Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians-Mescaline.
Burton J Tabaac, Kenneth Shinozuka, Mahdi Fadel, Greg Jones, Jared Worchel, Owen S Muir
American journal of therapeutics Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1097/mjt.0000000000002160 via PubMed
Summary
Mescaline shows preliminary safety in healthy humans, producing dose-dependent subjective effects and moderate, transient autonomic stimulation without serious complications. However, its safety in individuals with cardiovascular, metabolic, or psychiatric conditions is unclear due to a lack of controlled trials in these populations. While adverse effects are generally self-limited and current data suggest a favorable safety profile, more research is needed to evaluate its therapeutic potential.
Study at a glance
| Design | systematic review |
|---|---|
| Population | healthy volunteers and screened human populations |
| Key finding | Mescaline produces dose-dependent subjective effects with moderate autonomic stimulation and no serious medical complications under controlled conditions. |
Abstract
Mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is a classic serotonergic psychedelic with a history of indigenous ceremonial use. There is renewed scientific interest in mescaline because of the potential psychiatric benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Mescaline primarily exerts its psychoactive effects through serotonin-2A (5-HT 2A ) receptor agonism. There is a lack of controlled clinical trials evaluating mescaline in patient populations, and most modern safety data are derived from healthy volunteers. Consequently, its safety in individuals with cardiovascular, metabolic, or psychiatric comorbidities remains unclear. Additional uncertainty exists regarding its psychological risks, long duration of action, and long-term safety in therapeutic settings. Randomized, placebo-controlled studies in healthy participants demonstrate that mescaline produces dose-dependent subjective effects with moderate, transient autonomic stimulation and no serious medical complications under controlled conditions. Adverse effects are generally self-limited, and pooled safety analyses and observational data support an overall favorable safety profile in screened human populations. Mescaline shows preliminary safety in healthy humans but remains understudied in clinical populations. Controlled clinical trials are needed to establish its safety and therapeutic potential.