Trichocereine


Trichocereine, or trichocerine, also known as N,N''-dimethyl-3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine or as N,N''-dimethylmescaline, is a phenethylamine alkaloid that is found in several cacti and other plant species and is closely related to the psychedelic drug mescaline.

Use and effects

In contrast to mescaline, trichocereine has been found to lack psychoactive effects in humans even at large doses. F. P. Ludueña assessed trichocereine hydrochloride in the mid-1930s and found that it produced no effects, with the exception of slight gastric heaviness, at doses of up 9mg/kg orally and up to 550mg parenterally. Vojtĕchovský and Krus assessed trichocereine in the 1960s at doses of up to 800mg and found that they were weaker than those of 400mg mescaline. They also tried 400mg sublingually and reported that it produced moderate psychedelic effects with a one-hour onset and a "proportionally shorter" duration than mescaline or a duration of one hour. Per Alexander Shulgin however, these psychoactive effects were ill-defined and it was felt that they might have been attributable to anxiety.
Shulgin has noted that Trichocereus terscheckii, which contains trichocereine as its major constituent, is commonly consumed in large amounts by humans and animals as a water source without obvious consequences. It has been noted that N-methylation of psychedelic phenethylamines, for instance Beatrice, has invariably eliminated their hallucinogenic activity.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Trichocereine showed no activity in the conditioned avoidance test in rodents. It has been reported to substitute for mescaline in rodent drug discrimination tests. Trichocereine at a dose of 50mg/kg intraperitoneally produced full substitution for mescaline in these tests, whereas it only transiently substituted for mescaline when given intracerebroventricularly. It produces convulsions in cats and causes marked excitation similar to that induced by amphetamine in rodents.

Chemistry

Synthesis

The chemical synthesis of trichocereine has been described.

Natural occurrence

Trichocereine was first reported in the Trichocereus terscheckii cactus in 1935 and was subsequently isolated from Gymnocalycium spp. and Turbinicarpus spp. cacti. Additionally, it has been found in the shrubs Acacia berlandieri and Acacia rigidula. The compound is the major alkaloid present in Trichocereus terscheckii. It has never been reported in peyote.

History

Trichocereine was first described in the scientific literature by F. P. Ludueña by 1935.

Society and culture

Legal status

Canada

Trichocereine is not a controlled substance in Canada as of 2025.

United States

Trichocereine is not an explicitly controlled substance in the United States. However, it could be considered a controlled substance under the Federal Analogue Act if intended for human consumption.