A reference guide to Lophophora conservation
Image by Jonathan Carmichael
Lophophora williamsii, also known as Peyote, is under threat in the wild. A number of factors contribute to this threat, with land clearing being responsible for the decimation of vast amounts of of L. williamsii habitat.
Our present ‘psychedelic renaissance’ places additional pressure on Peyote. These special cacti are being harvested from the wild at an unsustainable rate.
Drug communication scientist and cacti expert Dr Liam Engel, alongside the EGA team, has put together an innovative guide describing L. williamsii, the threats L. williamsii currently faces and how the ethnobotanical community can take protective action. The guide also provides species descriptions, history, pharmacology and other safety and legal issues around these plants. It features many beautiful photographs by the ethnobotanical community including contributions from Keeper Trout, Martin Terry, Jonathan Carmichael and Andrew Oliver.
If you grow Peyote, are curious about cultural uses of these plants or the area of psychedelic conservation, this guide can shed light on the ethical complexities of a relationship with this threatened species.
Liam is also responsible for this video on San Pedro. Some have asserted that San Pedro is an important, alternative source of mescaline that can be used to protect Peyote.
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