Peyote, a.k.a. Lophophora williamsii (loʊˈfɒfərə wɪlˈjæmsiaɪ), better known by its common name Peyote (from the Nahuatl word peyotl), is a small, spineless cactus native to the American southwest and throughout Mexico. Well known for its psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline, it is used world wide as an entheogen and supplement to various religious practices including meditation, psychonautics, and psychedelic psychotherapy. Peyote has a long history of ritualistic and medicinal use by indigenous Americans.