This week, Nature Notes explores peyote, a cactus with a rich cultural history. For certain Native American tribes, peyote holds a special significance as a sacrament. Peyote tastes incredibly bitter due to its mescaline content, and its effects -- when ingested -- resemble those of LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.
Peyote
![peyote](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c5fb7a6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/640x429+0+0/resize/880x590!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F01%2FPeyote.jpg)