Medical Term:
mescaline
Pronunciation: mes′kă-līn
Definition: The most active alkaloid present in the buttons of the mescal cactus, Lophophora williamsii. Mescaline produces psychotomimetic effects similar to those produced by LSD: alteration in mood, changes in perception, reveries, visual hallucinations, delusions, depersonalization, mydriasis, hippus, and increases in body temperature and blood pressure; psychic dependence, tolerance, and cross-tolerance to LSD and psilocybin develop; the principal component of peyote; 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylethylamine.
