Peyote Not Harmful to American Indians

[DoYouEverWonder]

November 4, 2005

BOSTON -- A study of the effects of peyote on American Indians found no evidence that the hallucinogenic cactus caused brain damage or psychological problems among people who used it frequently in religious ceremonies.

In fact, researchers from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital found that members of the Native American Church performed better on some psychological tests than other Navajos who did not regularly use peyote.

A 1994 federal law allows roughly 300,000 members of the Native American Church to use peyote as a religious sacrament. The five-year study set out to find scientific proof for the Navajos' belief that the substance, which contains the hallucinogen mescaline, is not hazardous to their health even when used frequently.

The study was conducted among Navajos in the Southwest by McLean psychiatrist John Halpern. It compared test results for 60 church members who have used peyote at least 100 times against those for 79 Navajos who do not regularly use peyote and 36 tribe members with a history of alcohol abuse but minimal peyote use.

Those who had abused alcohol fared worse on the tests than the church members, according to the study.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-peyote-american-indians,0,1329561.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

So marijuana does not increase the risk for cancer. Now they are finding that peyote is not harmful to American Indians. What next? Maybe they'll realize that some of this stuff is actually good for you?

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Compared to the millions sloshed right now, talking bold and loud..

we would have millions of introspective astronauts!

[Turley]

2. Weeeelllllllllll...........

Saw a guy stick a hunting knife up to the hilt in his thigh when he was tripping on peyote. We had to chase him for about half an hour beore we got him to the Doc. He wasn't very much fazed by the wound. I have no idea how he didn't bleed to death. Must have somehow missed the big arteries but God knows how.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Was he participating in an Indian ritual

or was he just some jerk abusing drugs?

[ErisFiveFingers]

5. Is there a "stab yourself in the leg* ritual?

I've never heard of one. Hooking and hanging over the sky, that's another thing.

[SpiralHawk]

9. The form used for tipi ceremonies -- peyote rituals

would never produce this result. This guy must have been partying with the peyote. A real stupid move.

Respect the plants, respect the power of their medicines.

[twaddler01]

41. the whole other reason other safe drugs are illegal

besides politics is that people are dumb and decide to abuse these wonderful allies.... :eyes:

[uncle ray]

22. does it matter?

anything that is legal for religous purposes should be legal for recreational as well. otherwise you are giving special rights to religous folks that nonthiests etc. cannot have.

[Dora]

32. Good call. n/t

[eowyn_of_rohan]

39. I wonder if anyone who has taken peyote or other organic

psychedelic remained nontheist after the experience

adding :dilemma:

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

54. yes

[eowyn_of_rohan]

58. Care to expand? n/t ;)

[Zhade]

60. I have. Every time.

I don't believe in gods.

There may be more out there, but the "revealed religions" are likely not it.

[jimshoes]

6. Reminds me of an experience

I had with tequilla once.

[Mnemosyne]

11. You mean tokillya?

Nasty stuff for me. Peyote is much more mellow when used properly, ah, er, if I ever would do such a thing.:evilgrin:

[jimshoes]

15. Ayup

That's it. :)

[Mnemosyne]

57. Oh my head back then! :) n/t

[LostinVA]

7. Peyote will not do that if you take it correctly, especially when used

in a religious ceremony. I'm 100% for drug legalization, but not for drug abuse.

I think it's a travesty that peyote is legally not allowed to be used in NA's religious ceremonies. It's no different than sacramental wine (which was allowed during Prohibition!).

[Bridget Burke]

10. Well, I knew quite a few who used peyote "incorrectly"

But they never did anything that stupid.

Sounds like a bad tequila trip to me. Or maybe Jimson Weed (Datura).

[TX-RAT]

14. 2 or 3 times a year, theres reports of kids going to the ER from this.

They make some kind of tea out of Jimson Weed. This stuff grows wild all over this area, i even have some in my flower garden. The aroma from these is incredible. If 1 flower is open you can smell it anywhere in the yard. Honey bees go after it in droves.

[Bridget Burke]

18. A friend of mine who had tried EVERYTHING!

Said that Jimson Weed was the worst thing she'd ever taken. She was not right for weeks.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

19. Jimson weed is not the same as peyote

Jimson is a member of the belladonna family, which also includes plants like deadly nightshade and banewort (used in witches brews!), that are poisonous. I don't think peyote is poisonous, if used in reasonable amounts.

[LifeDuringWartime]

21. datura is nasty

it can cause blindness

[yellowcanine]

30. Or kill ya. Or make you blind and then kill ya. Talk about a bad trip!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

25. Even if you are practicing your own "religion"

That is, using it for spiritual ends, and not as a party tool

[yellowcanine]

34. No doubt making recruitment of priests much easier.

[0rganism]

33. Isn't it obvious? The Peyote God protected his arteries.

Yet more proof that Peyote can be beneficial to one's health. Heck, maybe we could send a whole bunch to our troops in Iraq instead of body armor. They'd probably enjoy it a helluva lot more...

[leveymg]

38. I can't imagine tripping in the midst of a war.

Guess I'm not as spiritually pure as Lance, the California surfer, in Apocalypse Now. Just couldn't get into the death and suffering thing.

[ErisFiveFingers]

4. Good News

Peyote is like any other drug. Good at times, bad at times.

[MichaelHarris]

8. never was harmful to me either

mmmmmm peyote

[rodeodance]

12. This is the same argument Denver used (below).

....Those who had abused alcohol fared worse on the tests than the church members, according to the study.

[MadisonProgressive]

13. Brings back only good memories for me.

Is it possible to grow the Peyote cactus in your home?

[Runcible Spoon]

16. hmmm

I knew a guy who was growing it but he said the caps or whatever ya call em took like 8 years to mature.

[MadisonProgressive]

17. Darn. By then I'll need Fentanyl.

[yellowcanine]

31. Ooh, fentanyl. Now that is a fine experience. I had a colonoscopy and

I believe that is what they gave me. It was like a warm fuzzy dream.

[MadisonProgressive]

35. I had my first colonoscopy yesterday (50 years old)

The gave me fentanyl and versed. Don't remember a damn thing!

[yellowcanine]

36. You didn't see the Flying Spaghetti Monster and His Noodely appendage?

He appeared unto me and spake to me likewise.

[MadisonProgressive]

37. The TV screen was right there - I wanted to watch

but alas, the versed got me!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

45. Are you OK?

That stuff is BAD!! Hope you are feeling normal now...

[MadisonProgressive]

46. They told me I couldn't drive and I could return to work the next day.

I walked out of the hospital and felt almost normal. I could have driven myself right back to work - but I'm glad I had an excuse not to!

Thanks for asking!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

48. I can't believe how fast they kick you out of the hospital these days

sheesh. Glad you didnt have to go back to work anyway!

[MadisonProgressive]

51. It only take 20-30 minutes

The worst part of the whole thing is the 'cleansing' you need to do the night before. I think you can imagine...

[eowyn_of_rohan]

53. oh, I have been there and done that!

It's a blast! oops

[MadisonProgressive]

56. You DO know!! LOL

[twaddler01]

42. takes forever...

stick to Salvia, which is legal...just DON'T ABUSE IT!

[MadisonProgressive]

47. What is Salvia - I've never heard of it.

[twaddler01]

49. look it up...

it is a short experience, but I like it...a good start is www.sagewisdom.org/faq.html

[leesa]

20. Duh.

[RobinA]

23. Smells Like

a trip to the Supreme Court, since this pretty much kicks the crap out of the whole "public safety" basis on which Scalia's opinion illegalizing the stuff is based.

Can't remember the name of the case, but it's interesting reading for anyone who ever heard reference to Scalia as a "brilliant jurist." The thinking displayed in the opinion is about as conventional as thinking gets.

[davekriss]

24. Brings back wonderful memories for me!

...ahhh, my blue 1969 Camaro 327 convertible, Dark Star blasting out of the 8-track, my mirrored sunglasses hiding my dialated pupils, my long hair in a pony-tail down to the small of my back, the scene at the library field (where we all gathered)...

Those were the days, sweet days!

Let me tell a (ahem) fictional story. I used to boil down peyote according to a recipe found in High Times magazine (does that still exist). The end result were little tar-ball cookies that weren't as harsh as eating the whole buttons. After eating more than my share, I recall going to a J Giels concert (is that how it's spelled? -- not my favorite back then, but it was free). We had first row seats in a hocky arena with floor seats and open space in front of us. On stage there was an "old man" walking around between the musicians, kind of horsing around. I especially noticed him because his face was very white and his sparse hair stood out strait from his head. He looked like he might be wearing a very well done Halloween mask, but I couldn't really tell because the stage was too far away to see clearly. Then he disappeared.

After a little while, he appeared again, right in front of me, Now I could tell he wasn't wearing an "old man" mask but was indeed a very old man, though he seemed to be vigorous and spritely in body. Deep wrinkles, wizened eyes, he was smoking a joint. He offered me a toke but I laughlingly said no and he smiled and walked away.

None of my friends saw him. For years, I tested them, thinking they were teasing me, but no they really didn't see him although he stood out to me for his unique looks and he stood right in front of us for awhile.

My understanding is that American Indians encounter the Spirit of the Cactus often when taking peyote. Was this my own visitation by this wise and friendly Spirit?

Ahh, just let me slide the Allman Brothers' Mountain Jam into the 8-track (or, hey, something by 13th Floor Elevators! Anyone from the NYC area remember Psychomimetic Radio or, the program that followed (at 3am), the political montage hour with Bud Struggle on WBAI? Those truly were heady days for me!! I miss them.)

(I've got many stories, wilder than this, from those crazy days of my youth.)

[RobinA]

26. You Have Me Thinking

about that Kansas concert in the Student Union, 1975 or 76, a wonderful, mellow high on Thai stick. Never even liked Kansas before or since, but that was great. Those WERE the days, I wish I had appreciated them more then.

[librechik]

27. the nice Taos ladies who watched the fire at the Hondo sweatlodge

gave me a weak peyote tea to drink every day while I was pregnant. That was their tradition, and I followed it as long as I lived with them.

I never felt anything too weird from that blend, but sometimes I wonder about my daughter...

Nah, she's FINE!!! The stuff is harmless, apparently.

You'd have to be a fool to party with it, though. I know, I'm a fool!
The phrase "puking your guts out" is only the beginning of the wonderful, entertaining effects of peyote...

But I prefer to take it in the ritual context with the drums and the chanting. Awesome. You have to remember that Peyote is a God. And God is always more powerful than you, and knows what you need--even if it is a kick in the pants.

[BeHereNow]

28. Do I know you Davekiss?

I think maybe so!
We share the same memories...

I know what you are talking about by the way-
as far as visitors.
I still have them, and it's nearly thirty years later.
Most of them are animals these days, but the occasional
"person" shows up now and then.
BHN

[davekriss]

59. "Do I know you Davekiss?"

Well, if you used to play a Gibson SG and your younger brother became a cameraman after finishing NYU film school, then indeed you know me -- you were with me at the aforementioned concert. So I ask, did you not also see that playful Old Man at the concert? You can tell me now, it's been almost 30 years...!







;)
I tease, I know you didn't mean literally know me!

[pfitz59]

40. A visit to world's tallest tree grove....

Redwood National Park Spring 1981. Much better than an indoors concert. Was swarmed by thousands of baby spiders flying on silken parachutes! Wow! (Never saw the Cactus Spirit, but did see a herd of Elk!) Done correctly hallucinogens can be a righteous experience...

[yellowcanine]

29. How about shrooms? Are they ok also? Let the good times roll!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

43. Whatever nature has provided is ok

:hi:

[twaddler01]

44. Agreed

We should be able to make our own decisions :eyes:

[sarcasmo]

50. Cherokee Indian here who has kicked and Nominated this story.

What we have known for years.

[Megahurtz]

52. Peyote...heh heh heh....

Cool! :thumbsup:

[kohodog]

55. Bush and Cheney should try it.

Or maybe a couple of hits of Owsley's.

Might make the world a better place.