Cactus dreams: Revealing the secrets of mescaline making

Mescaline, a natural hallucinogen known since ancient times, was not only a favorite of artists and bohemians but also a mainstay of brain research throughout the first half of the 20th century, until it was eclipsed in the 1950s by the much more potent, synthetic LSD. Now, with the resurgence of interest in psychedelics as potential therapies for psychiatric disorders, mescaline research is again raising hope for treatment.