Mescaline Mexico. Europeans noted use of peyote in Native American religious ceremonies upon early contact, notably by the Huichols in Mexico. Other mescaline-containing cacti such as the San Pedro have a long history of use in South America, from Peru to Ecuador. In traditional peyote preparations, the top of the cactus is cut off, leaving the large tap root along with a ring of green photosynthesizing area to grow new heads. These heads are then dried to make disc-shaped buttons. Buttons are chewed to produce the effects or soaked in water to drink. However, the taste of the cactus is bitter,
4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione 4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione 4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD) is an organic compound that occurs naturally but exists as several related structures. The idealized formula for this species is CHC(O)C(O)CH(OH)CHOH, but it is known to exist as several other forms resulting from cyclization. It is not stable at room temperature as a pure material, which has further complicated its analysis. The ("S")-stereoisomer occurs naturally. It is typically hydrated, i.e., one keto group has added water to give the geminal diol. DPD is produced by degradation of "S"-adenosylhomocysteine by the action of the enzyme "S"-ribosylhomocysteinase. The compound probably does not exist as depicted above, but as an