Ok Rachel,   here's PEYOTE   !!

Peyote is also called mescal button,  or mescaline.  It is derived from
various cactus species in the southwest.  The family name is Cactaceae, and
the scientific name is Lophophora williamsii.

Mescaline is the major hallucinogenic agent among at least 15 other active
B-phenylethylamine and isoquinoline alkaloids.  An average mescaline dose of
5 mg/kg produces psychic effects and visual hallucinations. Peyote buttons
are the round fleshy tops from the cactus which are sliced and dried.  Each
button contains approximately 45 mg of mescaline.

Mescaline is rapidly absorbed and produces a mild phase of GI distress,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea within 30-60 minutes followed by a phase of
sympathomimetic effects( dilated pupils,  mild tachycardia and hypertension,
and tremor).  Unusual ocular motion(nystagmus, ataxia, etc.) is common.  The
peak hallucinogenic phase occurs after about 4-6 hours postingestion,  and
is very similar to the hallucinogenic phase of LSD.  Emotional lability,
anxiety, and panic reaction may predispose the patient to self-inflicted
trauma or injury.   Symptoms usually resolve after about 12 hours.   It is
apparent that LSD and mescaline work on similar regions of the brain and
probably effect serotonin receptors in multiple regions of the brain.

As with LSD,  mescaline and this family do not generally give rise to
repetitive use over prolonged periods,  but do show rapid tolerance after as
little as 3 doses.  Acutely,  deaths associated with LSD and mescaline are
not directly attributed to the drug,  but rather the hallucinogenic effects
and self-induced trauma.

Evidence for significant psychological hazards in the use of these
psychedelic agents is clear, however.  Twenty four hour "bad trips"  are the
most common.   Flashbacks occur in 15% of patients,  and may occur for up to
several years after exposure.  In some patients, these psychedelics can
precipitate paranoid behavior, serious depressions, and after prolonged use,
schizophreniform psychotic states.  More importanly,  however,  certain
forms(MDMA, MDA) of these symphathomimetic hallucinogens can produce
permanent damage to selected nerves.   In fact,  several of this family are
now used to induce parkinsonism in experimental animals(by permanently
destroying nerve endings in the midbrain).

Now as to entry into human milk.  This family of drugs is very similar to
epinephrine,  low in molecular weight(300s), extremely lipid soluble,
orally bioavailable,  and rapidly penetrate the blood-brain barrier,  ALL
perfect examples of drugs that enter breastmilk and are ingested by the
infant.   Although there is nothing published as to entry into human milk,
I would guess that this family has a High milk plasma ratio,  probably much
greater than 3.0,  and would likely produce high enough levels in milk to
produce a hallucinogenic effect in the infant.   The infant would likely be
much more sensitive to these agents,  since infants have fewer fat
repositories  and reduced volume of distributions for most drugs(this means
they'll go to the infants brain,  rather than to other fatty sites).   I
can't image a worse family of drugs to expose a young brain to.

Most drug screens would probably not pick up exposure to mescaline, although
they would LSD.

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T.W. Hale, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Texas Tech University School of Medicine

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