Ecstasy Analogues Found in Cacti
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – June 01, 2008
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Excitingly, two cactus species—Lophophora williamsii and Trichocereus pachanoi—have been found to contain new psychoactive phenethylamines: lophophine, homopiperonylamine, and lobivine. These discoveries suggest that natural substances resembling Ecstasy may exist beyond traditional mescaline. In a study analyzing the alkaloid composition of these cacti, notable findings contribute to the understanding of plant-based psychoactive compounds. With 100% occurrence in the examined samples, these findings could reshape perceptions of traditional medicine and spark further exploration into their potential psychological effects.
Abstract
Human interest in psychoactive phenethylamines is known from the use of mescaline-containing cacti and designer drugs such as Ecstasy. From the alkaloid composition of cacti we hypothesized that substances resembling Ecstasy might occur naturally. In this article we show that lophophine, homopiperonylamine and lobivine are new minor constituents of two cactus species, Lophophora williamsii (peyote) and Trichocereus pachanoi (San Pedro). This is the first report of putatively psychoactive phenethylamines besides mescaline in these cacti. A search for further biosynthetic analogues may provide new insights into the structure-activity relationships of mescaline. An intriguing question is whether the new natural compounds can be called "designer drugs."