Lophophora williamsii 烏羽玉

POISONOUS PARTS

Crown (round fleshy stem; also known as button).^1,3

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents　

  Mescaline.^2,4,5

• Toxic Dose

  6 peyote buttons can induce hallucination.^1,6

• Mechanism　

  Mescaline is a 5-HT² receptor agonist, leading to hallucination.^5,7

• Poisoning Features 　

  Hallucination, agitation, tachycardia, mydriasis, hypertension and vomiting.⁸

• Poisoning Events 　

  Multiple cases of L. williamsii poisoning have been reported in the United States and Mexico. Most poisoning occurred after ingestion of the plant or its decoction for the hallucination effect. Treatment was required in the majority of cases.^4,8

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Sedation and supportive treatment.⁸

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Perennial succulent plants. Stems flat or dome like, strongly depressed in the middle; vertical ribs up to 2.5 cm wide; areoles unarmed, with tufted woolly. Roots 6–12 cm long, broadly carrot-shaped, fleshy. Flowers white or pink; tepals midstripes darker, apex mucronate or attenuate. Styles 0.5–1.4 cm long.⁹

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Mescaline can be detected by HPLC-DAD, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS.¹⁰