Most commercial topical products claiming to contain peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) do not actually contain the cactus. Chemical analysis using mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography found that less than 5% of tested products contained mescaline, a stable alkaloid that indicates the presence of peyote. The absence of mescaline in the vast majority of samples suggests consumers are being defrauded if they believe they are buying peyote-based medicines. It also indicates that wild peyote populations, though heavily harvested elsewhere, are rarely used in these topical products.
Mescaline concentration in peyote cactus crown tissue does not correlate with crown diameter or rib number, despite the hypothesis of a positive relationship. Crown tissue from 30 wild-collected and 9 greenhouse-grown specimens was analyzed using liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Statistical tests (Pearson’s chi-squared) found no significant correlation between mescaline concentration and rib number (field: p=0.392; greenhouse: p=0.313) or between mescaline concentration and crown diameter (field: p=0.251; greenhouse: p=0.229). The findings contribute to conservation of this vulnerable species and preservation of Native American culture.