Comparing Psilocybin & Mescaline: What’s the Difference?

In the current psychedelic climate, psilocybin (the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms and truffles) has the main character energy. Used the most in studies, inspiring the most campaigns for legalisation, the most popular substance to microdose — it’s outstripped even 1960’s icon LSD! But did you know there was another natural psychedelic (long used by indigenous populations) that caused a stir in the Western world before magic mushrooms?

Yep, today we are talking about mescaline. Like psilocybin, mescaline is the isolated psychoactive compound of a naturally occurring organism. In this case, it is the peyote or San Pedro cacti rather than a mushroom from which this hyper trippy drug derives. 

If you have even a little bit of knowledge about psychedelics, both magic mushrooms and peyote may be familiar to you. The former full of psilocybin, the later chock full of mescaline. But how do these two substances compare? How are they similar, and how are they different? And what is it about them that makes scientists and recreational users alike keep coming back for more?

Understanding Mescaline And Psilocybin

First things first. In order to understand the relationship between these two substances, it’s good to learn the key term for them — “entheogen.” While it may sound rather mysterious, it simply refers to a naturally occurring psychedelic that is used in religious or spiritual contexts. In the case of psilocybin and mescaline, each has historically played a vital role in various spiritual ceremonies across the world. 

The History of Psilocybin

One of the earliest and most documented uses of psychedelic mushrooms can be traced back to Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The Aztecs called these mushrooms  “teonanácatl,” which translates to “flesh of the gods”. They were fundamental to their religious rituals and ceremonies, believing that they facilitated communication with the spirit world.  As well as the Aztecs, other indigenous tribes in Central and South America have used psychedelic mushrooms for centuries. The Mazatec people of Oaxaca, Mexico are particularly known for this. Maria Sabina, a Mazatec curandera (healer) played an integral role in the introduction of magic mushrooms to the Western world in the 1950s. 

Furthermore, it has been proposed that psilocybin use may have shaped human consciousness at its earliest stage of development — the ancient hominid species that existed over two million years ago. Psychonaut icon Terence McKenna hypothesizes that early human’s consumption of psilocybin mushrooms could have been the catalyst for the expansion of our primitive minds, facilitating the evolution of consciousness, culture, language, and self-reflection. This is dubbed “Stoned-Ape Theory“.

In the last few decades psilocybin has undergone a considerable renaissance regarding research into its therapeutic applications, with many clinical trials and studies underway. 

The History of Mescaline

Now on to mescaline, which has been used for over 5,000 (!) years by Native Americans for ceremonial purposes. Like psilocybin, it was also used by Aztecs, who made peyote preparations for religious ceremonies. It was thought to help warriors in battle, removing their inhibitions and helping them to channel the powerful spirits of their ancestors. 

The ceremonies of the Native Americans brought peyote to the attention of Western science, and in 1897 its psychoactive compound was isolated and christened “mescaline”. It also became popular with those looking for a spiritual experience. This crowd of psychedelic thrill seekers included occultist Aleister Crowley, the President of the Mormon Church, Frederick Smith, and later Aldous Huxley and Hunter S. Thompson. 

In this ‘60s mescaline took a back seat to LSD, and has become in many ways, the forgotten psychedelic (except, of course, by those who still use it ceremonially, such as The Native American Church). Today there is a small, though growing, body of research exploring the therapeutic effects of mescaline on the mind and body. However, given that it is more stringently controlled than even psilocybin, the availability is limited. 

Comparing Mescaline And Psilocybin

Consuming Psilocybin: 

When you have a handful of magic mushrooms or truffles, a trip is just a chew away. It’s as simple as. However, for some this can cause nausea or just plain ick if you don’t enjoy the nutty, slightly bitter taste. To combat this you can brew them in a tea or add lemon juice (AKA lemon tek) to make them go down just that bit easier. 

Consuming Mescaline: 

Traditional preparations of peyote cactus are a bit more time-consuming than that of magic mushrooms. Generally, the cactus’ heads are cut away and left to dry. Then you can either submerge the little dried buttons in water and drink the brew, or chew on them as they are. Luckily, drying the cactus removes some of the vile taste that many people cannot stomach. Mescaline consumption can sometimes result in bouts of nausea and vomiting, known as ‘the purge’. In some spiritual rituals this is seen as the bad energy and evil spirits leaving your body. 

What is the Trip Like?

Despite their physical differences, both of these entheogens interact with the serotonin receptors in the brain, resulting in surprisingly similar effects. 

What is a Psilocybin Trip Like?

Common effects of psilocybin include:

• Euphoria
• Enhanced emotions
• Visual hallucinations (including after images, colour shifting, and geometric patterns with closed and/or open eyes))
• Existential self-realisation and insight
• Ego death (more common in high doses)
• A sense of peace and one-ness with the universe
• Time distortion
• Mindfulness

What is a Mescaline Trip Like?

Common effects of mescaline include:

• Euphoria
• Time distortion
• Ego death (more common in high doses)
• Perceptual changes
• Visual hallucinations (including after images, colour shifting, and geometric patterns)
• Moments of insight and realisation
• Appetite suppression

While there is considerable overlap in the effects of the two substances, individual users will often have slightly different experiences. Some people say that the visual hallucinations of mescaline are more intense, describing them as brighter and more angular. In contrast, shroom-heads tend to experience more organic looking, softer hallucinations. 

The Potential Risks

Fascinatingly, our super cool bodies have an innate defence against both compounds, self regulating the activation of the brain’s serotonin receptors. As a result it’s basically impossible to lethally overdose on psilocybin or mescaline. Additionally, repeated consumption over a short period of time has diminishing returns — i.e. tolerance builds up resulting in weakening effects. 

However, there is always the potential for adverse effects when it comes to dealing with substances such as these, particularly if mixed with other drugs, taken at too-high doses, or without consideration for set and setting. 

These can include:

• Confusion 
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Nausea/vomiting
• Panic attacks

Psilocybin Vs. Mescaline? 

Psilocybin and mescaline are both transformative, special substances, which although from different sources, are remarkably kindred. Both have a history of ancient and mysterious ceremonial use. Both have inspired great minds to be even greater. They will both induce a world-bending trip that could change your life— though the character of the trip itself varies between substances. While they both have therapeutic potential, it is certainly psilocybin that is out in front when it comes to research and results. 

Whichever substance you wish to experience is up to you, just be sure to be careful, be prepared, and respect the entheogen.