Speaker: Dr Liam Engel, themescalinegarden.com
About: Psychedelic cacti can seem like a whole universe of alien plants. While there are many species and cultivars that are prized by collectors, understanding which cacti contain mescaline (the primary psychedelic compound in cacti) and their other desirable features can help decode the many different faces of cacti on an enthusiasts plant bench.
This introduction to San Pedro and Peyote gives a crash course in the complexity of psychedelic cacti, highlighting botanical, chemical, historical and cultural perspectives. It also precedes the “You get a cactus, you get a cactus! Everybody gets a cactus!” psychedelic cactus auction and will equip audience members to better understand the ensuing cactus madness.
Bio: Dr Liam Engel is an ethnobotanist, chemist and science communicator specialising in psychoactive plants. Liam has recently published ‘Psychoactive Plants & Fungi’ and is an expert in mescaline-containing Trichocereus and tryptamine-containing Acacia. Liam’s work spans chemistry, pharmacology, botany and social science, and is underpinned by advocacy for drug law reform. Liam conducts natural products chemistry at the NICM Health Research Institute, WSU, is co-founder of The Mescaline Garden research nursery and contributor to the Pill Testing Australia drug checking group.
