Indians of North America -- Religion; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Peyotism
_Circulation_: in the frog a marked effect on heart-beat:
diminished rapidity, but increased duration; in the dog a
small dose causes a slight rise in pressure, stronger doses
considerable depression on the heart and vasodilation; in the
cat mescaline causes initial lower pressure, slowly rising, and
with a larger dose a greater initial fall, more marked slowing
in beat, with variable promptness in recovery. In man .05 gr.
of lophophorine causes marked slowing of beat but a rise in
pressure and force. An ordinary dose of four “buttons” produces
a 15-25% fall in the number of beats, with a slow recovery from
a sharp drop unless more are eaten. But death in guinea pigs
and frogs comes through paralysis of respiration, not of the
heart, since in Wiley’s experiments it would beat 15-20 minutes
after the death of the animal. “All this evidence points to the
conclusion that the main effect of these alkaloids is a direct
one on cardiac muscle ... [since] very large doses, quite
non-therapeutic in amount, are ... required before the colour
visions ... are observed.”
_Salivation_: increased in the cat, whether administered by
mouth or subcutaneously; the alkaloids are secreted in the
saliva (one cc. of cat saliva produces the same symptoms in a
frog); in man salivation is somewhat increased.
_Digestive system_: in small doses pan-peyotl is constipating,
according to some. In the cat large doses produce diarrhea and
blood in the feces. In man and the quadrupeds all sensations
of hunger are suppressed or absent during the period of
intoxication, but the appetite returns somewhat increased after
recovery; on first injection or ingestion there is a marked
nausea and feeling of fullness in the stomach which passes off,
without, however, hunger arising.
_Blood, secretions, etc._: no increase in the coagulability of
the blood; pancreatic and biliary secretions unaffected.
_Kidneys_: peyote alkaloids chiefly excreted by the kidneys;
experiments show increased renal blood supply, and pan-peyotl
is markedly diuretic.
_Eyes_: in the later stages of intoxication the pupils are
widely dilated, accompanied by lack of accommodation and
consequent photophobia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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