarding the prevalence of psychological and somatic effects from mescaline and mescaline-containing ethnobotanicals. |
Abstract
Mescaline, the primary bioactive alkaloid found in Peyote and San Pedro cactus, has been used in traditional medicine for centuries and is now attracting renewed interest for clinical applications. The purpose of this systematic review was to search the literature for studies reporting the use of mescaline to address the gap in our understanding of mescaline use and its impact. References were exported from PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane. Included studies contained patient data pertaining to mescaline, primary sources for beliefs on the use of mescaline as traditional medicine, and a range of psychiatric conditions. Excluded studies included unpublished studies, animal studies, and studies without English full-texts available. Of 2770 imported references, 66 met the inclusion criteria, with only 10 being found suitable for analysis. Studies reported therapeutic effects such as improvements in depression scales, well-being, nicotine dependence, alcohol use, and obsessions. Bayesian analysis found that certain effects were frequently reported, such as hypertension, headache, nausea, and vomiting. The existing literature on mescaline is limited and of highly variable quality, preventing definitive conclusions regarding the prevalence of psychological and somatic effects from mescaline and mescaline-containing ethnobotanicals. Additional research is needed to determine the safety profile of mescaline. Given the prevalence of Peyote use in the Native American Church, the collaboration of the Native American Church and regional hospitals/poison centers is recommended to create a registry to allow for standardized and clinically applicable data collection on the effects of mescaline in prevalent populations.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risk assessment of ritual use of oral dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmala alkaloids Humans (ritual ayahuasca use) | 2006 | Systematic review | |
| Drug–drug interactions involving classic psychedelics: A systematic review | 2023 | Systematic review | |
| Psychedelic‐assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review Participants in studies of psychedelic-assisted treatment for alcohol, tobacco, and... | 2025 | Systematic review | n = 2,035 |
| The immunomodulatory effects of classical psychedelics: A systematic review of preclinical studies Preclinical animal and in vitro studies | 2024 | Systematic review | |
| Drug-drug interactions between classic psychedelics and psychoactive drugs: a systematic review Humans | 2023 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 55
- Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study PLoS One August 19, 2013
- Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2015
- The hallucinogenic world of tryptamines: an updated review. Archives of Toxicology August 1, 2015
- Psychological and cognitive effects of long-term peyote use among Native Americans. Biological Psychiatry October 15, 2005
- Mescaline-induced psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurometabolic effects in normal subjects: experimental psychosis as a tool for psychiatric research. Biological Psychiatry December 1, 1992
and 50 more in the library