Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a psychoactive cactus central to religious beliefs, healing practices, and transformative experiences among Indigenous peoples of Mexico and North America. The Wixárika (Huichol) have the longest known continuous use, while the Native American Church's practices in the US and parts of Canada developed more recently. This article reviews peyote's botany, chemistry, medicinal qualities, ecology, archaeology, history, and religious practices, presenting Indigenous knowledge, rituals, and adaptation to change. It concludes by discussing the alarming scarcity of peyote and conservation efforts to protect the plant's future.
A Culture's Catalyst recounts the little-known history of the peyote religion of the Native American Church in Canada and the involvement of a group of 1950s Saskatchewan researchers who studied psychedelic substances like LSD and mescaline for treating drug addiction and schizophrenia. The book originated from an unpublished 1963 manuscript discovered by historian Erika Dyck, detailing how psychiatrists Abram Hoffer and Humphrey Osmond and psychologists Duncan Blewett and Teddy Weckowicz observed an all-night peyote ceremony in 1956. Editor Fannie Kahan provides historical context on First Nations peoples' struggles and critiques government and missionary policies. The authors recognized peyote's role in providing unification, dignity, and cultural identity for Indigenous members and advocated for religious rights. Some passages reflect a naïve romanticism and paternalistic attitudes of the era.