mescaline

[ mes-kuh-leen, -lin ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a white, water-soluble, crystalline powder, C 1 1 H 1 7 NO 3 , obtained from mescal buttons, that produces hallucinations.

mescaline

/ -lɪn; ˈmɛskəˌliːn /

noun

1. a hallucinogenic drug derived from mescal buttons. Formula: C 11 H 17 NO 3

Word History and Origins

Origin of mescaline¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; mescal + -ine ²

Example Sentences

Rather than LSD, the drug was mescaline, a psychedelic compound made by certain cacti.

From Science News

Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann synthesized LSD in 1938, and Aldous Huxley popularized his experience on mescaline, a psychedelic compound made by certain cacti, in his 1954 book The Doors of Perception.

From Science News

“This Is Your Mind on Plants,” by Michael PollanThe world-famous omnivore goes deep on three drugs — opium, caffeine and mescaline — tying scientific and historical explorations to gripping personal dramas.

From Washington Post

Instead of peyote he experiments with a synthesized form of mescaline and with a different variety of cactus, the San Pedro, that he grows in his garden.

From Washington Post

Early tests combining LSD, mescaline, or psilocybin with talk therapy delivered promising results.

From Popular-Science

Notwithstanding his own loftier goals, it is questionable whether mescaline and LSD gave Huxley the enlightenment he craved.

From The Daily Beast

He collected about 30 reports on undergraduate mescaline trips.

From The Daily Beast

It is common to have a bad psychological reaction to LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin.

From Project Gutenberg

Lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin cause illusions and hallucinations.

From Project Gutenberg