If at any point in your spiritual-psychadelic quest you read "The Teachings of Don Juan" by Carlos Castaneda, you've probably wondered what taking the peyote is actually like. The catcus bears small buds that when consumed can basically create bridges to the unseen planes of the universe. Seriously.
So-called "drug tourists" flock to the regions of Mexico where peyote grows to take it recreationally, but the Huichol people use it for actually necessary purposes: in their medical practices, in their religion, and "to communicate with their gods," as Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports in this NPR piece from Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi. She says that the popularity of peyote among tourists is threatening the plant's survival, so the Huichol are asking the Mexican government to project it.
"If peyote disappears, then their whole culture disappears," a government official said. Link.