BREVE RESEA DEL USO DE LOS ALUCINOGENOS EN MEXICO Y EL MUNDO SU POSIBLE APLICACIN EN LA ACTUALIDAD PARA EL TRATAMIENTO DE NUMEROSOS ESTADOS

EMOCIONALES DE INFELICIDAD E INSATISFACCION LA MENTE COMO FUENTE DE ENERGIA CREADORA EL ORIGEN DEL PENSAMIENTO EVOLUCION Y DESARROLLO INTELECTUAL ORGANIZACN Y DESARROLLO SOCIAL ELIMINACION DE PROBLEMAS ACTUALES PRODUCIDOS POR EL CONSUMISMO Y EL ENVENENAMIENTO MASIVO DE LA CONCIENCIA DESARROLLO DE UNA COLECTIVIDAD MUNDIAL PRACTICIDAD DE LAS IDEAS, SUSENTABILIDAD DE LAS MISMAS VALORACION DE LOS RECURSOS NATURALES EXISTENTES, SU PRESERVACION Y MEJORAMIENTO AUMENTO EN EL NIVEL DE CONOCIMIENTO GLOBAL RECONOCIMIENTO Y RESPETO POR LA HISTORIA DE NUESTROS PUEBLOS Y NUESTROS ANTEPASADOS ACTIVACION DE LA GLANDULA PINEAL ( TERCER OJO) Y EL ENALTECIMIENTO DEL ESPIRITU Y LA CONCIENCIA. MEJORAMIENTO DE LA CALIDAD DE VIDA, PERSONAL, COLECTIVO, UNIVERSAL

OCTAVIO RETTIG HONOJOSA. EXPOSITOR.

HERMOSILLO, SONORA, MEXICO.

SEPTIEMBRE 22, 2011

INTRODUCCION Dadas la necesidad y la oportunidad, y naciendo de una profunda devocion por la estabilidad y el control de la situacin. Tras una busqueda constante del conocimiento que me llevase a la tranquilidad y a un acercamiento a vivir el amor infinito de dios, sentirlo y reconocerlo. Agradeciendo siempre a mi madre mujer, a mi madre planetaria y a mi padre celestial. Comienzo por proponer un uso prctico y realista de un recurso natural nico en el mundo, existente nicamente en el estado de sonora. Me refiero a la secrecin de las glndulas del sapo Bufo alvarius, que contienen grandes concentraciones de sustancias quimicas que funcionan como neurotransmisoras, ente ellas 5-meo-dmt , bufotenina y dimetiltriptamina. En el vasto univeso en el que nos encontramos, con tanto tiempo y espacio, el existir es un regalo hermoso y maravilloso, la vida como tal es un milagro y un misterio, nadie sabe con exactitud los procesos que nos anteceden, dsde el desarrollo de organismos simples hasta los ms complejos como los humanos. Entre ellos hay millones de aos transcurridos, llenos de cambios y desarrollo. De perfeccinamiento y estilizacin. En los ltimos aos el aceleramiento de los sistemas de transporte y comunicacin han hecho dsde la revolucion industrial hasta la intelectual y social que se vive en nuestros tiempos un crecimiento desordenado la humanidad de las ciudades y el aumento de las expectativas de vida nos lleva a una superpoblacin jams imaginada. La contaminacin y deterioro del medio ambiente es una preocupacin que urge de atencin y remedio. Durante la historia de la evolucin de todos los seres vivos en la Tierra, de nuestra especie, existe una relacin muy estrecha entre los seres que coexisten, plantas y animales compartiendo los recursos y disfrutando del tiempo y el lugar. Un balance perfecto que el hombre en su bsqueda do control y total falta de respeto hacia Dios, hacia l mismo y hacia toda la creacin ha roto y ahora difcilmente alguien tiene la capacidad de remediar.

El desarrollo de la conciencia y el pensamiento por lo tanto tienen un origen ciento por ciento terrestre, orgnico, y natural. Las fuentes de las molculas qumicas que nos hacen primates que parlan se encuentran distribuidas en la naturaleza en diversas fuentes. Estas plantas y animales, sus mezclas y usos, han sido la fuente de alimento, refugio, medicina, recreacin y cosmovisin de las culturas que se desarrollarn en los diferentes lugares, a travs del tiempo.

Por otra parte el uso y abuso de toxicos y qumicos se relacinan con el desarrollo de enfermedades y padecimientos que son un problema de salud mundial actual.

La posibilidad real de que nuestro futuro y el de nuestros hijos y nietos no sea del nada prometedor. La toma de consciencia de que existen muchas formas mejores de hacer las cosas, y que la realidad cotidiana de la mayora de las personas de este planeta no es para nada lo que esperaban ni lo que quieren para si mismos y los suyos. Y ni hablar de las culturas humanas y especies animales extintas y la pobreza e ignorancia. La desigualdad y la discriminacin. El odio y la violencia. La muerte, el dolor y la destruccin. Por otro lado tenemos, la luz, el amor, la creacin, la vida y la enseanza. El continuo aprendizaje, el crecimiento interior y el cuidado de la materia y su relacin con la fsica. Mente, cuerpo y espritu hechos uno. Para la disolucin total del ego, la fragmentacin de la personalidad y la reestructuracin completa del ser se requieren de herramientas y procesos que llevan desde la privacin de sueo, agua y alimentos, hasta la flagelacin del cuerpo y le experimentacin de estados de sumo dolor y sufrimiento fsico, estados de conciencia alterada inducidos por sustancias qumicas o experiencias cercanas a la muerte. En todas las grandes civilizaciones antiguas del mundo en la antigedad y tambin en algunas sociedades modernas y tradicionalistas el uso de estimulantes de la mente y que alteran la percepcin del mundo exterior y del propio ser es una forma de encontrar respuestas a los estados de animo producidos por los sucesos de la vida misma, y pueden ser tambin una forma de expresin, de exploracin y de una mayor comprensin de la persona y del medio ambiente que la rodea.

Bufo
Bufo es el nombre de un gran gnero de anfibios anuros que incluye ms de 250 especies de sapos, perteneciente a la familia Bufonidae. La especie ms conocida del gnero, y posiblemente de la que existen ms ejemplares, es el Bufo bufo, tambin llamado sapo comn.

Descripcin
El gnero Bufo es enormemente cosmopolita, ya que sus especies son capaces de vivir bajo condiciones muy adversas. Sin embargo, no se encuentran especies del gnero en las regiones rticas, Australia con la excepcin del sapo de caa (Bufo marinus) que fue introducido, Nueva Guinea y las islas cercanas. Las especies de este gnero tienen en comn una forma achaparrada ypatas cortas, lo que los hace unos malos saltadores. Al igual que todos los miembros de la familia Bufonidae, carecen de cola y dientes, y tienen pupilas horizontales. Su piel es gruesa, seca y verrugosa. Detrs de sus ojos, las especies del gnero Bufo tienen unas estructuras parecidas a una verruga, que son las glndulas parotoides. Estas glndulas distinguen a los sapos verdaderos de todos los dems anfibios sin cola. Segregan una sustancia blanca, grasosa y venenosa que acta como elemento disuasorio ante los predadores. El manejo ordinario de los sapos no es peligroso (y, contra una creencia popular, no origina la aparicin de verrugas). El veneno de la mayora, si no es que de todos los sapos, contiene bufotoxina; el veneno del sapo del desierto de Sonora, Bufo alvarius, es un potentealucingeno que contiene 5-MeO-DMT y bufotenina. Se dice que los efectos psicoactivos del veneno ya eran conocidos por los nativos americanos precolombinos. Los sapos pueden inflar su cuerpo cuando se sienten amenazados. Los machos son usualmente ms chicos que las hembras. Los sapos macho tambin poseen el rgano de Bidder, un ovario incompleto, y por lo general una garganta ms oscura que la de las hembras. Dos especies pueden ser encontradas en las Islas Britnicas: el sapo comn (Bufo bufo) y el sapo corredor (Bufo calamita). Al primero se le puede encontrar prcticamente en cualquier parte. El corredor llamado as porque sus miembros son tan cortos que el sapo nunca salta, sino que se desplaza corriendo difiere en sus miembros que tienen los dedos casi libres y en sus verrugas rojinaranjas, ojos verdes y una lnea de color amarillo plido a lo largo de la mitad de su espalda. Es nativo de Inglaterra, el suroeste de Escocia y el oeste de Irlanda. El sapo sobresale por el fuerte croar de los machos, producido por una larga vejiga bucal en la garganta que, cuando se infla, se vuelve ms grande que su cabeza.

Propiedades psicoactivas
Existen muchas especies de sapos que producen venenos con propiedades psicoactivas. El veneno de una especie, Bufo alvarius, contiene tanto 5-MeO-DMT como bufotenina, mientras que muchos otros slo contienen bufotenina. La psicoactividad del 5-MeO-DMT est claramente establecida y ms informacin que est saliendo a la luz sugiere que la bufotenina es igualmente psicoactiva (tanto fumada como ingerida) aunque algo menos potente. Mientras que la piel seca de los sapos es vendida por algunos traficantes, es un mtodo innecesario y poco beneficioso ya que el veneno del sapo se puede recolectar sin hacer dao al animal.

Accidentes por ingestin de bufotoxina

Los accidentes provocados por la ingestin de bufotoxina, sustancia que se encuetra en las glndulas parotoides de los sapos, pueden causar problemas serios en perros y gatos. Los sntomas, que aparecen pocos minutos despus de ingerir el veneno (que normalmente se ingiere al comerse al animal) son irritacin, seguida de hipersensibilidad. La exposicin a la toxina de estos sapos puede provocar anormalidades cardiacas. Otros sntomas son comezn, depresin, debilidad, derrumbamiento pulmonar, paro cardiaco y convulsiones. Puede presentarse tambin mareo, diarrea y vomitos. Los sntomas cardiovasculares pueden causar la muerte del animal que ingiera la toxina, si no se le proporciona el tratamiento adecuado.1 2 3

Especies
Esta es la lista de todas las especies conocidas clasificadas dentro del gnero Bufo.

Bufo aspinius (Rao and Yang, 1994). Bufo bankorensis Barbour, 1908. Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758). Bufo eichwaldi Litvinchuk, Borkin, Skorinov, and Rosanov, 2008. Bufo gargarizans Cantor, 1842. Bufo japonicus Temminck and Schlegel, 1838. Bufo kabischi Herrmann and Khnel, 1997. Bufo mauritanicus Schlegel, 1841. Bufo minshanicus Stejneger, 1926. Bufo tibetanus Zarevskij, 1926. Bufo torrenticola Matsui, 1976. Bufo tuberculatus Zarevskij, 1926. Bufo verrucosissimus (Pallas, 1814). Bufo wolongensis Herrmann and Khnel, 1997.

 Especies 'Incertae sedis' Bufo ailaoanus Kou, 1984 Bufo arabicus Heyden, 1827 Bufo atukoralei Bogert & Senanayake, 1966 Bufo beddomii Gnther, 1876 Bufo brevirostris Rao, 1937 Bufo cryptotympanicus Liu & Hu, 1962 Bufo dhufarensis Parker, 1931 similar a 'Bufo scorteccii' Bufo dodsoni Boulenger, 1895 Bufo hololius Gnther, 1876 Bufo kotagamai Fernando & Dayawansa, 1994 Bufo koynayensis Soman, 1963 Bufo mauritanicus Schlegel, 1841 Bufo olivaceus Blanford, 1874 Bufo pageoti Bourret, 1937 Bufo parietalis (Boulenger, 1882) Bufo pentoni Anderson, 1893 Bufo scaber Schneider, 1799 Bufo scorteccii Balletto & Cherchi, 1970 Bufo silentvalleyensis Pillai, 1981 Bufo stejnegeri Schmidt, 1931 Bufo stomaticus Ltken, 1864 Bufo stuarti Smith, 1929 Bufo sumatranus Peters, 1871 Bufo tihamicus Balletto & Cherchi, 1973 Bufo valhallae Meade-Waldo, 1909

Gneros previamente incluidos en el gnero 'Bufo'

Anaxyrus, Nannophryne, Incilius, Peltophryne, Phrynoidis, Poyntonophrynus, Epidalea, Pseudepidalea, Rhaebo,Vandijkophrynus

Bibliografa

Frost, Darrel R. 2008. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.2 (15 July, 2008). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.

Referencias
1. [www.unne.edu.ar/Web/cyt/com2005/4-Veterinaria/V-020.pdf Departamento de Clnica. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. UNNE. Argentina (2005) Toxicidad de la secrecin de glndulas parotidas en sapo (Actualizacin Bibliogrfica)] 2. Hoffman WE.; Lefkowitz RJ.; (1991) Catecolamina e drogas simpatomimeticas. Goodman LS. Gilman A. As bases farmacologicas da terapeutica, 8.ed. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan, 123-144. 3. Monti R., Cardello L.; (1994) Bioquimica do Veneno de Anfibios. In: Barraviera B. (Ed.) Venenos Animais: uma vista integrada. Rio de Janeiro: EPUC, 225-232.

Drogas enteognicas y registro arqueolgico

Las relacin de la humanidad con las drogas enteognicas es larga y tiene variados y mltiples registros en la arqueologa.

Tradiciones indgenas contemporneas

Existen varias culturas modernas que siguen la prctica de la aplicacin de drogas que alteran la mente con fines religiosos. Algunas de estas culturas son los chamanes de Siberia (que emplean el hongo matamoscas para inducir alucinaciones), los huicholes de Mxico (que utilizan cactus Peyote ), las tribus de la regin del Putumayo en la Amazonia Suramericana (que utilizan Ayahuasca o yag) y los rastafaris del Caribe (que usan la marihuana

Problemas en el registro arqueolgico

Hay varios problemas con la identificacin de drogas enteognicas dentro de una sociedad antigua. 1. Identificacin de una sustancia enteognica. Se fumaba? Se ingera? 2. Prueba de Inspiracin enteognica en artefactos. El artefacto da pruebas directas del consumo de drogas para fines enteognicos?

3. Como observador de arte que tiene 20.000 aos de antigedad, vemos patrones que el creador original quera indicar? En otras palabras, nuestros propios intereses personales y prejuicios pueden alterar la forma en que percibimos obras de arte de una forma no apuntada por el autor?

Las pruebas arqueolgicas de drogas enteognicas en las sociedades antiguas

Las drogas enteognicas han sido utilizadas por diversos grupos durante miles de aos. Existen numerosos informes histricos, as como informes modernos contemporneos de grupos indgenas que usan entegenos. Sin embargo, hay mucho debate acerca de qu papel han desempeado los entegenos en las sociedades antiguas y qu sociedades han hecho uso de entegenos.

El Nuevo Mundo
El uso mesoamericano de drogas enteognicas es el ms icnico en la conciencia popular. Los mayas, olmecas, aztecasposean complejos enteognicos bien documentados. Las culturas indgenas de Amrica del Norte tenan tambin una larga tradicin en el uso de drogas rituales.

Entegenos olmecas
Los olmecas (1.200 a. C. a 400 a. C.) vivieron en Mesoamrica y son considerados por muchos como la cultura madre de los Mayas y Aztecas. Los olmecas no dejaron obras escritas de sus estructuras y creencia , por lo que muchas interpretaciones sobre las creencias olmecas se basan en gran medida en la interpretacin de los murales y artefactos. Los arquelogos fueron conducidos a creer que los olmecas utilizaron entegenos por tres razones: 1. Entierros de sapos Bufo acompaando a sus sacerdotes. 2. El uso posterior de entegenos en culturas bajo la influencia directa de la civilizacin olmeca. 3. Esculturas de chamanes y otras figuras fuertemente teriantrpicas.

Entegenos mayas
Los Mayas (250 a. C. a 900 ) florecieron en Mesoamrica y fueron prevalentes, incluso hasta la llegada de los espaoles. La tradicin religiosa Maya es muy compleja y muy bien desarrollada. A diferencia de los olmecas, los mayas tienen textos religiosos que han sobrevivido hasta el da de hoy. La religin Maya muestra la caracterstica mitologa mesoamericana, con un fuerte nfasis en un individuo que es un comunicador entre el mundo fsico y el mundo espiritual. Efigies de Setas hechas piedra, de fecha a 700 CE, dar pruebas de que las setas eran veneradas por lo menos en una forma religiosa. La evidencia ms directa del uso moderno Maya de entegenos proviene de los descendientes de los mayas, los cuales usan drogas enteognicas hasta hoy.

Entegenos Mexicas
El complejo enteognico mexica est muy bien documentado. A travs de datos histricos, hay pruebas de que los mexicas utilizaron varios tipos de drogas psicoactivas. Estos medicamentos incluyen Ololiuqui (la semilla de Rivea corymbosa), Teonancatl (traducido como "seta de los dioses, un hongo Psilocybe)1 y sinicuichi (una flor aadida a las bebidas). La estatua de Xochipilli, de acuerdo con RG Wasson,2 presenta varias plantas enteognicas. Este mismo autor ha sugerido que la categora pyotl es el origen etimolgico de la palabra mexicana piule,3 utilizada en la actualidad para referirse a los entegenos y a la embriaguez visionaria en general. 4 Otras pruebas del uso de entegenos por los mexicas vienen del Cdice Florentino, una serie de 12 libros que describen vvidamente el uso de drogas enteognicas dentro de la cultura y de la sociedad Mexica. Tras la imposicin forzosa del Catolicismo en Amrica , los mexicas siguieron practicando el uso de entegenos pero bajo mascara cristiana.5

Uso de entegenos en Amrica del Norte

Hay varios grupos indgenas contemporneos que utilizan entegenos especialmente los nativos americanos del suroeste de los Estados Unidos. Diversas tribus de California son conocidos por el uso de bebidas alcohlicas fuertes, as comoPeyote,6 a fin de lograr visiones y experiencias religiosas. Un fraile franciscano fue el el primer blanco que describi el efecto de este cactus y el uso sagrado que le daban los indgenas. Este conocido misionero de la poca colonial lo detall de esta forma:
Ay otra yerva que se llama peiotl... hazese hazia la parte del norte: los que la comen o beben ven visiones espantosas o de risas, dura este emborrachamiento dos o tres das y despus se quita. Es como un manjar de los chichimecas que los mantiene y da nimo para pelear y no tener miedo, ni sed ni hambre y dicen que los guarda de todo peligro.
7

Franciscano fray Bernardino de Sahagn 1560

Uso de entegenos en Amrica del Sur

Entegenos en la Cultura Llolleo: Cultura Llolleo
Es muy comn encontrar pipas de cermica o de piedra en sitios de la Cultura Llolleo , una cultura del Chile prehispnico, lo que permite inferir acerca del uso de sustancias alucingenas como parte de los rituales de esta sociedad. De hecho, se han encontrado sitios arqueolgicos que podran corresponder a lugares ceremoniales donde se reuna una gran cantidad de personas y en donde el uso de las pipas jug un rol central, a juzgar por la gran cantidad de estos implementos encontrados en esos lugares.

Entegenos en la tradicin Bato

En relacin a hallazgos arqueolgicos de la Tradicin Bato , se encontraron pipas , las que solan tener forma de T invertida.Muchas de estas sociedades usaba alucingenos en sus prcticas rituales ,importadas desde el Planaltobrasileo de donde eran originarias.

Uso de entegenos en los Atacameos

El "segundo periodo" atacameo es decir ,entre 900 y 1200, muestra el empleo de una alfarera negra pulida, la influencia de la cultura del Tiahuanaco o Tiwanaku -horizonte cultural Tiahuanaco-, el empleo de las tabletas para aspirar alucingenos, principalmente el cebil y cacto " san pedro " o huanto, con figuras esculpidas de hombres, cndores y felinos y el uso del tembet (palabra de origen guaran) o adorno labial. El uso de alucingenos o "entegenos", como en todas las otras etnias originarias de Amrica antes de la conquista europea, era ritual, es decir nicamente se podan consumir en muy especficas situaciones, por ejemplo cuando un chamn deba intentar hacer una adivinacin ponindose en contacto -segn crean- con los dioses.

Calcu mapuche
El Calcu al igual que la Machi tambin puede tener clientes, pero los clientes del Calcu pueden pedirle ayuda para tomar venganza o hacer dao a otras personas, a menudo a raz de situaciones de celos. Se dice que los calcu (persona) pueden asumir tres funciones: Kalkutufe, Dawfe y Chocho; y si son poderosos pueden realizarlas todas simultneamente. Los calcu merodearan por los cementerios para apoderarse del pill (fantasma del muerto reciente), con el propsito de utilizarlo en sus hechizos del calcutun. Esto ltimo es uno de los motivo de la realizacin del Aun (Ritual funerario), para evitar la accin de los Calcus. El Calcu adems utilizara numerosas pcimas, destacando el kalku-mamll tambin conocido como late, latuy; que significa "el mortfero" o "la tierra de los muertos". conocido con el pelativo espaol de "rbol de los brujos", "palo mato" o "palo de brujos", y conocido actualmente con la nomenclatura cientfica actual Latua pubiflora. esta planta se caracteriza por ser un alucingeno clsico de la etnologa mapuche.

Entegenos en el Caribe precolombino

Tambin los tanos en el Caribe se valan, durante el rito de la cohoba, del uso de una sustancia alucingena derivada deltamarindo macho y de una mezcla de caracoles. Este ritual es muy similar al practicado por grupos indgenas de la selvas de Venezuela, donde esta sustancia se conoce como ebena o yopo.

El Viejo Mundo
El Paleoltico
Durante el Paleoltico, hay amplia evidencia del uso de drogas como se puede ver en conservas y restos botnicos en suscoprolitos. Algunos estudiosos sugieren que el entierro floral de la Cueva Shanidar (un sitio Paleoltico en Irak) muestra evidencia del Ritual de la Muerte chamanista , pero esto sigue siendo objeto de debate. La evidencia ms directa que tenemos del paleoltico, como obra, proviene de Tassili n'Ajjer, Argelia. De esta regin, hay varias imgenes teriantrpicas en las que se retrata al pintor y animales alrededor de l. Una imagen, en particular, muestra a un hombre que se ha unido en una forma comn con un hongo. Hay varios sitios que muestran imgenes teriantrpicas del Paleoltico. Sin embargo, aun se debate el hecho de que sitios como Lascaux o Chauvet fueron inspirados enteogenicamente.

Misterios eleusinos
Los misterios eleusinios eran ritos de iniciacin anuales al culto a las diosas agrcolas Demter y Persfone que se celebraban en Eleusis (cerca de Atenas), en la antigua Grecia. De todos los ritos celebrados en la antigedad, stos eran considerados los de mayor importancia. Estos mitos y misterios se extendieron posteriormente al Imperio romano. Los ritos, as como las adoraciones y creencias del culto, eran guardados en secreto, y los ritos de iniciacin unan al adorador con el dios, incluyendo promesas de poder divino y recompensas en la otra vida.

Teora del LSA en los misterios eleusinos

Vanse tambin: LSA, LSD, Salvia divinorum, Cicen y Albert Hofmann

Algunos investigadores creen que el poder de los misterios eleusinos proceda de la funcin del cicen como agente psicodlico, teora extensamente argumentada en El camino a Eleusis (de R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann yCarl A. P. Ruck). La cebada poda haber sido parasitada por el hongocornezuelo, que contiene LSA (amida del cido d-lisrgico), un precursor delLSD (dietilamida del cido lisrgico). Es, por tanto, posible que los iniciantes, sensibilizados por su ayuno y preparados por las ceremonias precedentes, fueran elevados por los efectos de una potente pocin psicoactiva a estados mentales revelatorios con profundas ramificaciones espirituales e intelectuales. Esta teora sigue siendo controvertida, pues preparaciones de cicen hechas a partir de cebada parasitada por cornezuelo han arrojado resultados no concluyentes. Terence McKenna ha propuesto que los misterios giraban en torno a una variedad de hongos psilocbicos, aunque parece haber pocas evidencias a favor de esta teora. Tambin se han sugerido algunos agentes enteognicos ms, como la salvia y las amanitas, pero todas estas teoras carecen de pruebas consistentes.

Psicoactivos y principales religiones del mundo

Existen varios informes de que la Biblia y los Vedas tienen varias referencias a drogas enteognicas. Aunque la mayora de los estudiosos rechazan estas alegaciones, son aceptados por muchos grupos marginales.

Man y Setas
Algunos investigadores especulan que el Man, el alimento que cosecharon las tribus de Israel, fueron en realidad drogas entegenas.
"Y cuando el roco que se haba ido a sentar, he aqu, sobre la faz de la naturaleza existe establecer una pequea cosa redonda, tan pequeo como el Hoar, heladas sobre el terreno. Y cuando los hijos de Israel se vieron, dijeron uno a otro, es el man: porque ellos no saban lo que era. Y Moiss les dijo: Este es el pan que el Seor ha dado de comer. " Pentateuco xodo 16:14

Algunos apuntan a las similitudes de Psilocybe y la descripcin bblica del Man como prueba.

Soma y Setas
En los Vedas, los textos religiosos de la religin hind, ha habido mucha especulacin sobre la naturaleza del Soma, el alimento de los dioses . A continuacin se muestra un pasaje de los Vedas
Hazme inmortal en ese reino donde la felicidad y transportame adonde la alegra y la felicitidad se combinan ... " Vedas

Estudiosos como RG Wasson2 sugieren que el Soma es Amanita muscaria , un hongo comnmente utilizado por loschamanes de Siberia.

Referencias y notas de pie

1. Albert Hofmann, "El camino hacia Eleusis" Jonathan Ott, Jeremy Bigwood, R. Gordon Wasson, Dolores Belmonte, Albert Hofmann, Andrew Weil, R. Evans Schulte, Teonancalt, Hongos alucingenos de Europa y Amrica del Norte, ed. El Comps de Oro, Swan, 1985. 2.
a b

Wasson, RG, S. Kramrisch, J. Ott and CAP Ruck. Wasson, RG, S. Kramrisch, J. Ott y CAP Ruck.

(1986).Pesephone Quest: Entheogens y los Orgenes de la Religin. ISBN 0-300-05266-9 3. Existen numerosas pruebas arqueolgicas de que los Mexicas que vivan en el valle de Mxico - donde hoy se levanta la populosa capital de este pas- y tambin otros grupos indgenas que habitaban ms al norte, ya veneraban el cactus del peyote como fuente de inspiracin y revelacin divinas, y lo consuman en sus ceremonias religiosas. R.G. Wasson ha sugerido que la categora pyotl es el origen etimolgico de la palabra mexicana piule,

utilizada en la actualidad para referirse a los entegenos y a la embriaguez visionaria en general (citado por OTT, 1996:77, y propuesto ya en 1919 4. 5. 6. OTT, 1996:77, y propuesto ya en 1919 por B.P. Reko El Peyote y las nuevas religiones mistricas americanas III El peyote crece en grandes cantidades al norte de Mxico y al sudoeste de los EE.UU., en los desiertos calcreos y en los valles de los ros que surcan la geografa local. A pesar de su tamao relativamente pequeo, entre 10 y 12 cm de dimetro y 3 a 6 cm de altura, este cactus crece muy lentamente: una sola planta llega a necesitar hasta 15 aos para alcanzar su estado de maduracin plena (OTT, 1996). De cada cactus se ingiere tan solo la corona superior, lo que popularmente se denomina el "botn de peyote" o "botn de mescal", y el efecto posterior podra resumirse diciendo que induce una experiencia dialgica de carcter muy visionario y luminoso que es vivida como un contacto o revelacin proveniente del ser ntimo de cada uno, con el s mismo en expresin psicolgica, aunque lo ms general es proyectarlo hacia personajes o seres vividos como externos al propio sujeto embriagado: este mismo hecho fue puesto de relieve a lo largo de los siglos XII a XIV por diversos msticos cristianos que propugnaban la existencia de Dios en s mismos, "Dios soy yo mismo", por lo que eran sistemticamente excomulgados o, aun peor, condenados por la Inquisicin a raz de sus "visiones demonacas". Bajo el efecto del peyote se experimenta una explosin visionaria que sume al sujeto en un profundo estado modificado de consciencia cuya atmsfera interior predominante es la emocional. 7. SAHAGN, 1982; se trata de los materiales recopilados en nhuatl por el autor en 1569

Bibliografa

Bierhorst, John. La mitologa de Mxico y Centroamrica, William Morrow (1990). ISBN 0-688-11280-3. Demarest, Arthur. Antiguos Mayas: el auge y cada de la civilizacin en la selva. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Dibble, Charles E., et al. Dibble, Charles E., et al. (trans). (trans). "El Cdice Florentino : Libro 11 - cosas de este mundo". The School of American Research. La Escuela de Investigacin. Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1963. Santa Fe, Nuevo Mxico, 1963.

Furst, PT (with contributions from Wasson and others) 1972 Carne de los Dioses: El Ritual de Uso de Alucingenos

Hofmann, Albert ."Teonancatl y Ololiuqui, dos drogas de la magia antigua Mxico." UNODC Bulletin on Narcotics. Boletn de la Oficina de Fiscalizacin de Estupefacientes. Issue 1, pp.314, 1971. Nmero 1, pp.314, de 1971.

Hofmann, Albert, Jonathan Ott, Jeremy Bigwood, R. Gordon Wasson, Dolores Belmonte, Albert Hofmann, Andrew Weil, R. Evans Schulte, Teonancalt, Hongos alucingenos de Europa y Amrica del Norte, ed. El Comps de Oro, Swan, 1985.

McKenna, Terence.Alimentacin de los Dioses. (New York, Harper Collins) p. (Nueva York, Harper Collins) p. 84. 84.

Wasson, RG, S. Kramrisch, J. Ott and Carl A. P. Ruck. Wasson, RG, S. Kramrisch, J. Ott y CAP Ruck. (1986).Pesephone Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion. ISBN 0-300-05266-9. Versin en espaol: La bsqueda de Persfone. Los entegenos y los orgenes de la religin. Mxico: 1992. Fondo de Cultura Econmica.ISBN 968-16-3695-3

Roberts, TB (editor) (2001).Roberts, TB (editor) (2001). Psicoactivas sacramentales: Ensayos sobre Religin y Entheogens. San Francosco: Consejo relativa a las prcticas espirituales.

Roberts, TB, and Hruby, PJ (1995-2002). Roberts, la tuberculosis y Hruby, PJ (1995-2002). Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments An Entheogen Chrestomathy. Religin y Sacramentos psicoactivas Un Entheogen Chrestomathy.

Roberts, TB "Chemical InputReligious Output: Entheogens." Captulo 10 en caso de que Dios y la Ciencia Conoce: vol. 3: The Psychology of Religious Experience Robert McNamara (editor)(2006). 3: La Psicologa de la experiencia religiosa Robert McNamara (editor) (2006). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood. Westport, CT: Praeger / Greenwood.

5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT (5-metoxi-N,N-dimetiltriptamina) es una poderosa droga psicodelica de la familia de las triptaminas. Es encontrada en una gran variedad de especies de hongos. Al igual que sus parientes, la DMT y l abufotenina (5-OHDMT), ha sido usada como una droga entegena por losshamanes sudamericanos por miles de aos

Quimica
La 5-MeO-DMT fue sintetizada por primera vez en 1936, y en 1959 se aisl como uno de los ingredientes psicoactivos de las semillas deAnadenanthera peregrina, que han sido utilizados para preparar un polvo psicodelico, por eso fue descubierto como un componente importante de los efectos del preparado. Se presenta en muchos organismos que contienenbufotenina (5-hidroxi-N,N-DMT)

Historia
Tradicionalmente 5-MeO-DMT se ha utilizado en el polvo psicodlico a partir de resina de semilla de la Vilca, y es un constituyente de la ayahuasca.Tambin se encuentra en el veneno del (Bufo alvarius), aunque no hay evidencia directa de este fue utilizado como alucingeno hasta tiempos recientes.

The Entheological Paradigm: Essays on the DMT and 5-MeO-DMT Experience and the Meaning of it All
The Entheological Paradigm is a must-read for anyone who is interested in DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and the nature of unitary consciousness. In this groundbreaking work, entheogenic researcher, Martin

Tryptamine Palace
ENTHEOGENSJames Oroc writes about wresting spiritual insights from the mind-storms catalyzed by psychedelics, and along the way wrestles with his culture and his role in it. His principal drug all...

5-Meo-DMT User's Guide

A clear and easy to understand guide in question and answer format concerning the use of 5-MeO-DMT as an entheogenic tool for expansion of human awareness.

The Entheological Paradigm: An Overview

This paper highlights many of the key ideas of the book Being Human by Martin W. Ball in presenting an overview of the Entheological Paradigm: a system that explains the energetic nature of reality of all.

Being Human is the extraordinary new book that articulates a grand unified vision of reality through the Entheological Paradigm. Skillfully avoiding all speculation and metaphysics, Martin W. Ball

Entheologues: Conversations with Leading Psychedelic Thinkers, Explorers and Researchers

Entheologues presents a fascinating collection of interviews with top figures in the entheogenic field. James Oroc talks about God, 5MeO-DMT, zero-point energy and the Akashic Field. Rick Strass...

The Energetics of DMT, Consciousness, and the Body

In this appendix from my book, The Entheogenic Evolution, I discuss the phenomenology of various forms of DMT and how consciousness and mystical experiences are linked to sensations of energy and v

Welcome to the Temple of Awakening Divinity

This is the first chapter of the book "The Entheogenic Evolution, by Martin W. Ball, Ph.D. In this chapter, I describe my first mystical experience with the extraordinarily powerful entheogen, 5-M...

The Entheogenic Evolution: Psychedelics, Consciousness and Awakening the Human Spirit
Though now largely banned by governments and mainstream religions alike, entheogens have played a direct role in the spiritual practices of countless cultures. Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., makes the ca

J.V. Wallach - Endogenous hallucinogens as ligands of the trace amine receptors: A possible role in
Medical Hypotheses, Volume 72, Issue 1 While the endogenous hallucinogens, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyl-tr yptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltry ptamine, have been acknowledged ..

About Tryptamine Palace

A journey from Burning Man to the Akashic Field that suggest how 5-MeO-DMT triggers the human capacity for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point field Examines Bufo alvarius toad venom, which contains the potent natural psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT, and explores its entheogenic use Proposes a new connection between the findings of modern physics and the knowledge held by shamans and religious sages for millennia The venom from Bufo alvarius, an unusual toad found in the Sonoran desert, contains 5-MeO-DMT,

a potent natural chemical similar in effect to the more common entheogen DMT. The venom can be dried into a powder, which some researchers speculate was used ceremonially by Amerindian shamans. When smoked it prompts an instantaneous break with the physical world that causes out-of-body experiences completely removed from the conventional dimensions of reality. In Tryptamine Palace, James Oroc shares his personal experiences with 5-MeODMT, which led to a complete transformation of his understanding of himself and of the very fabric of reality. Driven to comprehend the transformational properties of this substance, Oroc combined extensive studies of physics and philosophy with the epiphanies he gained from his time at Burning Man. He discovered that ingesting tryptamines unlocked a fundamental human capacity for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point field of modern physics, known to the ancients as the Akashic Field. In the quantum world of nonlocal interactions, the line between the physical and the mental dissolves. 5-MeO-DMT, Oroc argues, can act as a means to awaken the remarkable capacities of the human soul as well as restore experiential mystical spirituality to Western civilization.

About the Author(s) of Tryptamine Palace

Journalist, photographer, and artist James Oroc was born in the small South Pacific nation of Aotearoa. Since 1998 he has been pursuing and reporting on the cutting edge of extreme sports in more than 40 countries around the globe, his work appearing in magazines, films, and on MTV Sports. He has been a member of the Burning Man community since 1999, and he is also involved in the documentation and advancement of Alternative Culture. Oroc resides in the Dominican Republic.

Praise for Tryptamine Palace

James Oroc writes about wresting spiritual insights from the mind-storms catalyzed by psychedelics, and along the way wrestles with his culture and his role in it. His principal drug ally, 5-MeO-DMT, is not easy to use well, but Oroc emerges grounded and inspired with tales worth sharing. Rick Doblin, founder and president of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) With this book, Oroc has proved that the impossible can in fact be put into words. WOW indeed! A must-have for any serious psychonaut on (arguably) the most important subject matter of all time. Dimitri Djanbani, moderator of http://dmt.tribe.net, a DMT discussion group If DMT is the Spirit Molecule, then 5-MeO-DMT certainly qualifies as the God Molecule as illustrated in this highly significant contribution to entheogenic literature. The immediate opening to full God consciousness that 5-MeO-DMT occasions demands careful attention by all those interested in spiritual states of consciousness, entheogenic experience, and the true nature of reality. Orocs book is a great beginning to the fascinating exploration that awaits us with 5-MeO-DMT. Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., author of Mushroom Wisdom: How Shamans Cultivate Spiritual Consciousness Tryptamine Palace is destined to be the seminal study of 5-MeODMT, just as The Spirit Molecule personifies DMT and My Problem Child evokes LSD. Andrew Sewell, M.D., LSD cluster-headache researcher A gripping account of a mind transformed by the powerful psychoactive 5-MeO-DMT struggling to understand its unexpected conversion from atheist to true believer. Oroc fuses hard data and engaging speculations to fire the imagination.Tryptamine Palace is Mr. Toads Wild Ride for entheogen aficionados, where the firsthand experience of God may be just a toke away. Jon Hanna, mindstates.org

Reviewed Journal Articles

1. Strassman RJ, Letourneau P, Wessells NK: Elongation of axons in an agar matrix that does not support cell locomotion. Experimental Cell Research 818:482-487, 1973 2. Strassman RJ, Wessells NK: Orientational preferences shown by microspikes of growing nerve cells in vitro. Tissue and Cell 5:412-417, 1973 3. Strassman RJ, Galanter M: The Abhidharma: A cross-cultural application of meditation. International Journal of Social Psychiatry 26:283-290, 1980 4. Risch SC, Janowsky DS, Lisansky EJ, Strassman RJ, Rausch JL, Gillin JC, Judd LL, Huey L: Dexamethasone effects on self-rated mood in depressed inpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry 141:147-148, 1984 5. Strassman RJ: Adverse reactions to psychedelic drugs: A review of the literature. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 172:577-595, 1984 6. 7. 8. Greer G, Strassman RJ: Information on "Ecstasy." (letter) American Journal of Psychiatry 142:1391, 1985 Strassman R: Light, season, and affective disorders. Western Journal of Medicine 142:678, 1985 Kennedy B, Strassman RJ, Ziegler M, Janowsky DS, Risch SC, Huey L, Gillin JC: Cardiovascular, catecholamine and psychological responses to TRH in four types of affective disorder patients. Hormone and Metabolic Research 19:164167, 1987 9. Strassman RJ, Peake GT, Qualls CR, Lisansky EJ: A model for the study of the acute effects of melatonin in man. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 65:847-852, 1987 10. Rosenthal M, Strassman RJ: Melatonin does not impair corticotropin response of isolated pituitary cells. Neuroendocrinology Letters 10:27-32, 1988 11. Strassman RJ, Peake GT, Qualls CR, Lisansky EJ: Lack of an acute modulatory effect of melatonin on human nocturnal thyrotropin and cortisol secretion. Neuroendocrinology 48:387-393, 1988 12. Strassman RJ, Appenzeller O, Lewy AJ, Qualls CR, Peake GT: Increase in plasma melatonin, beta-endorphin and cortisol after a high-altitude mountain run. Relationship to performance and lack of an effect of naltrexone. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 69:540-545, 1989 13. Lisansky EJ, Peake GT, Strassman RJ, Qualls CR, Meikle AW, Risch SC, Fava G, Zownir-Brazis M, Hochla P, Britton D: Augmented pituitary corticotropin response to a threshold dosage of human corticotropin-releasing hormone in depressives pre-treated with metyrapone. Archives of General Psychiatry 46:641-649, 1989 14. Strassman RJ, Qualls CR, Lisansky EJ, Peake GT: Sleep deprivation reduces LH secretion independently of melatonin. Acta Endocrinologica (Scandinavica) 124:646-651, 1991 15. Strassman RJ, Qualls CR, Lisansky EJ, Peake GT: Elevated rectal temperature produced by all night bright light is reversed by melatonin infusion in men. Journal of Applied Physiology 71:2178-2182, 1991 16. Strassman RJ: Human hallucinogenic drug research in the United States: A present-day case history and a review of the process. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 23:29-38, 1991 17. Strassman RJ: Human hallucinogen interactions with drugs affecting serotonergic neurotransmission. Neuropsychopharmacology 7:241-243; 1992 18. Lisansky EJ, Hauger R, Strassman RJ, Dorin R, Meikle AW, Brazis M, Qualls CR, Turkin A. Beta-endorphin response to a low dosage of human corticotropin releasing hormone during metyrapone administration in depression. Endocrine Research. 18:241-260, 1992.

19. Strassman RJ, Qualls CR. Dose-response study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans. I. Neuroendocrine, autonomic and cardiovascular effects. Archives of General Psychiatry. 51:85-97, 1994. 20. Strassman RJ, Qualls CR, Uhlenhuth EH, Kellner R. Dose-response study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans. II. Subjective effects and preliminary results of a new rating scale. Archives of General Psychiatry. 51:98-108, 1994. 21. Strassman RJ. Hallucinogenic drugs in psychiatric research and treatment. Perspectives and prospects. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 183:127-138, 1995. 22. Strassman RJ. Human psychopharmacology of N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Behavioral Brain Research. 73:121-124, 1996. 23. Grob C, McKenna D, Callaway J, Brito G, Neves E, Oberlaender G, Saide O, Labigalini E, Tacla C, Miranda C, Strassman R, Boone K. Human psychopharmacology of hoasca, a plant hallucinogen used in ritual context in Brazil. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 184: 86-94, 1996 24. Strassman RJ, Qualls C, Berg LM. Differential tolerance development to biological and subjective effects of four closelyspaced administrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans. Biological Psychiatry 39:784-795, 1996 25. Strassman RJ. Endogenous ketamine-like compounds and the NDE: If so, so what? Journal of Near-Death Studies 16:27-42, 1997 26. Bowdle TA, Radant AD, Cowley DS, Kharasch ED, Strassman RJ, Roy-Byrne PP. Psychedelic effects of ketamine in normal volunteers: Relationship to steady-state plasma concentrations. Anesthesiology 88:82-88, 1998 27. Riba J, Rodriguez-Fornelis A, Strassman RJ, Barbanoj M J. Psychometric assessment of the Hallucinogen Rating Scale in two different populations of hallucinogen users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 62:215-223, 2001 28. Krupitsky EM, Burakov AM, Romanov TN, Grinenko AY, Strassman RJ. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KPT) of heroin addiction: Immediate effects and six month follow-up. Heffter Review of Psychedelic Research 2:88-101, 2001 29. Krupitsky EM, Burakov AM, Romanov TN, Dunaevksy I, Strassman RJ, Grinenko AY. Ketamine psychotherapy for heroin addiction: Immediate effects and two-year follow-up. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 23:273-283, 2002 30. Santos RG, Strassman RJ, Landeira-Fernandez J, Cruz APM. Effects of ayahuasca on psychometric measures of anxiety, panic-like, and hopelessness in Santo Daime members. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 112:507-513, 2007 31. McIlhenny EH, Pipkin, KE, Standish LJ, Wechkin, HA, Strassman RJ, Barker, SA. Direct analysis of psychoactive tryptamine and harmala alkaloids in the Amazonian botanical medicine ayahuasca by liquid chromatographyelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A 1216:8960-8968, 2009 32. Barbosa PCR, Cazorla IM, Giglio JS, Strassman RJ. A prospective six-month evaluation of personality traits, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life in ayahuasca-naive subjects. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (in press)

Book Chapters
1. Lisansky EJ, Strassman RJ, Janowsky DS, Risch SC: Drug-induced psychoses. In: Tupin J, Halbreich U, Pena J (eds) Transient Psychosis: Diagnosis, Management, Evaluation. New York: Bruner/Mazel, 1984, pp. 80-110 2. Strassman RJ. Human hallucinogenic drug research: Regulatory, clinical and scientific issues. In: Lin G, Glennon RA (eds) Hallucinogens: An Update (NIDA Research Monograph 146), 1994, pp 92-123 3. Strassman RJ. Human psychopharmacology of LSD, DMT and related compounds. In: Pletscher A (ed) 50 Years of LSD: State of the Art and Perspectives of Hallucinogens. London: Parthenon, 1994, pp. 145-174 4. Strassman RJ. Biomedical research with psychedelics: Current models and future prospects. In: Forte R (ed)Entheogens and the Future of Religion. San Francisco: CSP; 1997, pp 153-164

5.

Strassman RJ. Hallucinogens. In: Earlywine M (ed) Subjective Effects of Mind-Altering Drugs. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, pp. 49-85

6.

Labate BC, Santos RG, Strassman RJ, Anderson B, Mizumoto S. Efectos sobre la dependecia a sustanciasde de la pertenencia a una Iglesia Ayahuasquera Brasilena (Effect of membership in a Brazilian ayahuasca religion on substance dependence). In: Labate BC, Bouso JC (eds) Ayahuasca y Salud. Barcelona Spain: Los Libros de la Liebre de Marzo (in press)

Book Reviews
1. Hofmann A: LSD, My Problem Child: Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism, and Science. Am J Psychiatry 141:16261628, 1984 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Leary T: Flashbacks: An Autobiography. Am J Psychiatry 141:1626-1628, 1984 Bakalar J, Grinspoon L: Drug Control in a Free Society. JAMA 254:2974-2975, 1985 Grinspoon L, Bakalar J (Eds): Psychedelic Reflections. Am J Psychiatry 143:249-250, 1986 Dobkin de Rios M: Hallucinogens: Cross-Cultural Perspectives. Psychiatry 50:90-93, 1987 Westermeyer J: A Clinical Guide of Alcohol and Drug Problems. J Clin Psychiatry 48:421, 1987 Levy S, Blume S (Eds): Addictions in the Jewish Community. Am J Psychiatry 145:121-122, 1988 Herrington R, Jacobson G, Benzer D (Eds): Alcohol and Drug Abuse Handbook. J Clin Psychiatry 49:123-124, 1988 Milkman H, Sunderwirth S: Craving for Ecstasy: The Consciousness and Chemistry of Escape. JAMA 259:2614-2615, 1988 10. Hendin H, Haas A, Singer P, Ellner M, Ulman R: Living High: Daily Marijuana Use Among Adults. Am J Psychiatry 145:1467-1468, 1988 11. Fisher S, Raskin A, Uhlenhuth EH (Eds): Cocaine: Clinical and Biobehavioral Aspects. J Clin Psychiatry 49:328, 1988 12. Jacobs MR, Fehr KOB (Eds): Drugs and Drug Abuse, 2nd edition. J Clin Psychiatry 49:375, 1988 13. Levinthal CF: Messengers of Paradise: Opiates and the Brain. JAMA 260:3350-3351, 1988 14. Halaris A: Chronobiology and Psychiatric Disorders. Am J Psychiatry 146:113-114, 1989 15. Lee MA, Shlain B: Acid Dreams. Am J Psychiatry 146:395-396, 1989 16. Stevens J: Storming Heaven. Am J Psychiatry 146:395-396, 1989 17. Nace EP: The Treatment of Alcoholism. J Clin Psychiatry 50:74-75, 1989 18. Frances RJ, Miller SI: Clinical Textbook of Addictive Disorders. J Clin Psychiatry 52:435, 1991 19. Grinspoon L, Bakalar J: Marijuana: Forbidden Medicine. JAMA 270:2878-2879, 1993 20. McKenna T: Food of the Gods. Network (The Scientific and Medical Network Newsletter) 53:58-59, 1994 21. Stafford P: Psychedelics Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. Am J Addict 3:178-180, 1994 22. Mancall PC: Deadly Medicine: Indians and Alcohol in Early America. JAMA 275:646-647, 1996 23. Zimmer L, Morgan JP: Marijuana Myths, Marijuana facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence. JAMA 279:632-633, 1998 24. Grinspoon L, Bakalar JB: Marihuana: Forbidden Medicine (rev. ed.). JAMA279:963-964, 1998 25. Devereuex P: The Long Trip. Network (The Medical and Scientific Network Newsletter) 69:63-64, 1999

Popular Articles
1. 2. Strassman RJ. Sitting for sessions: Dharma & DMT research. Tricycle. The Buddhist Review 6:81-88,1996 Strassman RJ. Where to with psychedelic research? Asylum (A magazine for democratic psychiatry) 11:4-6, 1999

Mangini M Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: a review of the program of research. [Historical Article, Journal Article, Review] J Psychoactive Drugs 1998 Oct-Dec; 30(4):381-418.

Following Albert Hofmann's discovery of LSD's psychoactive properties in 1943, and previous to their scheduling as controlled substances, the psychedelic drugs were widely studied--six international conferences and hundreds of papers discussed their potential therapeutic usefulness. The observation that the frightening experience of delirium tremens sometimes led alcoholics to moderate their alcohol intake suggested to early psychedelic researchers that the "psychotomimetic" experience thought to be produced by LSD could be used to treat alcoholism. A number of hypothesisgenerating studies employing a variety of research designs to examine this premise were completed, but relatively few controlled trials attempted hypothesis testing. After twenty-five years of study, a combination of flawed methodology, uneven results and social reprehension led to the abandonment of research on the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, leaving many avenues of inquiry unexplored and many questions unanswered. Today, after a thirty-year hiatus, this research is gradually being resumed, and there is renewed interest in the findings of previous studies. This article explores the history of one branch of psychedelic research, the therapeutic use of LSD in the treatment of alcoholism, and of the events that led to the relabeling of the "hallucinogens" as drugs of abuse.

Weil AT, Davis W Bufo alvarius: a potent hallucinogen of animal origin. [Journal Article, Review] J Ethnopharmacol 1994 Jan; 41(1-2):1-8.

Anthropologists have long speculated that ancient peoples of Mesoameria used a toad, Bufo marinus, as a ritual intoxicant. This hypothesis rests on many iconographic and mythological representations of toads and on a number of speculative ethnographic reports. The authors reject B. marinus as a candidate for such use because of the toxicity of its venom. A more likely candidate is the Sonoran desert toad, Bufo alvarius, which secretes large amounts of the potent known hallucinogen, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). The authors demonstrate that the venom of B. alvarius, although known to be toxic when consumed orally, may be safely smoked and is powerfully psychoactive by that route of administration. These experiments are the first documentation of an hallucinogenic agent from the animal kingdom, and they provide clear evidence of a psychoactive toad that could have been employed by Precolumbian peoples of the New world.

DESCRIPTION #
5-MeO-DMT is a psychoactive tryptamine which was first identified in the mid 20th Century as a chemical in a South American plant entheogen. It is a common constituent of many different plants and has been used traditionally in psychoactives snuffs such as Yopo from the Anadenanthera colubrina seeds, Epena from Virola sap, and some ayahuasca-type brews where 5-MeO-DMT containing plants are used as admixtures. In the other parts of the world, including the U.S., 5-MeO-DMT is mostly encountered as a crystalline chemical and smoked, snorted, or swallowed for recreation and/or insight. 5-MeO-DMT is sometimes confused with its more well-known cousin N,N-DMT (usually just called "DMT") which can lead to disasterous results because of the large difference in appropriate dosages (5-MeO-DMT's dosage is perhaps 1/10 to 1/2 that of N,N-DMT, depending on individual reaction). 5-MeO-DMT has been called just "5MEO", but as other "5-MeO" (methoxy group on the 5 position, such as 5MeO-DiPT) psychoactives have become known this shortened name is slowly losing its usefulness. 5-MeO-

DMT's effects are much less visual than N,N-DMT's, with many users reporting no visual distortions at all. The experience itself is sometimes characterized as 'the void'.
[ Main 5-MeO-DMT Vault ]

Dose #
The standard dosage range for smoked 5-MeO-DMT is between 2-15 mg; for insufflation the dose range is 5-20 mg. These are very small amounts of material and should be measured extremely carefully. Many people achieve full world-shattering effects at as low as 3-5 mg (8-12 insufflated) and it is not uncommon for individuals who smoke 20-30 mg to have psychological and mental difficulties lasting several weeks.

Price #
Occasionally sold at parties for 1-20 USD per dose. Available from exotic chemical suppliers for 150-250 USD per gram, somewhat higher from underground sources.

Law #
5-MeO-DMT is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States, making it illegal to possess without a license as of Jan 19 2011. Sales or possession could be prosecuted under the Analog Act, although only one case of prosecution has been brought to our attention. 5-MeO-DMT is now controlled / illegal in a number of countries including Denmark, Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and Romania.

Chemistry #
5-Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a naturally occurring chemical in the tryptamine class. It is related structurally to N,N-DMT, Bufotenine, Psilocybin, and Psilocin.

Pharmacology #
Pharmacology Summary Needed.

Production #
Production Summary Needed.

History #
In the early 1950s, 5-MeO-DMT was identified as one of the main psychoactive ingredients in 'cohoba' snuffs used in the northern Amazon basin. Its use in the form of snuffs and brews has been documented as early as the 8th Century A.D. from a burial site in Northern Chile which found snuffing paraphernalia and traces of N,N-DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and Bufotenine. Other archeological sites have also uncovered seeds of 5-MeO-DMT containing Anadenanthera species from around the same time period. Its use as a recreational psychoactive has increased through the 80's and 90's.

Terminology / Slang #
The Substance: 5-MeO-DMT; 5-MeO. The Experience: Tripping; The Void.

EFFECTS #
The smoked 5-MeO-DMT experience is short, but generally incredibly intense. Onset is fast and furious, sometimes compared to being launched from a cannon. It is a fully engaging and enveloping experience of visions (actual visual effects less common) which varies greatly from one individual to the next. Users report profound changes in ontological perspective, experiencing the void, the shattering of the universe, frightening and overwhelming forces, complete shifts in perception and identity followed by an abrupt return to baseline. Because of the nature and intensity of the experience, users are almost always seated or lying down with someone nearby to take the pipe as the experience begins. Unlike with N,N-DMT, few users report significant coherent visual effects. The insufflated 5-MeO-DMT experience has a slower/gentler onset, with effects building over 20-45 minutes, and aftereffects lasting for 1-3 hours. Users report being better able to integrate the intensity and insights achieved from this method, with more clarity of thought, and time to explore those thoughts. As with the smoked method, dose response is extremely variable, and a heavy dose can be equally difficult, with aftereffects lasting hours or days.

Onset #

When smoked, 5-MeO-DMT generally reaches full effects within 10-60 seconds of inhalation. Insufflated, effects come in generally within 5 minutes.

Duration #
The primary effects of 5-MeO-DMT last approximately 5-20 minutes when smoked, 30-45 minutes when insufflated. For many people there is an additional period of time (1-2 hrs) before fully returning to baseline. Some people find the 5-MeO-DMT experience difficult to integrate and experience unsettling thoughts and feelings for days after use.

Visual Effects #
Visuals Summary Needed.

PROBLEMS #
One of the primary physical problems encountered with smoked 5-MeO-DMT is the harsh nature of the smoke which can cause throat and lung irritation. Integration of the experience can also cause difficulties for some individuals, especially at higher doses. Difficult integration periods can lead to anxiety, difficulty focusing on daily tasks, preoccupation with the experience, difficulty sleeping, etc. Generally these effects dissipate on their own over the course of a few days but there are reports of persisting problems.

Contraindications #
The effects of smoked 5-MeO-DMT are dramatically increased if used by individuals currently taking MAOIs. MAOIs are most commonly found in the prescription anti-depressants Nardil (phenelzine), Parnate (tranylcypromine), Marplan (isocarboxazid), Eldepryl (l-deprenyl), and Aurorex or Manerix (moclobemide). Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether your prescription medication is an MAOI. Do not stand up. Do not operate heavy machinery. Do Not Drive. Individuals currently in the midst of emotional or psychological upheaval in their everyday lives should be careful about choosing to use psychedelics such as 5-MeO-DMT as they can trigger even more difficulty. Individuals with a family history of schizophrenia or early onset mental illness should be extremely careful because psychedelics have been known to trigger latent psychological and mental problems.

Addiction Potential #
5-MeO-DMT is neither physically addicting nor likely to cause psychological dependance. As with most substances, some people will use it more frequently than they are comfortable with. There is a short period of tolerance after 5-MeO-DMT use. Using 5-MeO-DMT a second time within a few hours is likely to lead to a significantly diminished experience the second time.

Long Term Health Problems #

Long Term Health Problems Summary Needed.

Risk of Death #
Risk of Death Summary Needed.

CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #

Erowid Basics pages are summaries of data gathered from site visitors, government documents, books, websites, and other resources. We do our best to keep this information correct and up-to-date, but the field is complex and constantly changing. Information should always be verified through multiple sources.

5-MeO-DMT
Legal Status
by Erowid

U.S. FEDERAL LAW #

Caution : All legal information should be verified through other sources. [see below]

U.S. FEDERAL LEGAL SUMMARY

5-MeO-DMT
REGULATED STATUS SCHEDULE Yes Scheduled Schedule I (effective Jan 19 2011)

5-MeO-DMT has been added to Schedule I, effective Jan 19, 2011. This means it is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, or distribute (sell, trade or give) without a DEA license. See http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-31854.htm. On August 21, 2009, the DEA entered a proposed rule change in the Federal Register (Volume 74, Number 161) to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It is extremely likely that this rule will become final and 5-Meo-DMT will become Schedule I in the United States. On October 28, 2009, the DEA extended the comment period to November 27, 2009. Seehttp://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-25939.htm.

U.S. STATE LAW #

Nebraska #
Schedule I (Reference)

Oklahoma #
Schedule I (Nov 1, 2008)

S. Dakota #
Schedule I : 5-methoxy-N, N-Dimethyltryptamine. Feb 2003

INTERNATIONAL LAW #
Canada #
According to one visitor, 5-MeO-DMT is not controlled under Canadian law. See Law Canada. (thanks f) (last updated Apr 17 2011)

Denmark #
As of December 1, 2004, 5-MeO-DMT is legally restricted to "medical or scientific purposes". See EMCDDA. (thanks Vman and Ali)

Germany #
Schedule I / Highest level of control, unable to be prescribed, manufactured, or possessed as of Sep, 1999. (listed as [2-(5Methoxyindol-3-yl)ethyl]dimethylazan) (see Deutsche BtMG or http://www.silicium-sensei.de/projecte/drugs/news/news.html)

Greece #
5-MeO-DMT became a controlled substance in Greece on Feb 18, 2003 [EU Legal Database].

Japan #
5-MeO-DMT is controlled as a "Designated Substance" (Shitei-Yakubutsu) by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, making it illegal to possess or sell (seeRef)

New Zealand #
5-MeO-DMT is Schedule I (Class A) in New Zealand [reference]. (thanks BC)

South Africa #
5-MeO-DMT is NOT classified under the Drug and Drug Trafficking Act No. 140 of 1992 as a "Undesirable Dependence Producing Substance". Seewww.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/1992-140.pdf, but could be considered an "ether" of Bufotenin (5-OH-DMT) or possibly DMT and ethers and esters of the listed substances are also considered controlled. (thanks MvS) (last updated April 18 2011)

Sweden #
Controlled in Sweden as of Oct 1, 2004 (see notisum.se). (thanks RH)

Switzerland #
5-MeO-DMT is Schedule I in Switzerland. (unconfirmed) (thanks NP)

United Kingdom #
5-MeO-DMT is a Schedule I/Class A drug in the United Kingdom, making it illegal to buy or possess without a license.

(thanks OW) If you have information about the legal status of this substance in any other country, please let us know.

CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #

Erowid legal information is a summary of data gathered from site visitors, government documents, websites, and other resources. We are not lawyers and can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided here. We do our best to keep this information correct and up-to-date, but laws are complex and constantly changing. Laws may also vary from one jurisdiction to another (county, state, country, etc)...this list is not comprehensive.

5-MeO-DMT Dosage
by Erowid

5-MeO-DMT is a short acting tryptamine very similar in nature to DMT. It is often found as very small white crystals (like salt) and is generally smoked and less commonly insufflated. Dosages are very sensitive. People react very differently to different doses, and insufficient measuring instruments add to the risk. Some individuals have world-shattering effects with less than 5 mg. WARNING: The wide variation in reactions to this and other substances can lead to overwhelmingly intense and frightening experiences even at very low doses.

Smoked 5-MeO-DMT Dosages

Threshold Light Common Strong 1 - 2 mg 2 - 5 mg 5 - 10 mg 10 - 20 mg

Onset : 0 - 30 seconds Peak : 1 - 15 minutes Duration : 30 minutes After Effects : 1 hour

Insufflated 5-MeO-DMT Dosages

Threshold Light Common 3 - 5 mg 5 - 10 mg 8 - 15 mg

Strong

10 - 25 mg

Onset : 5 minutes Peak : 10 - 30 minutes Duration : 30 - 45 minutes After Effects : 1 - 3 hours

Oral 5-MeO-DMT Dosages

Threshold Light Common Strong ?? mg 10 - 15 mg 20 - 30 mg 30 + mg

Note: Oral dosages are based on Jonathan Ott's presentation at the San Francisco Ayahuasca conference in 2000.

Sublingual 5-MeO-DMT Dosages

Threshold Light Common Strong ?? mg 10 mg ?? mg ?? mg

Psychoactive Toads
Legal Status
by Erowid

U.S. FEDERAL LAW #

Caution : All legal information should be verified through other sources. [see below]

U.S. FEDERAL LEGAL SUMMARY

Psychoactaive Toads
REGULATED STATUS SCHEDULE
CLASSIFICATION

No Ambiguous May Contain Schedule I Chemical

Hallucinogen

None of the Bufo species toads are specifically scheduled in the United States. They are sold openly by pet and animal stores, though they are somewhat uncommon. In Nov 2007, a man was charged for possession of bufotenine after a Bufo alvarius toad was found in residence in Kansas City, Missouri (see article). It has been reported to us that some stores (in CA in one example) will report that Bufo toads are illegal to sell. It's unclear whether this is true and if so whether it is due to federal, state, or local level laws. Lovestone Arrest (2008): Dried toad venom containing bufotenin is sometimes sold as chan su for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or as an ingredient in a topical aphrodisiac called "stone", "lovestone", or "rock hard". These forumulations are readily available, and laws prohibiting the sale of this bufotenincontaining substance appear to be commonly unenforced. However, a love stone vendor in Richmond, Virginia was charged with sale of a Schedule I substance and pled guilty in March, 2008 (see Style Weekly article).

U.S. STATE LAW #

Arizona #
Wild toads may not be possessed, sold, imported, traded, or released. Bufo marinus is subject to hunting restrictions. (see A.R.S. 17-306).

California #
Bufo marinus is designated a "species of special concern" by California's Department of Fish and Game - a formal recognition of their endangered status. This offers very limited legal protection, but may impact development in their native habitat. (see CDFG Bufo avlarius page).

New Mexico #
Bufo alvarius is designated "threatened" under New Mexico's Title 19, making it illegal to take, possess, transport, export, sell or offer for sale or ship (see law).

If you have information about the legal status of this substance in any other U.S. state, please let us know.

INTERNATIONAL LAW #
U.K. #
Bufotenine is a Class A substance under English law, but the status of psychoactive toad venom is ambiguous, owing to the fact that it occurs naturally. It is possible that possession of a psychoactive toad could be considered a violation of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. No one has been prosecuted thus far. (see Times Online article for more information.)

If you have information about the legal status of this substance in any other country, please let us know.

CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #

Erowid legal information is a summary of data gathered from site visitors, government documents, websites, and other resources. We are not lawyers and can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided here. We do our best to keep this information correct and up-to-date, but laws are complex and constantly changing. Laws may also vary from one jurisdiction to another (county, state, country, etc)...this list is not comprehensive.

Bufo alvarius:
The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert
by Albert Most Gila, Arizona Summer 1983 To Pat and Quanah Neither the author, illustrator, nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this pamphlet. It is presented solely to further the quest for a fuller understanding of the human experience.

Specialized multi-cellular glands concentrated on the neck and limbs of B. alvarius produce a viscous milky-white venom that contains large amounts of the potent hallucinogen, 5-MEO-DMT. When vaporized by heat and taken into the lungs in the form of smoke, this indole-based alkaloid produces an incredibly intense psychedelic experience of incredibly short duration. There is no hangover or harmful effect. On the contrary, a pleasant psychedelic afterglow appears quite regularly after smoking the venom of B. alvarius, the Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert.

Part One

The Sonoran Desert is a vast irregular-shaped area of some 120,000 square miles. It stretches from southeastern California across the southern half of Arizona and extends south into Sonora, Mexico. The desert rises from sea level to more than 5000 feet as arid lowlands of mesquite and creosote are cut by mountain canyons of oak and sycamore. It is a harsh zone where temperatures can reach 140 F. in the shade and rainfall amounts at as little as five inches per year. One of the most unique inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert is the native toad, Bufo alvarius. Although the genus Bufo includes more than two hundred species of toads, B. alvarius is the only species that exists exclusively within the Sonoran Desert. Unlike most toads, B. alvarius is semi-aquatic and must remain in the vicinity of dependable water in order to survive. Consequently, the principle habitat of this species is within the drainage of permanent rivers and streams of the Sonoran Desert. This delicate desert environment, like most places on earth, has not been overlooked by man in his constant compulsion to manipulate nature. But amazingly enough, the semi-aquatic lifestyle of B. alvarius has coincided quite well with the advance of civilized man. More than one thousand years ago, the Hohokam Indians began diverting water from the Gila River in order to irrigate the arid soil. Working with sticks and stones these primal people pioneered an extensive system of desert agriculture. Their original network of canals has been expanded for centuries and now irrigates more than 1.5 million acres of the Sonoran Desert. This is equivalent to regularly flooding an area of arid land about half the size of the state of Connecticut. The damp wet desert fields meet man's increasing needs and simultaneously provide a permanent niche in the ecosystem for B. alvarius, the semi-aquatic toad of the Sonoran Desert. B. alvarius is nocturnal and remains underground throughout the day, escaping the extreme temperatures with the strategy of subterranean life. At dusk, these desert toads leave their hidden recesses and congregate in damp wet areas near springs

and streams, in fields irrigated for agriculture, or in temporary pools left after heavy rains. The breeding season, May through July, is the period of greatest activity for B. alvarius. Large healthy toads can easily be gathered after dark using a flashlight and a cloth collection bag.
You won't have any trouble identifying B. alvarius. It is the largest native North American species of toad. In terms of snout-to-vent length, B. alvarius requires a minimum of three inches for sexual maturity, although breeding adults continue to grow up to seven inches in length. This desert dweller is of stout build with a squat body and a flat broad head. The skin is smooth and leathery, sparsely covered with pale orange warts, and can change considerably from a dark brown to olive or grayish green. The belly is cream colored and usually unmarked. There are one to four prominent round white warts at the corner of the mouth. But, by far, the most identifying characteristic of B. alvarius is the presence of large granular glands on the neck and limbs. The granular glands are specialized multi-cellular concentrations of tissue. The most prominent of these is the pair of large kidney-shaped parotoid glands located one on each side of the neck, over and behind the tympanum. Enlarged and elongated glands on the outside of each hind leg, between the knee and thigh, are called femorals. Similarly, the tibeals are long glands, or a line of shorter ones, that run the full length between the knee and ankle. An additional gland concentration can be found on each of the forearms.

Each of these glands consists of many oval-shaped lobules about two millimeters in diameter. Each lobule is an individual unit with a duct that emerges onto the skin as a well-defined, single pore. A double cell layer surrounds each lobule and functions in the synthesis and release of a viscous milky-white venom. The venom from B. alvarius contains a very peculiar and constant spectrum of biogenic amines. Biosynthesis of the amines is accomplished via a genetically regulated enzyme system. The metabolic pathway of B. alvarius is unique within the Animal Kingdom in that it produces large amounts of 5-methoxy indole derivatives. The predominant alkaloid among these, as much as fifteen per cent of the venom by dry weight, is 5- methoxy- N,Ndimethyltryptamine (5-MEO-DMT).

5-MEO-DMT is a potent hallucinogen, psychoactive in man at doses of three to five milligrams. It was first synthesized in 1936, but its mind-expanding effects were not discovered for more than twenty years. Then in 1959, 5-MEO-DMT was identified as the predominant alkaloid in the hallucinogenic snuffs of several tribes in South America. These primal people have long prepared mind-altering snuffs from flowers, seeds, bark, and stems of indigenous plants. In 1968, 5-MEO-DMT was detected in the Animal Kingdom, as well. B. alvarius became notorious as the "psychedelic toad" when its venom was shown to contain enormous amounts of this indole-based alkaloid. Whether extracted from North American toads or South American plants or synthesized in the laboratory, 5-MEO-DMT is an extremely potent hallucinogen. 5-MEO-DMT has ten times the relative potency of dimethyl tryptamine (DMT), the popular synthetic psychedelic drug of the 1960's. It should be mentioned, however, that 5-MEO-DMT differs from DMT in two major ways. First, whereas 5-MEO-DMT has a methoxy group in the 5 position on the indole ring, DMT does not. The presence of this methoxy group greatly increases the lipid solubility of the molecule. This allows 5-MEO-DMT to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and reach sites of action more rapidly than DMT. Secondly, whereas DMT is classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, described by Title 21 of U.S. Code as having "a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use", 5-MEO-DMT is relatively unknown.

Part Two

"A certain man had the good fortune to possess a goose that laid a golden egg every day. But dissatisfied with so slow an income, and thinking to seize the whole treasure at once, he killed the goose; and cutting her open, found her -- just what any other goose would be. " The Goose with the Golden Eggs, by Aesop Half-a-gram to a gram or more of fresh venom can be collected from a large adult specimen of B. alvarius. Half of this weight is water and evaporates upon drying. But, as must as fifteen per cent of the dry weight is the predominant alkaloid, 5-MEO-DMT. In other words, one large toad yielding one gram of fresh venom may equal as much as seventy-five milligrams of potent hallucinogen, psychoactive in man at

doses of three to five milligrams. Fresh venom can easily be collected without harm to the toad. Use a flat glass plate or any other smooth non-porous surface at least twelve inches square. Hold the toad in front of the plate, which is fixed in a vertical position. In this manner, the venom can be collected on the glass plate, free of dirt and liquid released when the toad is handled. When you are ready to begin, hold the toad firmly with one hand and, with thumb and forefinger of your other hand, squeeze near the base of the gland until the venom squirts out of the pores and onto the glass plate. Use this method to systematically collect the venom from each of the toad's granular glands: those on the forearm, those on the tibia and femur of the hind leg and, of course, the parotoids on the neck. Each gland can be squeezed a second time for an additional yield of venom if you allow the toad a one hour rest period. After this, the glands are empty and require four to six weeks for regeneration. The venom is viscous and milky-white in color when first squeezed from the glands. It begins drying within minutes and acquires the color and texture of rubber cement. Scrape the venom from the glass plate, dry it thoroughly, and store it in an airtight container until you are ready to smoke it. The venom from B. alvarius is extremely hallucinogen when vaporized by heat and taken into the lungs in the form of smoke. An adequate dose for a normal adult of average size is a piece of dried venom about the size of a paper match head. Shave it into thin slices with a razor blade and put the pieces in a clean one-toke pipe fitted with a brass screen. Designate this pipe strictly for smoking toad venom, as the accumulation of residue in the bowl and condensation of vapors within the stem can yield an unintentional high with other smoking materials. Apply a suitable flame and smoke the contents of the bowl in one complete inhalation. Try to hold the smoke in your lungs as long as possible as the

effectiveness will depend largely on the full dose being absorbed in one breath. Within thirty seconds, there will be an onset of almost overwhelming psychedelic effects. You will be completely absorbed in a complex chemical event characterized by an overload of thoughts and perception, brief collapse of the EGO, and loss of the space-time continuum. Relax, breathe regularly, and flow with the experience. After two to three minutes, the initial intensity fades to a pleasant LSD-like sensation in which visual illusions, hallucinations, and perceptual distortions are common. You may sense a distortion in your perceived body image or notice the world shrinking or expanding. You may notice that colors seem brighter and more beautiful than usual. And, most likely, you will experience a euphoric mood interspersed with bursts of unmotivated laughter. This ineffable episode is of extremely short duration. The hallucinogenic effects dissipate rapidly and the entire psychedelic cycle is completed within fifteen minutes. There is no hangover or harmful effect. On the contrary, a pleasant psychedelic afterglow appears quite regularly and may last several hours to several days after smoking the venom of B. alvarius, the Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert.
Important Considerations

Every psychedelic experience is chiefly a function of set and setting, of preparation and environment. The better prepared you are, the better the experience will be for you. Consider the following instructions:

Smoke the venom fairly early in the day on an empty but not starving stomach. Do not drink any alcohol or take any drugs or medication prior to smoking the venom. Provide a comfortable setting which is as free as possible from unforeseen distractions and intrusions. Make sure you will not be disturbed for at least thirty minutes. Be comfortably seated or prone prior to inhaling the vapors.

Enjoy your trip!

Recommended Reading

The Handbook for the Serious Toad Collector, by Albert Most Everything you could possibly want to know about the "psychedelic toad" is covered in this illustrated guide to B. alvarius. Beginning with the mating call and mounting clasp, the author details the metamorphosis of B. alvarius through egg and tadpole stages up to the mature adult. A special section on induced ovulation and tadpole culturing describes how the serious toad collector can, at any time, induce spawning in pet toads and insure insemination of the 8000 eggs laid by the adult female. Peganum harmala: The Hallucinogenic Herb of the American Southwest, by Albert Most The psychoactive alkaloids present in P. harmala have such extraordinary effects that they have earned the name "telepathines." The author presents an illustrated guide to the history, botany, chemistry, cultivation, preparation, use, and effects of this most unusual hallucinogenic plant. Eros and the Pineal, by Albert Most This unusual do-it-yourself guide details the manipulation of normal biogenic amines in the human brain. The author presents a safe and effective procedure for increasing the concentration of pineal serotonin, blocking its normal enzymatic inactivation, and shifting pineal catabolism towards the production of endogenous hallucinogens. Fully illustrated and highly recommended.

NOTES: The author is saying that 500mg of dried venom times 15% equals 75mg of 5-MeODMT per toad. However, the average yield of dried venom per toad, regardless of its size, is generally 250mg when all the glands are milked twice. Additionally, it's a good possibility that as much as 25% of the venom will contain 5-MeO-DMT which would equate to 62.5mg of 5-MeO-DMT per average toad. Please take additional note, however, that the amount of 5-MeO-DMT in any one toad varies quite considerably and could possibly be less than 25% or even 15%. Therefore, it is important to milk as many toads as possible and to combine and mix the venom as thoroughly as possible in order to standardize the dose. This is most easily done by collecting all the venom in the same spot on a glass plate, and then chopping it all up together with a razor blade at the end of the night before the venom is almost completely dry. Once the venom has thoroughly dried, you should blend it further into a uniform consistency by crushing the venom into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, or some similar device. Store the venom frozen in a container that blocks out light, such as a film canister for long-term storage. Condensation usually occurs when you take the container out of the freezer, so leave it sealed until it warms up.

Unfortunately, everyone agrees that The Handbook for the Serious Toad Collector was never published, despite having been listed in a couple of places as available. However, the information it would have contained can be found here. For those interested in the induction of breeding activity by experimental means and under laboratory conditions, outside of the normal breeding season, please see the information here.

MAIL ORDER T-SHIRTS image courtesy of Thomas Lyttle.

At one time, "The author welcomes all correspondence. Write: Al Box 2863 Denton, Texas 76202" This address, and Venom Press no longer exist.

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Bufo alvarius

Note: O-methylbufotenine is 5-MeO-DMT. (See the information below regarding chemical nomenclature.) 5-Methoxy- and 5-Hydroxy-Indolealkylamines in the Skin of Bufo alvarius By Erspamer, Vittorio, T. Vitali, M. Roseghini, and Jose M. Cei Experientia 1965 21:504. And 5-Methoxy- and 5-Hydroxyindoles in the Skin of Bufo alvarius By Erspamer, Vittorio, T. Vitali, M. Roseghini, and Jose M. Cei Biochemical Pharmacology 1967 16:1149-1164. Abstract: The skin of Bufo alvarius, a desert toad of Arizona, contains a number of indolealkylamines and their metabolites belonging to the common series of 5-hydroxy-indolealkylamines and to the unusual series of 5-methoxyindolealkylamines. The most abundant representative of 5-hydroxyindolealkylamines is, as in numerous other toads, bufotenine (up to 3 mg per g dry skin), the most abundant representative of 5methoxyindolealkylamines, O-methylbufotenine. In parotoid and coxal glands as much as 515 per cent of the dry weight is made up of this compound. Natural O-methyl-bufotenine has been isolated in a pure form and its identity with synthetic O-methyl-bufotenine definitely established. The B. alvarius skin presents three sulphur-containing indolealkylamines: one is

bufoviridine, the well known O-sulphate of bufotenine, the other two are completely new compounds with sulphuric acid probably attached to the > NH group of the indole nucleus. All hitherto described metabolites arising from the oxidative deamination of 5-hydroxy- and 5-methoxy-indolealkylamines may be found in the B. alvarius skin: 5-hydroxytryptophol, 5hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 5-methoxytryptophol and 5-methoxy-indoleacetic acid. The occurrence of the above compounds points to the necessary presence in B. alvarius skin of a number of enzymes: tryptophan 5-hydroxylase, catalysing the formation of 5hydroxytryptophan, aromatic L-aminoacid decarboxylase producing the decarboxylation of 5-hydroxytryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptamine, N-methyl and O-methyl-indolealkylamines, and finally sulphoconjugases catalysing the linkage of sulphuric acid to the 5-hydroxy group and the > NH group of the indole nucleus. The exceptionally rich sample card of indolealkylamines in the skin of B. alvarius seems of interest not only from the point of view of comparative biochemistry, but also from that of comparative enzymology and biochemical taxonomy. From page 1157: Table 5. The Content of Bufotenine and O-Methylbufotenine in the Skin of the Individual Examined specimens of Bufo alvarius (G = large cutaneous glands; RS = remaining skin)
Bufotenine Toad (mg base/g dry tissue) G I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X [XI - missing] XII XIII XIV 1.4 2.0 0.4 0.2 2.2 0.5 50 70 130 1.0 0.9 4.0 2.2 1.1 0.9 2.5 5.0 3.5 0.8 3.2 1.4 0.9 RS 1.5 2.1 0.3 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.6 (mg base/g dry tissue) G 70 140 85 65 90 105 50 85 105 140 RS 2.7 2.6 1.0 2.3 1.7 2.0 2.3 1.7 3.0 1.5 O-Methylbufotenine

XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI

0.35 0.3 0.5 <0.1 <0.2 <0.2 <.0.2

0.75 0.55 1.2 0.17 0.62 0.50 0.87

105 150 130 50 125 120 90

2.0 2.2 3.5 0.6 0.42 0.75 0.5

Commentary: This the Grandfather of all Bufo alvarius psychoactivity research which established the level of bufotenine contained in this toads venom to be up to 3 mg/ g dry skin, and the level of 5-MeO-DMT (O-methylbufotenine) contained in the venom to be as much as 5-15mg/g dry skin. It is important to note that in this study, the material examined was the ENTIRE parotoid gland and the venom contained within it. Had they simply extracted the venom and tested it alone, I believe they would have found the presence of 5-MeO-DMT to be greater than 5-15% and the presence of bufotenine to be greater than 3%, even though they did find that these substances also exist in the skin itself. Additionally, the researchers only used twenty-one toads in their study and the level of compounds varied dramatically from one toad to the next. Their results from the twenty values give an average of 9.8% of 5-MeO-DMT per gram of dried skin. While the actual level of 5-MeO-DMT contained in the venom may be somewhat higher than this study concluded, the variability in the amount of this compound present in any toad's venom may render this conclusion irrelevant in practicality. One may never be completely sure how much of the active compounds are actually present in any given dose. (See Table 5) That's one basic problem with all natural sources of drugs, the potency varies greatly. This is even more of an issue for 5-MeO-DMT, since the dose is an important variable. Therefore, it is important to milk as many toads as possible and to combine and mix the venom as thoroughly as possible in order to standardize the dose. This is most easily done by collecting all the venom in the same spot on a glass plate, and then chopping it all up together with a razor blade at the end of the night before the venom is almost completely dry. Once the venom has thoroughly dried, you should blend it further into a uniform consistency by crushing the venom into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, or some similar device. Store the venom frozen in a container that blocks out light, such as a film canister for longterm storage. Condensation usually occurs when you take the container out of the freezer, so leave it sealed until it warms up.

The following compounds were identified in Bufo alvarius venom using paper chromatography: N,N-dimethyl-5-hydroxytrytamine; bufotenine N,N-dimethyl-5-methoxytrytamine; O-methylbufotenine; (5-methoxy-N,Ndimethyltrypamine; 5-MeO-DMT) 5-methoxytryptophol 5-methoxyindoleacetic acid 5-hydroxytryptophol 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid N-methyl-5-methoxytryptamine N-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine bufoviridine; N,N-dimethyl-5-hydroxytrytamine-O-sulfate 5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT; serotonin; enteramine; thrombocytin; thrombotonin N-methyl-serotonin tryptophan bufotalindin; hellebrigenin; (a bufogenin - cardioactive sterol) Also of note: "So far, 5-methoxyindoles have been described only in some South American vegetables and, in animals, only in the pineal gland of mammals and birds." p.1161 Also see the "textfiles" on Toad Toxins by David G. Spoerke, M.S., RPh., 1986

And also see Shulgin's TiHKAL, #19. 5-HO-DMT - bufotenine - as hosted on Erowid. ##### From Bob Wallace: The following expressions all describe the same substance: 3-{2-Dimethylaminoethyl}-5-methoxondole; N,N-Dimethyl-5-methoxytryptamine; 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine; 5-MeO-DMT; O-methylbufotenine Different nomenclature exists because Chemists are also humans, and so chemical names evolve over time the same as for other names. Think of all the different names for dried cannabis (marijuana, pot, kind bud, etc.), or many other common things (car=auto=automobile). Often shorter words replace longer words or phrases, kind of "linguistic laziness". Of the names above, I think the first is based on a standard way of naming chemicals, kind of the formal name. The second and third is the full, everyday name. The forth is an abbreviated form of the second and third. The fifth is an alternate name. All these names are descriptive, and generally there are many ways to describe things. For example, the second and third names are like "the red, metal ball" or "the metal, red ball". In the context of a discussion, one might be more clear by emphasizing one aspect of the molecule, such as "The N,N-dimethyltryptamine family includes the variations 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine as well as 5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (bufotenine), and 4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (psilocin)." - Bob Wallace (just my opinion)

And from Roswell: Chemical nomenclature is often quite complicated. It is always much simpler to draw out the substances. I believe tryptamine is an indole ring with (-CH2CH2NH2) at the 3 position and (-OMe) at the 5 position. The dimethyl analog has two methyl groups attached to the same

nitrogen (hence N,N). But, if you're not an organic chemist, that won't make much sense to you. See Bufo alvarius venom Bibliography
RELATED RESOURCES #

Bufo alvarius Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad by Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil In Ancient Mesoamerica 1992 3 (1): 51-59. And Bufo alvarius: A Potent Hallucinogen of Animal Origin by Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil in Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1994 41 (1-2): 1-8. Abstract: Anthropologists have long speculated that ancient peoples of Mesoamerica used a toad, Bufo marinus, as a ritual intoxicant. This hypothesis rests on many iconographic and mythological representations of toads and on a number of speculative ethnographic reports. The authors reject B. marinus as a candidate for such use because of the toxicity of its venom. A more likely candidate is the Sonoran desert toad, Bufo alvarius, which secretes large amounts of the potent known hallucinogen, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). The authors demonstrate that the venom of B. alvarius, although known to be toxic when consumed orally, may be safely smoked and is powerfully psychoactive by that route of administration. These experiments are the first documentation of an hallucinogenic agent from the animal kingdom, and they provide clear evidence of a psychoactive toad that could have been employed by Precolumbian peoples of the New World.

Davis and Weil self-experiment with the venom and record their results: Both of us had previously smoked synthetic 5-MeO-DMT and were familiar with its effects. When we burned the venom we found the odor and taste of the smoke to resemble closely the very distinctive odor and taste of the pure compound. We prepared for administration a small chip of dried venom, the size of a paper match head. Within 15 seconds of a single deep inhalation of the vaporized material, both of us experienced pronounced psychoactive effects. We recorded our impressions as follows: In comparison to the pure compounds the toad venom appears longer lasting and, because

one does not completely lose contact with reality, far more pleasant, even sensual. Shortly after inhalation I experienced warm flushing sensations, a sense of wonder and well-being, strong auditory hallucinations, which included an insect-cicada sound that ran across my mind and seemed to link my body to the earth. Though I was indoors, there was a sense of the feel of the earth, the dry desert soil passing through my fingers, the stars at midday, the scent of cactus and sage, the feel of dry leaves through hands. Strong visual hallucinations in orblike brilliance, diamond patterns that undulated across my visual field. The experience was in every sense pleasant, with no disturbing physical symptoms, no nausea, perhaps a slight sense of increased heart rate. Warm waves coursed up and down my body. The effects lasted only a few minutes but a pleasant afterglow continued for almost an hour. (Wade Davis, personal observation, January 12, 1991) Profound alteration of consciousness within a few seconds of exhaling. I relax into a deep, peaceful interior awareness. There is nothing scary about the effects and no sense of toxicity. I try to describe my feeling but am unable to talk for the first five minutes and then only with some difficultly. This is a powerful psychoactive drug, one that I think would appeal to most people who like the effects of hallucinogens. For the next hour I feel slow and velvety, with a slight pressure in my head. No long-lasting effects to report. (Andrew T. Weil, personal observation, January 12, 1991) We repeated the experiment with a sample of venom collected two years earlier in Gila County, Arizona. This material had been kept in a closed vial at room temperature. It had darkened over time but was quite active.

Bufo alvarius Bufotenine

The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, September 2001 Pharmanopo-Psychonautics: Human Intranasal, Sublingual, Intrarectal, Pulmonary and Oral Pharmacology of Bufotenine by Jonathan Ott In a previous paper on pharmahuasca psychonautics, modeling ayahuasca or Banisteriopsis caapi (Spr. ex Griseb.) Mort. (Malpighiaceae) potions via self-experiments with pure harmine and DMT or N,N-dimethyltryptamine (Ott 1999; 1994), I noted that Holmstedt and Lindgren had originally proposed in the context of shamanic snuffs what I called the "ayahuasca effect" activation of the orally inactive (and, presumably, also intranasallyinactive) DMT by concomitant administration of monoamine-oxidase inhibiting (MAOI) beta-carbolines, mainly harmine - later extended to encompass also orally-ingested

ayahuasca potions in its purview. These chemists found all but one of six South American snuffs to contain tryptamines, whereas a Piaroa parica snuff also contained harmine; a Surdra epna snuff only beta-carbolines (Holmstedt & Lindgren 1967; Bernauer 1964); likewise a Tucano paric snuff (Biocca et al. 1964). Since snuff tryptamines appeared (erroneously) to be nonpsychoactive intranasally (Turner & Merlis 1959), Holmstedt and Lindgren (1967: 365) conjectured that beta-carbolines in the snuffs could potentiate the action of the simple indoles." (Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 273 Volume 33 (3), July - September 2001) In my pharmahuasca study, this ingenious theory was effectively confirmed in human beings, with respect to orally ingested ayahuasca potions, and I noted that the snuffs which originally inspired it had been all but forgotten, but were also being studied psychonautically. In this second of four related papers, I report psychonautic bioassays of pharmaopo, modeling shamanic snuffs containing principally the recondite tryptamine bufotenine; the third paper will model snuffs based on its Omethyl congener, 5-MeO-DMT (Ott In press); the last Nicotiana snuffs containing principally nicotine as psychoactive agent. Despite homology of their active principles, shamanic snuffs containing bufotenine and 5MeO-DMT constitute distinct topics. The latter are far more restricted geographically and culturally than the former. While there is almost no published human pharmacology on 5MeO-DMT (albeit it is well established as a psychoptic, or visionary agent), the converse obtains for bufotenine, commonly said to lack visionary psychoactivity, although there are five published reports on its human pharmacology. I use the term shamanic snuffs because in most cultures they are employed only by shamans, generally as an aid to divination, although in some, such as many Waikd (Yanomam) tribes of Venezuela and Brazil, they are also used frequently in nonritual contexts by many or most male adults; for other Waiks, shamanic snuffs are also used in hunting, as dart-poisons. Extensive historical, phytochemical and entheobotanical detail on these snuffs can be found in my book Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines (Ott 2001). Nopo and yopo are generic terms mostly applicable scientifically to snuffs derived from ground seeds of Anadenanthera peregrina (L.) Speg. var. peregrina v. Reis Alt. (Leguminosae), which are of broad historical and contemporary use in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (Torres 1996), and historical use in the Greater Antilles, as cohoba. Related snuffs most commonly known as cebl or vilca, based on ground seeds of A. colubrina (Vel.) Bren. var. Cebil (Griseb.) v. Reis Alt., were once common in the Peruvian montaa and south Andean region, and are still used in the Chaco of Bolivia/Paraguay/Argentina, where they are best known as hatj (Torres & Repke 1996). There is strong evidence that shamanic snuffs (and enemas) were also prepared from Anadenanthera leaves, perhaps an obsolete practice.

Anadenanthera snuffs are often known as paric, a word I avoid, being a generic term for South American shamanic snuffs, also applied to those derived from barks of diverse Virola species (Myristicaceae), which are the subject of my third paper (Ott In press; see also de Smet 1985a, b). Nopo being the best-known term for Anadenanthera snuffs, and in keeping with pharmahuasca (my neologism for ayahuasca analogues using pure alkaloids, which has achieved broad acceptance), I denominate Anadenanthera snuff analogues pharmaopo. There are a handful of published reports of psychonautic bioassays of Anadenanthera snuffs prepared from both species. Pags Larraya (1959) made extensive tests of his own powder of crushed, toasted seeds of A. colubrina var. Cebil, and described depersonalization and experiences of "some mystery surpassing known limits ... consubstantial with consciousness of the numinous." Snuff expert C.M. Torres and I had tested our own preparations of cebilseed snuff from material we collected in Argentina; I experienced "sinuous, multihued, arabesque patterns, first viewed behind closed eyes, then on a stuccoed wall in a darkened hallway, at length even on surfaces ... illuminated via a skylight by the crepuscular, desert sun" (Ott 1995). Using the same material, Rtsch (1996) gave a compelling account of his fantastic visionary experience, accompanied by drawings of sinuous, pre-Columbian art motifs from Mxico and Peru which he likened to his cebil-snuff visions. Finally, Castillo (1997) described his insufflation of a yopo snuff prepared by a Venezuelan Piaroa shaman (probably from A. peregrina var. peregrina seeds), after having chewed a piece of cap liana (doubtless Banisteriopsis caapi). This provoked a bizarre shamanic experience of hyperaesthesia and hallucinations, leading the author to speculate on possible "emergence of a sixth sense." Considerable chemical work on Anadenanthera shows conclusively and consistently that bufotenine is the only significant alkaloid in mature seeds of both species used for snuffs (Torres & Repke 1996; de Smet & Rivier 1987; Sdvio Nunes et al. 1987; Rend6n 1984; Schultes et al. 1977; Yamasato 1972; Chagnon, Le Quesne & Cook 1971; Fellows & Bell 1971; Holmstedt & Lindgren 1967; Paris, Saint-Firmin & Etchepare 1967; lacobucci & Rdveda 1964; Giesbrecht 1960; Pachter, Zacharias & Ribeiro 1959; Alvares Pereira 1957; Fish, Johnson & Horning 1955; Stromberg 1954). Up to 7.4% bufotenine has been found in seeds of A. peregrina var. peregrina, only 0.04% 5-MeO-DMT and 0.16% DMT; 12.4% bufotenine in A. colubrina var. Cebil, with but 0.06% and traces of both tryptamines, respectively. Seven studies of 15 samples of Anadenanthera snuffs likewise showed bufotenine to be the only tryptamine present in significant amounts (up to 2.67%, with only traces of 5-MeO-DMT and DMT) (Torres et al. 1991; de Smet & Rivier 1985; Schultes et al. 1977; De Budowski et al. 1974; Holmstedt & Lindgren 1967; MariniBettblo, Delle Monache & Biocca 1964; Fish, Johnson & Horning 1955). Inasmuch as there is virtually no pharmacological information on bufotenine (or other natural tryptamines) as errhine or snuff, I investigated intranasal pharmacology of this snuff tryptamine. All bioassays were conducted by myself only, outside of the United States, using bufotenine free-base I isolated

from Anadenanthera seeds I likewise had collected. In spite of bufotenine's Schedule I status in the United States, no laws were violated, neither technically nor de facto, in the course of this research - evidently only in the U.S. is bufotenine illicit; all chemical and psychonautic work was conducted in countries in which bufotenine is not a controlled substance.

ON ETHICS AND PSYCHONAUTICS The term psychonauts was first coined in German (Psychonauten) by Ernst Jiffiger, in his logbook of pharmacological voyages in inner space - which he named the psychocosmos (Ringer 1970). Of late the term psychonautic bioassay, to refer to self-experiments with psychotropic drugs, has gained currency, and I here employ the substantive psychonautics in characterizing such research. Some might regard this to be a euphemism for getting stoned, mayhap with justice in some cases, such as its common use by basement shamans (popularized as the name of a botanical supply firm in Illinois) to describe non-novel, unstructured and uncontrolled (and generally unreported) ingestion of psychotropic agents. On the other hand, amateur reports posted on the Internet or in publications like The Entheogen Review can be valuable sources of human pharmacological data, albeit requiring winnowing of precious little wheat from abundant chaff. Moreover, psychonautic bioassays have proven invaluable in phytochemical investigation of visionary compounds. Although alkaloids had first been isolated a decade before from pyotl, Lophophora williamsii (Lem.) Coult. (Cactaceae), self-experiments by Arthur Heffter in 1897 were required to determine that mescaline was the main visionary agent. Based on animal assays, Sandoz Ltd. pharmacologists had in 1938 rejected LSD as lacking interest, but intuition led Albert Hofmann to resynthesize the compound in 1943, provoking its accidental ingestion and his subsequent psychonautic bioassay, hence the discovery of one of the most potent drugs known. Hofmann later found animal assays useless to guide the isolation of visionary compounds from Psilocybe mexicana Heim (Agaricaceae) and Turbina corymbosa (L.) Raf. (Convolvulaeae). Although in both cases other groups had a head-start, Hofmann alone was successful (finding psilocybine/psilocine and lysergic acid amides, respectively), thanks to his use of psychonautic bioassays. While salvinorin A was isolated pursuant to animal assays, it had previously been found during research on novel terpenoids, and a decade passed before basement shamans demonstrated conclusively it was the visionary agent of Salvia divinorum Epl. et Jativa (Labiatae) (Siebert 1994). Insofar as animal assays have proven ineffective in some areas of research on visionary compounds, the ethics of their use is dubious. This goes double for many types of research on so-called drugs of abuse, given the fact that these are studied owing to their human popularity, pursuant to their subjective effects. Some proponents of purportedly objective double-blind animal research dismiss psychonautic bioassays as being subjective, although

this is fundamental to scientific interest in many "abused" drugs. As Shulgin and Shulgin (1991) have argued, ethics dictate that the researcher her- or himself be the first to ingest a novel, putative psychotropic drug, and that subsequent human testing be conducted only with fully-informed volunteers advised as to the identity of the compound, its dose, and the nature of effects already experienced. The Shulgins denominate such secondary testing "double conscious" (after Gordon Alles), and characterize double-blind studies in these cases as "pointless" and "verg[ing] upon the unethical." In countries where a particular drug is illegal (i.e., bufotenine in the U.S.), it might he argued that any testing of it is unethical absent official authorization, although I would maintain it would still be ethical to test it on oneself (albeit perforce entailing criminal possession). Even in the case of a completely novel compound, whether natural or artificial, any human ingestion or even its intent, is illegal in the U.S. under the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986. As Shulgin (1992) remarked: "Explicit approval or exemption from the FDA must now precede legal human research with new drugs."

MATERIALS AND METHODS Bufotenine free-base was isolated and purified as described below, from a mixed collection of A. colubrina var. Cebil gathered in Salta, Argentina, of which representative specimens were botanically vouchered. Harmine hydrochloride dihydrate and harmaline hydrochloride dihydrate were obtained from Acros Organics of Geel, Belgium. Reagent-grade solvents were utilized in the extraction of bufotenine. Cebib-seed snuff was prepared by lightly toasting, then triturating to a coarse powder, freshly collected seeds (with addition of reagent-grade sodium bicarbonate as a drying agent to facilitate finer pulverization, and in emulation of shamanic use of ashes or lime in Anadenanthera snuffs). Snuff analogues were made by finely pulverizing (and in some cases mixing) the crystalline alkaloids. In snuff bioassays, I first washed my nose with saline solution, which was exsufflated followed by drying with tissue. Alkaloids were insufflated bilaterally through a short glass tube, after which I reclined until the peak effects were perceived, at times elevating my head to ensure the material did not enter my throat. For sublingual bioassays, the alkaloids were again finely powdered on a glassine weighing paper from which they were dropped under my tongue, which was first lowered to smear them around, after which I would recline with my head propped up, my tongue positioned in the back of my mouth to obviate salivary dilution, again until experiencing peak effects. Oral experiments involved simply swallowing the encapsulated alkaloids. For inhaled-vapor tests, bufotenine was weighed on a square of heavy-gauge aluminum foil subsequently fashioned as a ball, into the opening of which the flared end of a female ball-jointed glass tube would just fit. The material was vaporized over

an alcohol lamp, and the vapor retained for 45-60 seconds. Both foil and tube were later weighed to ensure I had absorbed the entire dose. The bufotenine suppositories (in pharmaceutical cocoa butter) were simply inserted intrarectally. Careful notes were made of each experiment. At least a full day passed between bioassays. My aim was always to ascertain the threshold dose for unmistakable visionary effects (auditory and visual), so to minimize subjectivity in evaluating the results - the threshold can be noted accurately, whereas comparing stronger effects implies subjective guesswork. Visionary effects of insufflated bufotenine were verified by one colleague well experienced with Anadenanthera snuff, those of vaporized bufotenine by several volunteers. As yet, effects of sublingual, oral and intrarectal bufotenine are unreplicated.

SUBJECTIVE EFFECTS OF VISIONARY TRYPTAMINES Although visionary or psychoptic effects (generally colorful and luminous patterns, either geometric or arabesque; at times also substantive visions) are characteristic of psychoactive tryptamines, for me these are not prominent, in contrast to auditory effects (usually highpitched tinnitus and a much greater perceptive prominence of the auditory sense) which in turn acquires higher discrimination and resolution of actual sound sources, hence more "depth." Truly physical effects are barely perceptible, although bodily perception may be altered. Euphoria is the best word to describe its effect on mood, although some people experience rather anxiety and dysphoria. For me, there are no after-effects; far from a "crash" or depression, I always feel stronger and healthier after (and during) the experience. There is so much variation among individuals in the effects of any given tryptamine that it is futile to generalize further. The pharmacodynamics of bufotenine by distinct routes is discussed below.

ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF BUFOTENINE FREE-BASE Coarse-ground powder of 125g of seeds of A. colubrina var. Cebil was stirred twice for eight hours in 500 ml of 96% ethanol 1% tartaric acid, the combined filtrates concentrated to 150 ml and diluted with 200 ml water in a separatory-funnel, causing precipitation of considerable fat. The pH was adjusted to 3-4 with concentrated hydrochloric acid, and the solution defatted by shaking six times with chloroform, which was set aside. The defatted extract was basified to pH 8-9 with ammonium hydroxide, then again extracted eight times with 200 ml chloroform; the combined chloroform extracts were concentrated to a foamy, yellowish oil that dissolved completely in 50 ml hot ethyl acetate, then concentrated to 15 ml and refrigerated overnight. In the morning there were a brace of minuscule rosettes of dark-

brownish crystals growing at the base of the flask, which was alternated between periods under refrigeration and standing unstoppered at room temperature during 48 hours, leading to the formation of large masses (some greater than 1cm) of dark-brownish, prismatic crystals. The mother-liquor was decanted and the crystalline mass rinsed with cold ethyl acetate dried over magnesium sulfate, then dried under reduced pressure to yield 4.1 g of large, free-flowing, sparkling brownish crystals. These were twice recrystallized from dry ethyl acetate, yielding 3.87 g of off-white bufotenine free-base crystals (3. 10%), m.p. 125126 C. Despite loss of chromophores on recrystallizations, the melting point remained 124126. Six reports of isolated bufotenine free-base, from Amanita citrina (Schaef.) Gray (Agaricaceae) (Wieland & Motzel 1953) and Anadenanthera species (Rendn 1984; lacobucci & Rdveda 1964; Pachter, Zacharias & Ribeiro 1959; Alvares Pereira 1957; Stromberg 1954-yields reported were from 0.94-7.4% for A. peregrina to 0.5-2.1 % for A. colubrina), disclosed two crystalline isoforms from ethyl acetate, one melting from [123]124-126[-129] C, the other 146-147[-150] C. Two reports of synthetic material disclosed a third isoform, with melting points of 138-140 C (Stoll et al. 1955); and again 146-147 C (Speeter & Anthony 1954). In all cases involving the lower-melting-point isoforms, repeated purification did not alter the melting point, although Iacobucci and Rdveda (1964), upon seeding a recrystallization-solution of their lower melting point isoform (123-124 C) with crystals having m.p. 146-147 C, got only crystals of the latter type, which operation was not reversible. By manipulating conditions of recrystallization from ethyl acetate, I was able to generate crystals melting at 145-147 C, and confirmed Iacobucci and RtIveda's observation. DMT free-base from hexane likewise exists as at least three isoforms, melting points from 44-74 C having been reported, and Fish, Johnson and Horning (1956) replicated the irreversible transformation of a lower-melting-point isoform (47-49 C) into a highermelting-point isoform (71-73 C). Identity and purity of isolated bufotenine were verified by mass-spectral analysis and thin-layer chromatographic comparison with an authentic sample in several solvent systems.

BUFOTENINE-INTRANASAL PSYCHONAUTICS (BN) Nine bioassays (BN-I through BN-IX, with dosages of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, and 100 mg, respectively) established the visionary parameters of intranasal bufotenine. Insufflating 40 mg bufotenine free-base in BN-V led me to the visionary threshold, while even 5, 10, 20 and 30 mg (BN1 through BN-IV) were perceptibly psychoactive in every case, with closedeye luminosity and scintillation commencing at 20 mg (BN-III); whereas 30 mg in BN-IV was barely subthreshold. The following pharmacodynamics are characteristic at 40 mg (0.57 mg/kg): first sign of activity, acouasm (tinnitus) at five minutes; clear tryptaminic body effects at 25 minutes; peak between 35 and 40 minutes; unmistakable diminution by 50 minutes; and evanescent after effects up to 90 minutes. Like cebil-seeds snuffed and smoked, intranasal bufotenine is throughout quite physically relaxing; in no case was there facial

rubescence, nor any discomfort nor disesteeming side-effect. BN-VI through BN-VIII (50, 60, 80 mg) gave progressively stronger effects with similar pharmacodynamics. In BN-IX (100 mg; 1.43 mg/kg), colored patterns with eyes closed presented at 15 minutes, much as I had experienced with ground cebil-seed snuff in Chile. Inasmuch as shamanic snuffs are often combined with beta-carboline containing Banisteriopsis liana powder (Ott 2001), BNX through BN-XIII involved combinations of bufotenine freebase with both harmine and harmaline, as hydrochloride dihydrate salts (all beta-carboline doses are given as free-base equivalents). Previous research with 5-MeO-DMT and beta-carbolines, which will be reported forthwith (Ott In press), had established that even minuscule doses of harmine and harmaline effectively doubled the intranasal potency of this tryptamine, with as little as 3.7mg (0.05 mg/kg) halving the visionary threshold dose. This proved to be the case for bufotenine as well. In BN-XII, for instance, 50 mg bufotenine (0.71 mg/kg) insufflated with 7.5 mg harmine (0.11 mg/kg) proved to be more potent than 80 mg plain bufotenine (BNVIII) and roughly commensurate with 100 mg (BN-IX). While bufotenine decidedly has the tryptamine signature, its psychoptic effects are unique and eminently distinguishable from those of DMT or 5-MeO-DMT. In the first place, some are evident only in low-light conditions, and might be missed in darkness, such as a shimmery "magical varnish" (to borrow Baudelaire's bon mot) over the world, which seems to breathe, accompanied as this is by susurrant and synaesthetic psithurism, and occasionally a sudden and dramatic dimming of the visual field, as though the starting of a heavy motor had dropped line-voltage and dimmed the lights. On the other hand, at the highest doses tested, there are swirling, colored patterns typical of tryptamines, tending toward the arabesque, whereas for me at very high doses of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, geometric psychoptic patterns sometimes manifest. With bufotenine there is also an occasional and curious "strobe -effect" in low light, which I have never experienced with either of its visionary congeners.

BUFOTENINE-SUBLINGUAL PSYCHONAUTICS (BS) Like 5-MeO-DMT, sublingual bufotenine proved to be Equipotent with intranasal ingestion, having virtually the same pharmacodynamics, and likewise susceptible to doubling of potency with similar doses of beta-carbolines. In BS-II, 50 mg bufotenine (0.71 mg/kg) plus 7.5 mg harmaline (0. 11 mg/kg), was considerably stronger than BS-I (50 mg bufotenine neat) and roughly equipotent with BN-XII (50 mg bufotenine plus 7.5 mg harmine, intranasally).

BUFOTENINE-ORAL PSYCHONAUTICS (BO)

There are various reports of oral ingestion of Anadenanthera seeds, whether as a simple masticatory or as an additive to alcoholic chichas, ranging from the Peruvian montaa to central Argentina, and from the epoch of the conquest to the twentieth century. Both Hofmann (1999: 1963) and Isbell (in correspondence to Wassn & Holmstedt 1963) had reported that bufotenine was inactive orally. Hofmann, based on personal bioassays of up to a 50 mg dose (ca. 0.8 mg/kg); Isbell referring vaguely to "doses running up to 100 mg (total dose)," implying that this amount was given fractionally, without specifying individual doses. In BO-I, I ingested 100mg bufotenine free-base (1.43 mg/kg) encapsulated, to preclude any contact with my buccal mucosa - this dose was most decidedly psychoactive. The first activity, tinnitus, manifested at 20 minutes, developed slowly and lasted some two hours. The peak was attained at one hour 30 minutes with all the classic tryptaminic bodily sensations and mild psychoptic effects, but absent colored patterns. In BO-II, I swallowed a capsule containing 20 mg bufotenine (0.28 mg/kg) plus 40 mg harmaline (0.57mg/kg) I'd already established per pharmahuasca bioassays such quantity orally activated DMT for me, although I am a low-MAO phenotype, and most require about 50% more) this proved to be nearly as potent as BO-I, with virtually identical pharmacodynamics.

INHALED-VAPOR BUFOTENINE PSYCHONAUTICS (BV) Both species of Anadenanthera used as snuffs have also reportedly been used as fumatories, especially cebl seeds, which presently in the Chaco are more commonly smoked than snuffed (generally with tobacco); shamans assert they are more active thus (Torres & Repke 1996), which I and others in my presence have verified. Tryptamines as a rule are more active via inhalation of freebase vapor than orally or intranasally, and this proved to be the case for bufotenine as well. In five bioassays, I tested increasing doses of inhaled, vaporized bufotenine free-base. BV-11 through BV-V involved inhalation of 2, 4, 6 and 8 mg bufotenine (0.03-0.11 mg/kg), respectively. All doses were decidedly psychoactive, increasing in potency proportional to dosage, with roughly the same pharmacodynamics save time of onset, which decreased in proportion to increased dosage (45, 35, 25 and 18 seconds, respectively). The first clear signal (acouasm) was at two minutes; peaks were attained at four to five minutes, unmistakable attenuation by seven to nine minutes, with diminishing effects evident for a full hour. In BV-11 through BV-IV, psychoptic effects were limited to that low-light, shimmery "magical varnish" over the world not evident in darkness and attended by synaesthetic psithurism; while in BV-V (8 mg), at seven to eight minutes there were also ring-like, swirling, colored patterns with eyes closed; visible, albeit fainter, with eyes opened in low light.

BUFOTENINE-INTRARECTAL PSYCHONAUTICS (BR)

De Smet (1985b; 1983) has extensively reviewed the evidence for shamanic enemainjection, which is strong and incontrovertible in the case of infusions of Anadenanthera seeds and leaves; accordingly I resolved to bioassay intrarectal bufotenine. De Smet (1983) bioassayed doses as high as 125 mg DMT (as less than 185 mg bioxalate salt in 15 ml water; ca. 2.0 mg/kg) intrarectally, which were "without any discernible effect"-I suspect such high doses of the free-base would have been dramatically active. It's unclear why de Smet chose to bioassay DMT thus, and not bufotenine or 5-MeO-DMT, which would have figured in reported shamanic enemas based on Anadenanthera seeds and leaves, respectively. Only in the hypothetical case of shamanic enemas based on leaves of Virola (Ott 2001) - in which it is the predominant tryptamine - might DMT likely be of importance, but Virola-leaf enemas have not been reported (only Virola leafen snuffs). For BR-I, I triturated 30 mg bufotenine (0.43 mg/kg) with 0.25 g sodium bicarbonate into 1.0 g of cocoa butter. Mild physical effects developed quickly and lasted roughly an hour. For BR-11, I inserted an identical suppository with addition of 10 mg harmaline, which proved to have subthreshold effects. Finally, in BR-III, a 50 mg (0.71 mg/kg) bufotenine suppository with 10 mg harmaline, thresholdlevel psychoptic effects resulted. Initial tinnitus commencing at 15 minutes led to closed-eye scintillation and luminosity at the peak, around 45 minutes, followed by the characteristic, shimmery "magical varnish" over the world.

DISCUSSION AND COMMENTARY While referring the reader to my comprehensive book (Ott 2001) for fuller details and background on these bioassays, by way of summary I note that at least two species of Anadenanthera: A. peregrina var. peregrina and A. colubrina var. Cebil have been used virtually throughout South America and the Caribbean in archaic, historical and contemporary times, as snuffs, fumatories, masticatories, potions and enemas derived from the seeds, and at least as snuffs and enemas made from leaves of the former. Setting aside poorly-documented leafen snuffs/enemas (in which the important tryptamine is probably 5MeO-DMT), rather extensive phytochemical work points inexorably and consistently to bufotenine as by far the major tryptamine in Anadenanthera seeds and snuffs, which may contain only insignificant amounts of secondary compounds such as 5-MeO-DMT and DMT. Nevertheless, thanks to perverse, inconclusive, and frankly unethical experiments on convicts and mental patients in the U.S. and Argentina in the 1950s and 1960s (incarcerated subjects cannot render freely informed consent and may be coerced, while mental patients may not even be asked - many of these experiments provoked circulatory crises, facial lividity described as the color of an eggplant or a plum, and at least one led to cardiac arrest, necessitating resuscitative measures), bufotenine has been dismissed far and wide as a supposititious psychoptic agent in these shamanic inebriants. Indeed, in these very pages, an article outstanding for its repetitive wrong-headedness stated no fewer than 16 times that bufotenine was: "not psychedelic," "not hallucinogenic" and "not psychoactive" -the authors,

one of whom is a chemist, eschewing the simple expedient of psychonautic bioassays of bufotenine (which is quite easy to isolate or synthesize, and appears to be a controlled substance only in the United States), which would have saved them this embarrassing error (Lyttle, Goldstein & Gartz 1996). Although they cited Turner & Merlis (1959) review of Isbell's research, they suppressed the detail that his subjects had experienced: "a play of colors, lights, and patterns" following intramuscular injection of bufotenine; then listed (without citing) the report by Bonhour, Fischer & Melgar (1967), which likewise had referred clearly to "hallucinogenic" effects of intravenously-injected bufotenine. Others have endeavored to explain away the phytochemical and psychonautic evidence concerning Anadenanthera by hypothesizing, absent a shred of proof and again unsupported by bioassays, that human beings must possess in sinuses and lungs an enzyme like 0-methyltransferase, which in only one known species of toad (Bufo alvarius Gir.) methylates bufotenine to its 0-methyl congener, 5-MeODMT, which compound would rather be responsible for the psychoptic effects of Anadenanthera preparations. Besides failing the test of scientific parsimony, this notion is as unlikely as it is unsubstantiated. Based on my extensive personal experience with bufotenine, 5-MeO-DMT and their plant sources, I deem it improbable in the extreme - I would have no trouble distinguishing bufotenine from 5MeO-DMT by any route of ingestion (indeed, I very much like the latter and dislike the former). It goes without saying that haphazard human intravenous-bufotenine experiments by Fabing and Hawkins (1956), (Isbell) Turner and Merlis (1959) and Bonhour, Fischer & Melgar (1967) are of scant relevance to Anadenanthera pharmacology, besides violating the code of medical ethics adumbrated in the Nornberg War Crimes Tribunals (which mandates informed consent for human studies). Although Isbell, and Turner and Merlis (1959) conducted some crude and desultory tests involving intranasal bufotenine, the doses employed were too low (no more than 14.3 mg free-base equivalent), they unwisely used a water-soluble salt, and frankly were quite at sea with this sort of research, which they didn't adequately report, much less follow-up. Similarly, doses employed intranasally of what I call "National Institutes of Health-" or "NIH-snuff" prepared there by Fish (Fish & Horning 1956; Fish, Johnson & Horning 1955) were far too low (no more than 560 mg, containing 6 mg bufotenine). This was also the case for Isbell's and Hofmann's (1963) preliminary oral experiments - I hasten to underscore that Hofmann's involved fully ethical, personal psychonautic bioassays, by an eminently qualified expert who knew better than anyone what he was doing. I think my evidence, although it of course requires further confirmation by others, is conclusive and consistent - there is no reason to look beyond bufotenine, by far their major tryptamine, for the psychoptic agent of shamanic Anadenanthera preparations, whether snuffed, smoked, swallowed, sucked or inserted rectally. I very much doubt anyone with a modicum of experience with tryptamines would have difficulty distinguishing bufotenine from other tryptamines, with which it nonetheless shares some commonalities. As inhaled free-base vapor it is roughly equipotent with 5-MeO-DMT, and some four- or five-fold more

potent than DMT; as errhine or sublingually it is roughly equipotent with DMT and some several-fold weaker than 5-MeO-DMT. This generally holds for oral ingestion as well, with the provision that orally, DMT (at least up to a 1.0 g dose) requires activation by MAOI, whereas in sufficient dosage, both bufotenine and 5-MeO-DMT (Ott In press) are impressively active orally by themselves. Given our contemporary fixation on DMT and the so-called "ayahuasca effect," mayhap this will surprise many, but it oughtn't. With regard to oral activity, DMT is the exception, not the rule, among tryptamines. Of some 30 simple tryptamines reported to be psychoactive by Shulgin and Shulgin (1997), 28 were active orally (correcting for bufotenine and 5-MeO-DMT), and the only other exception simply had not been tried orally. Nor ought the comparatively high activity of bufotenine as inhaled vapor, and correspondingly low activity by other routes, surprise us (see Table 1). It has been established that bufotenine passes the blood-brain barrier with difficulty, and setting aside intravenous injection of tryptamines (in all events, hardly germane to the pharmacology of shamanic snuffs; vide Ott 1999), inhaled vapor effects the most efficient passage of tryptamines through the blood-brain barrier; although at least with respect to psychoptic effects, bufotenine would seem to be more psychoactive as inhaled vapor than via intravenous injection (perhaps due to binding by profuse serotonin receptors in the vascular system and on blood cells), Animal research has shown that once in the brain, bufotenine has more "LSD-like activity" than does 5-MeO-DMT, itself more active than DMT, which is what their chemical structures might lead us to expect (Glennon et al. 1979). Indeed, in rat fundus-strip preparations, bufotenine had twice the serotonine receptor affinity of 5-MeODMT (Glennon & Gessner 1975). As for intranasal activity of other psychoptic tryptamines, Shulgin & Shulgin (1997) reported that N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine or MIPT is active intranasally at 20 mg; N,Ndiethyltryptamine or DET likewise at about 100 mg (Gartz 1999); while several reports from basement shamans are consistent regarding intranasal activity of N,N-dipropyltryptamine or DPT from 35-200 mg (Case 1999; Gwyllm 1999; Toad 1999). All three of these compounds remain artificial, and are likewise active orally. As documented in my third paper in this series (Ott In press), the natural snuff tryptamine 5-MeO-DMT similarly is active intranasally - forthwith I shall document also intranasal activity of DMT.

Human Pharmacology of Bufotenine

Route Intravenous Intravenous Intravenous Dosage [Mg] 1-16 2.5-20 6.4-11.1 Effects hallucinogenic* not psychoactive* "hallucinations"** References Fabing & Hawkins 1956 Thmer & Merlis 1959 Bonhour, Fischer & Melgar 1967

Intravenous Intramuscular Intranasal Intranasal Intranasal Intranasal Sublingual Oral Inhaled vapor Intrarectal

2-8 10-12.5 <14.3 6-10 1-16 40-100 50 100 2-8 50

"psychotomimetic"***

McLeod & Sitarain 1985 Turner & Merlis "hallucinations" 1959**** Turner & Merlis not psychoactive***** 1959**** not psychoactive****** Turner & Merlis 1959 not psychoactive*** McLeod & Sitaram 1985 psychoactive This paper psychoactive This paper psychoactive This paper psychoactive This paper psychoactive******* This paper

* As creatinine sulfate salt (expressed as base). ** As 12-16 mg oxalate salt (mono- or bi-oxalate salt not specified) *** As solution of bufotenine oxalate (expressed as base; 2 and 4 mg inactive iv). **** Reporting experiments conducted by H.S. Isbell (pers. com. 4 Oct. 1956). ***** As <40 mg creatinine sulfate salt sprayed in solution. ****** Both base and creatinine sulfate salt (apparently expressed as base). ******* With 10 mg harmaline hydrochloride dihydrate salt (30 mg not psychoactive).

REFERENCES Alvares Pereira, N. 1957. Obteno da bufotenina das sementes de Piptadenia peregrina Benth. Revista Brasileira da Farmdcia 38: 139-42. Bernauer, K. 1964. Notiz Uber die Isolierung von Harmin und (+)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroharmin aus einer indianischen Schnupfdroge. Helvetica Chimica Acta 47 (4): 1075-77. Biocca, E.F.; Galeffi, C.; Montalvo, E.G. & Marini-Bettlo, G.B. 1964. Sulla sostanze allucinogene impiegata in Amazzonia. Nota 1. Osservazioni sul paric dei Tukfino e TariSna del bacino del Rio Uaupds. Annali di Chimica 54: 1175-78. Bonhour, A.; Fischer, E. & Melgar, M.C. 1967. Estudios psicofarmacologicos con bufotenina. Revista de Psiquiatria y Psicologia Midica 8 (3): 123-43. Case, J. 1999. DPT: Mysterium tremendum. Entheogen Review 8 (2): 56. Castillo, J. 1997- Piaroa- In: J.M. Poveda (Ed.) Chamanismo: El Arte Natural de Curar. Madrid, Espafia: Temas de Hoy. Chagnon, N.A.; Le Quesne, P. & Cook, J.M. 1971. Yanomamo hallucinogens: Anthropological, botanical, and chemical findings. Current Anthropology 12 (1): 72-74. De Budowski, J.; Marini-Bettlo, G.B.; Delle Monache, F. & Ferrari, F. 1974. On the alkaloid composition of the snuff drug yopo from the upper Orinoco (Venezuela). 11 Farmaco (Edizione Scientifica) 29 (8): 574-78. de Smet, P.A.G.M. 1985a. A multidisciplinary over-view of intoxicating snuff rituals in the western hemisphere. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 13 (1): 3-49. de Smet, P.A.G.M. 1985b. Ritual Enemas and Snuffs in the Americas. Latin American Studies No. 33. Amsterdam, Nederland: CEDLA. de Smet, P.A.G.M. 1983. A multidisciplinary overview of intoxicating enema rituals in the western hemisphere. Journal of Eihnophormacology 9 (2,3): 129-66. de Smet, P.A.G.M. & Rivier, L. 1987. Intoxicating parica seeds of the Brazilian Mau Indians-Economic Botany 41 (1): 12-16. de Smet, P.A.G.M. & Rivier, L. 1985. Intoxicating snuffs of the Venezuelan Piaroa Indians. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 17 (2): 93-103.

Fabing, H.D. & Hawkins, J.R. 1956. Intravenous bufotenine injection in the human being. Science 123: 886-87. Fellows, L.E. & Bell, E.A. 1971. Indole metabolism in Piptadenia peregrina-Phytochemistry 10: 208391. Fish, M.S. & Horning, E.C. 1956. Studies on hallucinogenic snuffs. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 124 (1): 33-37. Fish, M.S.; Johnson, N.M- & Horning, E.C. 1956. t-Amine oxide rearrangementN,NDimethyltryptamine oxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society 78: 3668-7 1. Fish, M.S.; Johnson, N.M. & Homing, E.C. 1955. Piptadenia alkaloids. Indole bases of P. peregrina (L.) Benth. and related species. Journal of the American Chemical Society 77: 5892-95. Gartz, 1. 1999. Personal communications, at third conference of Europaische Collegium fr Bewusstseinsstudien (ECBS) in November: Basel, Switzerland. Giesbrecht, A.M. 1960. Sbre a ocorrncia de bufotenina em semente de Piptadenia falcata, Benth. Anais da AssociaCdo Brasileira da Quimica 19: 117-19. Glennon, R.A. & Gessner, P.K. 1975. Pharmacologist 17: 259. Glennon, R.A.; Gessner, P.K.; Godse, D.D. & Kline, BT 1979. Bufotenine esters. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 22 (11): 1414-416. Gwyllm. 1999. DPT: A rough time. Entheogen Review 8 (2): 55 Hofmann, A. 1999. Personal communication, Basel, Switzerland, November. Hofmann, A. 1963. Psychotomimetic substances. Indian Journal of Pharmacy 25: 24556:245-56. Holmstedt, B. & Lindgren, J.-E. 1967. Chemical constituents and pharmacology of South American snuffs. In: D.H. Efron; B. Holmstedt & N.S. Kline (Eds.) Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Iacobucci, G.A. & ROveda, E.A. 1964. Bases derived from tryptamine in Argentine Piptadenia species. Phytochemistry 3: 465-67. Jnger, E. 1970. Annherungen: Drogen und Rausch. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag.

Lyttle, T.; Goldstein, D. & Gartz, J. 1996. Bufo toads and bufotenine: Fact and fiction surrounding an alleged psychedelic. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 28 (3): 267-90. Abstract. McLeod, W.R. & Sitaram, B.R. 1985. Bufotenine reconsidered. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 72: 44750. Marini-Bettlo, G.B.; Delle Monache, F & Biocca, E.F. 1964. Sulla sostanze allucinogene dell'Amazzonia. Nota 11. Osservazioni sul'epena degli Yanoama del bacino del Rio Negro e dell'Alto Orinoco. Annali di Chimica 54: 1179-186. Ott, 1. In press. Pharmepna-psychonautics: Human intranasal, sublingual and oral pharmacology of 5methoxy-N.N-dimethyltryptamine. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Ott, J. 2001. Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines. Solothurn, Switzerland: Entheobotanica. [German translation, 2001. Schamanische Schnupfpulver oder Enteogene Genuflmittel. Solothurn, Switzerland: Nachtschatten Verlag. Castillian translation by author, 2001. Raps Chamdnicos: Errinos Enteoginicos. Barcelona, Catalunya: Ediciones Roll] Ott, J. 1999. Pharmahuasca: Human pharmacology of oral DMT plus harmine. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 31 (2): 171-77. Ott, J. 1995. Cebil in San Pedro de Atacama. Unpublished manuscript. Ott, J. 1994. Ayahuasca Analogues: Panguean Entheogens. Kennewick, Washington: Natural Products Co. [German translation, 1995. Ayahuasca Analoge: Pangaische EntheogeneLohrbach, Germany: MedienXperimente. Revised second edition, translated into Castillian by author, 2001. Anlogos de la Ayahuasca: Entegenos Pangicos. Barcelona, Catalunya: Phantastica.] Pachter, I.J.; Zacharias, D.E. & Ribeiro, 0. 1959. Indole alkaloids of Acer saccharinum (the silver maple), Dictyoloma incanescens, Piptadenia colubrina, and Mimosa hostilis. Journal of Organic Chemistry 24: 1285-87. Pags Larraya, F. 1959. La cultura del parica. Acta Neuropsiquidtrica Argentina 5: 375-83. Paris, A.; Saint-Firmin, A.; & Etchepare, S. 1967. Sur les alcaloides et les flavonoides d'une Ldgumineuse d'Haiti: Piptadenia peregrina Benth. Absence d'alcaloides chez le Pipradenia africana Hook. f. Annales Pharmaceutiques FranCaises 25 (7-8): 509-13. Rtsch, C. 1996. Eine Erfahrung mit dem Mataco-Schnupfpulver Haraj. Jahrbuch fr Ethnomedizin und Bewusstseinsforschung 5: 59-65.

Rendn, P.W.J. 1984. Obtencin de la bufotenina de la semilla de Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth. Revista Boliviana de Quimica 5 (1): 39-43. Savio Nunes, D.; Narciso da Rocha Filho, G.; Elisabetsky, E. & Barata, L.E.S. 1987. Alcaloides triptaminicos de Piptadenia gonoacantha (Mart) MacBr e de Anadenanthera falcata (Benth) Speg. Unpublished manuscript from files of B. Holmstedt. Schultes, R.E.; Holmstedt, B.; Lindgren, J.-E. & Rivier, L. 1977. De plantis toxicariis e mundo novo tropicale commentationes XVIII. Phytochemical examination of Spruce's ethnobotanical collection of Anadenanthera peregrina. Botanical Museum Leaflets (Harvard University) 25 (10): 273-87. Shulgin,A.T. 1992. Controlled Substances: A Chemical and Legal Guide to the Federal Drug Laws. Berkeley, California: Ronin Publishing. Shulgin, AT. & Shulgin, A. 1997. TIHKAL: The Continuation. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. Shulgin, AT. & Shulgin, A. 1991. PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. Siebert, D.J. 1994. Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A: New pharmacologic findings. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 43 (1): 53-6. Speeter, M.E. & Anthony, W.C. 1954. The action of oxalyl chloride on indoles: A new approach to tryptamines. Journal of the American Chemical Society 76: 6208-10. Stoll, A.; Troxier, F; Peyer, J. & Hofmann, A. 1955. Eine neue Synthese von Bufotenin und verwandten Oxy-tryptaminen. Helvetica Chimica Acta 38 (6): 1452-72. Stromberg, V.L. 1954. The isolation of bufotenine from Piptadenia peregrina. Journal of the American Chemical Society 76: 1707. Toad. 1999. DPT primer. Entheogen Review 8 (1): 4-6. Torres, C.M. 1996. Status of research on psychoactive snuff powders: A review of the literature. Jahrbuch fr Ethnomedizin und Bewufltseinsforschung 5: 15-39. Torres, C.M. & Repke, D.B. 1996. The use of Anadenanthera colubrina var. Cebil by Wichi (Mataco) shamans of the Chaco Central, Argentina- Jahrbuchfur Ethnomedizin und Bewusstseinsforschung 5: 4158.

Torres, C.M.; Repke, D.B.; Chan, K.; McKenna, D.; Llagostera, A. & Schultes, R.E. 1991. Snuff powders from pre-Hispanic San Pedro de Atacama: Chemical and contextual analysis. Current Anthropology 32 (5): 640-49. Turner, W.J. & Merlis, S. 1959 (with personal correspondence from H.S. Isbell). Effect of some indolealkylamines on man. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 81: 121-29. Wassn, S.H. & Holmstedt, B. 1963 (with personal correspondence from H.S. Isbell). The use of paric, an ethnological and pharmacological review. Ethnos 28 (1): 5-45 Wieland, T. & Motzel, W. 1953. Ober das Vorkommen von Bufotenin in gelben KnollenblAtterpilz. Justus LlebigsAnnalen der Chemie 58 1: 10-16. Yamasato, S. 1972. Organic bases from Brazilian Piptadenia species. Phytochemistry 11 (2): 737-39

Thomas Lyttle defends his paper's findings against Ott's criticism. Also see Shulgin's TiHKAL, #19. 5-HO-DMT - bufotenine - as hosted on Erowid.

The Sonoran Desert Toad

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Bufo alvarius
"Of course the licking myth is newspaper hype -- it is the venom that is active, and it is smoked." - Shulgin

now is the time past believing the child has relinquished the rein now is the test of the boomerang tossed in the night of redeeming - Robert Hunter

Neither the author nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this Web site. It is presented solely for educational purposes and to serve as a record in the history of human experience. How to Properly Smoke Toad Venom Head shops sell glass pipes and small torches that work perfect for smoking toad venom. You want the free-base style of pipe, like a "crack" pipe. Regular pot or tobacco pipes or bongs will partially waste this valuable substance. So, when you have the correct pipe, you will also need a very strong blue flame. Use a small torch or gas burner. A candle or cigarette lighter WILL NOT burn hot enough to be effective. You need instant combustion. Realize that the torch flame never comes into direct contact with the toad venom. Direct contact with fire consumes a portion of the venom and turns it into ash. What a terrible waste! With the correct method, there is no waste.

Put the "proper dose" of venom in the pipe AND WITHOUT YET INHALING, apply a BLUE flame to the outside bottom of the pipe where the dose is located. The venom will soon melt and begin to vaporize when the torch flame is applied long enough. One will hear a VERY DISTINCT POPPING AND CRACKLING as this occurs. It is AT THIS POINT IN TIME that the active participant should begin to inhale the sacred essence of the toad venom. WHILE KEEPING THE FLAME DIRECTLY ON THE PIPE, one should inhale LONG and SLOW. Remember, strong heat is what sustains this chemical reaction, and the process of drawing air through the pipe quickens it. Obviously, the vapor should be held in the lungs for as long as is necessary to induce the experience. If vapor can be seen during the exhale, the participant has definitely ingested a sufficient dose and, without a doubt, is well on their way into the experience by this time. Another smoking method involves using a modified light bulb. You break the metal part off of the bulb using a tiny pin hammer, a rock hammer, or something similar without shattering the rest of the bulb. Then wash out the inside of the bulb. When you're ready, put the venom in the bulb and heat the bottom with a blue flame, and inhale the smoke as it comes out of the bottleneck of the bulb. Or, you can suck it out through a straw. The idea is that you want to heat the venom with the flame, not burn it like with pot. And honestly, the only way to smoke venom is to put a big heaping dose in the pipe and just keep toking on this one big hit until the effects come on. And you won't have any question about when you've reached that point - because if you do, then you didn't get enough toad smoke in your lungs. Try it again. Melting Points of Tryptamines - Here are the melting points of some free-bases:
5-MeO-DMT bufotenine DMT approx. 154 F (67.7 C) 295 F (146.1 C) 116 F (46.6 C)

Ott's experiments with isolated free-base bufotenine placed the melting point at about 124126 C. However he points out that others have reported isoforms melting from [123-]124126[-129] C and 146-147[-150] C from isolated material and 146-147 C and 138-140 C from synthetic material. This suggests that there are three isoforms, and the melting point may vary depending on what one has on hand. Citing Shulgin & Shulgin 1997, Ott also mentions that three distinct DMT isoforms with melting points ranging from 44-74 C have been reported (Ott 2001), and at least two of these forms have been produced by the drug underground (Sand 2000). As well as different isoforms creating different melting points, the method of crystallization, purity, and several other factors can affect the melting point. 5MeO-DMT has been listed as having a melting point of 67.5-68.5 C (Ott 1996). It is also worth noting that different salts will have different melting points. All of which in no way negates the point that if one is vaporizing bufotenine, one is going to have to use more heat than is needed for DMT or 5-MeO-DMT. It is worth pointing out

though, that the melting point is not the final temperature that one wants to reach when vaporizing the free-base, but rather it is the boiling point that is key; this is the only temperature that changes a liquid into a gas, and it is sometimes twice as high as the melting point - David Aardvark From The Entheogen Review, Vol. X, Number 4, Winter Solstice 2001, p.148. > One other thing about the toad experience: Is the feeling that one is dying due to a real physiological action - increased heart rate, rapid rise in body temperature - or is that part of the Shamanic aspects of the experience? Ah! That is part of the mystery! My guess is that the tryptamines open you up to the spirit = energetic worlds. This is a space that every Soul knows quite well but as humans we have mostly forgotten so that we can play the Earth game without too much interference or distraction. When your the brain is so overloaded with the 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenine, and everything else in the venom, the connection to the energetic realm is so immediate and so intense, that the only conclusion your physical body can render is that you've died and you're making your way out of this dimension. Fortunately, this is not the case! I have never heard of anyone dying from smoking toad venom - but it will certainly reveal areas of your life that you may want to put to rest! From Terence McKenna in The Archaic Revival: One of the interesting characteristics of DMT is that it sometimes inspires fear - this marks the experience as existentially authentic. One of the interesting approaches to evaluating such a compound is to see how eager people are to do it a second time. A touch of terror gives the stamp of validity to the experience because it means, "This is real." We are in the balance. We read the literature, we know the maximum doses, the LD-50, and so on. But nevertheless, so great is one's faith in the mind that when one is out in it one comes to feel that the rules of pharmacology do not really apply and that control of existence on that plane is really a matter of focus of will and good luck. I'm not saying that there's something intrinsically good about terror. I'm saying that, granted the situation, if one is not terrified then one must be somewhat out of contact with the full dynamics of what is happening. To not be terrified means either that one is a fool or that one has taken a compound that paralyzes the ability to be terrified. I have nothing against hedonism, and I certainly bring something out of it. But the experience must move one's heart, and it will not move the heart unless it deals with the issues of life and death. If it deals with life and death it will move one to fear, it will move one to tears, it will move one to laughter. These places are profoundly strange and alien.

The Camden Centre Talk - England - 15/6/92 by Terence McKenna "Yes, well I see that the Guardian dutifully reported all one would need to know to get seriously involved in toad abuse. In America we hear about toad licking and it's always advanced as a folkway of the primitive Australians and we in America have gone on one better. First of all, we don't hurt our toads, we drive out into the desert in our four-wheeldrive vehicles and we gently milk our toads onto what we call the windshield -- a windscreen -- and then it dries in the sun and we get out our little frost scrapers and scrape this betterleft-undescribed material off the windshield and then this is smokable. This is 5-methoxyDMT from Bufo Alvarius, and it passes all the tests. Well, not the test as would occur in a plant, no, it occurs in an animal, that's better. It's interesting, it's one of the few animal-based hallucinogens -- we call it toad foam, as opposed to more inelegant appellations that have been used. It's 5-mythoxy-DMT, so it's a variety of dimethyltryptamine, but compared to DMT it's sort of like AM radio versus 70 millimetre cinemascope. There's what I heard a researcher describe last week as an 'effulgent emotion' -- yes, there certainly is. There's no word for this emotion, but it's very large, but there is very little visual activity, kind of afterimage-like stuff, but you know on DMT the hallucinations have an existential veracity that's absolutely jaw-dropping." (We sat with Terrance in Arizona and toad venom came up in the discussion. He certainly wasn't impressed with it. When he smoked it, he was waiting for something really big to occur but that never happened. We thought that perhaps he didn't take a large enough hit. So apparently, he never really had THE toad experience. We miss you Terrance!)

Bufo alvarius
Ayahuasca is like a bus tour of Paris museums for several hours. Smoked DMT is the same tour, but strapped to the nose of a rocket, and everything goes by in 10 minutes. Smoked 5-MeO-DMT is like being strapped to the nose of a rocket that flies into the sun and evaporates. - Bob Wallace (just my opinion)

5-MeO-DMT
Neither the author nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this Web site. It is presented solely for educational purposes and to serve as a record in the history of human experience. The research to date tells us conclusively that 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenine are the psychoactive compounds present in the venom of B. alvarius. Most people assume that 515% of the dried material is 5-MeO-DMT and that 3% is bufotenine, although, this is actually inconclusive. The actual levels of 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenine contained in the venom itself may be somewhat higher than this, however, the variability in the quantity of these compounds present in any single toad's venom may render this conclusion irrelevant in practicality. One may never be completely certain how much of the active compounds are actually present in any given dose. (See Table 5) That's one basic problem with all natural sources of drugs: the potency varies greatly. This is even more of an issue for 5-MeO-DMT, since the dose is an important variable. One possible solution to increase the uniformity of the dose is to aggregate the total season's harvest and finely and thoroughly mix it together into a uniform consistency by crushing the venom into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, or some similar device. Store the venom frozen in a container that blocks out light, such as a film canister for longterm storage. Condensation usually occurs when you take the container out of the freezer, so leave it sealed until it warms up. From Erowid's site: 5-MeO-DMT is a short acting tryptamine very similar in nature to DMT. It is generally found as very small white crystals (like salt) and is generally smoked. Be careful with dosages...people react very differently to different doses. Some individuals have worldshattering effects with less than 5 mg. Descriptions of its effects range from "bliss" to "chemical terror".

Here is a very well written account of a 5-MeO-DMT experience and an excellent response from Bob Wallace. Read some other experiences here. Smoked 5-MeO-DMT Dosages: Threshold 1-2 mg Light 2-5 mg Common 5-10 mg Strong 10-20 mg Onset : 0-30 seconds Peak : ~1-15 minutes Duration : ~30 minutes Additional After Effects : ~1 hr Neither the author nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this Web site. It is presented solely for educational purposes and to serve as a record in the history of human experience. So what's a proper dose of toad venom? If we assume that an average of at least 10% of the venom is 5-MeO-DMT: Smoked Toad Venom Dosages: Threshold 10-20 mg Light 20-50 mg Common 50-100 mg Strong 100-200 mg However, if we assume that an average of at least 25% of the venom is 5-MeO-DMT: Smoked Toad Venom Dosages: Threshold 4-8 mg Light 8-20 mg Common 20-40 mg Strong 40-80 mg Please keep in mind that 5-MeO-DMT is not the only active material present in the toad venom! Toad venom contains, quite possibly, the strongest psychoactive substance on the planet: 5MeO-DMT. There are two people who did high doses (of 5-MeO-DMT) and had severe anxiety problems (could not sleep for a week); one is still having anxiety problems a few

years later. Usually, it's recommend that people start with a low dose. But so many people try 5-MeO-DMT once and just can not find the courage to do it again, yet at the same time, they will say it was a very significant life experience for them. So, possibly a "full" dose of perhaps 10-12 mg 5-MeO-DMT makes sense. This would be equivalent, in toad venom, to 40-48mg (assuming 25%) or 100-120mg (assuming 10%). Anyone with a kind of fragile grip on reality, or who has problems with anxiety, should probably not do it. One very good suggestion is to start with a "light" dose. Assuming that the highest possible concentration of 5-MeO-DMT in the venom is 25%, then 16 mg of venom might be a good starting dose. The practical problem is the larger doses can be so overwhelming that many people just don't have the courage (and/or are too traumatized) to try again. But an under-dose, though perhaps disappointing, gives one more confidence to try the next level. Also, starting with a lower dose is not very "expensive" in terms of material used; here it's only 16 mg. Then as far as increasing doses, the rule of thumb heard most is: - from a dose that does little or nothing: increase 100% - from a dose that has significant effects: increase 50% Please keep in mind that 5-MeO-DMT is not the only active material present in the toad venom! TiHKAL #38. 5-MEO-DMT TRYPTAMINE, 5-METHOXY-N,N-DIMETHYL; INDOLE, 5-METHOXY-3-[2(DIMETHYLAMINO)ETHYL]; 5-METHOXY-N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE; 5METHOXY-3-[2-(DIMETHYLAMINO)ETHYL]INDOLE; N,N,OTRIMETHYLSEROTONIN; N,N,O-TMS; BUFOTENINE METHYL ETHER; OMETHYLBUFOTENINE; OMB There is a drug-use phenomenon that is often referred to by the popular title of "toadlicking." The toad involved is the Sonoran Desert Toad, also called the Colorado River Toad, and carries the binomial Bufo alvarius. It is not the closely related marine toad Bufo marinus, as some people have insisted, prompted by the early Olmec and Mayan iconography. Of course the licking myth is newspaper hype -- it is the venom that is active, and it is smoked. When the desert toad is stroked near the parotid glands in the neck region, there is the squirting out of this venom and when it is allowed to dry on a hard surface it takes on the texture of rubber cement. It contains up to 15% 5-MeO-DMT, as well as Nmethyl-5-methoxytryptamine,5-MeO-NMT and Bufotenine, which have their own entries. #####

Psychedelics (and the like) are teachers. Any teacher can give you all kinds of lessons - but if you don't do the homework, you don't really learn anything. So, even if the teacher were to explain to you why you are here in a human body - and you might even understand the explanation - that still leaves you with the fact that it's up to you to bring the lesson into fruition. Now you are required to work. Understanding your lessons and living/experiencing them are two different things. You can sit in the stands and talk about the game or you can get in there and play it. So, if you're not using drugs in order to escape - maybe you are using drugs in order to explore and expand your consciousness - then when you are given good information, you must take ACTION and integrate the lesson into your soul as an experience - instead of just an intellectual concept. This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. So, it sounds like what has been happening is people are getting the ah-ha!s which are very exciting. But then applying that knowledge into everyday, mundane life can be extremely trying - change is difficult and takes longer than we would like. But the true rewards come when you actually work at something that requires effort. Growth comes at its own Earth-bound pace. Psychedelics can light the way but you must still walk the path. "soma junkie" wrote in message: IMO, I think people put too much emphasis on the mystical experience. They are enlivening and fun and can be astounding but ultimately, if you can't put your experiences to any practical use to change how you see the world on an everyday basis, change the way you treat yourself and other people even on a mundane level, then it's just a bunch of fireworks and fanfare for nothing. IOW, vanity. I'm not saying that mystical experiences with or without drugs are useless, just that buying into them are like mistaking the signposts on the path for the destination. It's just like what Boris said, after the experience comes and goes, and you're left back where you started, perhaps not even sure whether your experience has any worth. In his original post Boris wrote: However, it all fades, both the sense of importance of the answer and the answer itself. I'm not even sure what the answer is or whether it ever was something that could be considered in terms of things in this universe. I guess that's what our job is...to find some way to translate that vision into our everyday life. If it is authentic, in that it isn't a delusion and was actually seeing things as they truly are, then it would be important to me to at least attempt this. "Of course the licking myth is newspaper hype -- it is the venom that is active, and it is smoked." - Shulgin

THEM TOAD SUCKERS How 'bout them toad suckers, ain't they clods? Sittin' there suckin' them green toady-frogs. Suckin' them hop-toads, suckin' them chunkers, Suckin' them leapy-types, suckin' them plunkers. Look at them toad suckers, ain't they snappy? Suckin' them bog-frogs sure makes 'em happy. Them hugger-mugger toad suckers, way down south, Stickin' them sucky-toads in they mouth. How to be a toad sucker? No way to duck it. Gittchyseff a toad, rear back and suck it! -- Mason Williams 1964 --

The idea of toad licking really twisted the imagination of the public as it made it's way into popular culture through a charade of media coveragepretending to be news. I suppose all this nonsense about licking a toad to get high makes for a good story, though. However, no toad's venom should ever be orally ingested, especially Bufo marinus, the Cane toad. And apparently, a law was passed in Los Angeles, California, stating that "toads may not be licked. The toad that is referenced in this law secretes a poison that some people were licking to produce a heroin-like high." Sure. "Theres even a story going around that people were using bufo marinus, a common, giant toad native to Costa Rico, that was imported into both Hawaii and Australia as an attempted control on the sugar cane beetle. The cane toad is very common in a lot of places, and I know a lot of people who have extracted samples of their venom, and found that its inactive. It doesnt do anything. Eating itll make you sicker than a dog, but smoking it does nothing. But the story persists. There is an American native toad, bufo alvarius, called the Colorado River Toad, which indeed has a strong DMT-like venom, which can be smoked." Bear Owsley in an interview with Bruce Eisner on May 17, 1998. See Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad regarding Bufo marinus and it's apparent confusion with Bufo alvarius.

More links on the toad-licking myth: Urban Legends Bufo Abuse - good article from SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN August 1990 Toad Licking the Latest High kiss a toad and trip

A taste of pop culture: LA Law 09-May-1991 C.J. tries to defend a retiree accused of licking his Cane toads to get a high. Beavis and Butt-head Episode 24. Sick 20-May-1993 and Episode 27. The Butt-head Experience 07-Jun-1993 Hear Beavis say, "If this toad licking thing works, we're not gonna even need the leading conniption cold remedy, huh-huh." [ribbit] The Simpson's Missionary: Impossible 20-Feb-2000 Bart: Dad, are you licking toads? Homer: I'm not *not* licking toads. Well, it's time to get to work. Humanitarian Homer Simpson, over and out. [walks off. Comes back and has one more toad-lick for the road, then walks off again] Joe Cartoon Stone Flies II - toad licking at its worst! Family Guy - Lets Go To The Hop - After a Columbian plane crashes in Quahog, a bunch of frogs get loose on the town. Soon enough, kids find out that licking the toad creates a euphoric feeling, and it becomes the drug of choice. Peter comes up with the hilarious plan to disguise himself as a 16 year old named Lando Griffin and convince kids not to lick toad. Steve James and a Colombian friend were trying to score some weed. When they couldnt, they decided to lick a toad. "I threw up, got a headache and was real dizzy," the now 27-year-old Broward man says of his first and only attempt to use venom from the bufo marinus toad to achieve the ultimate high. "It wasnt the brightest thing to do. I dont know what possessed me to do it. I guess Im happy Im not dead." Experts say James, who asked that his real name not be used, isnt just blowing smoke. Many other adventurous druggies have tried to use toad juice to get high with the same,

sometimes far more life-threatening, results. "People thought it was something you could get high with," says Dr. Richard Weisman, director of the Florida Poison Information Center in Miami. "Turned out it was something you could get dead with." The same toxins that have sent many a toad-chasing dog to the great beyond can kill a human being. The only reason dogs die and humans dont is that, in most cases, humans have more sense than to put one of the ugliest animals on the planet in their mouths, or to sample the juice oozing from warts on its head. Also, because most humans are bigger than most pets, the poison generally makes humans sick as a dog rather than killing them. Still, the rumor persists that the venom from the bufo toad is hallucinogenic. And, actually, it is. But while Australians have come up with complex recipes that involve boiling, baking, buttering and bolstering the venom, even adventurous drug users say the health risks are too great for a buzz that isnt worth it. Unfortunately for James and other brave, desperate or misinformed South Florida drug users, its not the bufo marinus toad that provides a non-life-threatening high; its the giant toads western cousin, the bufo alvarius toad. And despite the much-ballyhooed talk of toad licking, you dont slurp up the venom. Rather, you dry it and then smoke a very tiny bit - chips about the size of three match heads. Unlike the marinus toad, the venom of the alvarius toad contains 5-MeO-DMT, a tryptamine that is one of the most powerful hallucinogens in nature. While the venom of the marinus contains 26 different chemical compounds, 5-MeO-DMT isnt one of them. And perhaps its just as well. Leo Mercado, president of The Peyote Foundation in Kearny, Ariz., says the experience isnt a particularly pleasant one. For one thing, it happens incredibly quickly. Within 30 seconds, it hits and its over in about 15 minutes. "Its so shocking. You think My God, is it supposed to kill me? You think youve ODd. You think youre going to die," he says of the initial rush.

Rather than producing strange and colorful images or pleasantly altered views of reality, the experience is intensely thought-twisting. "Its like being blasted out of your ego into a total cosmic perspective," Mercado says. "You lose your total sense of self. Its like a ride through the emotional mind. Any garbage in your life, like if you feel bad for kicking the dog or doing someone wrong, it brings it right out and rubs your face in it." Others have described it as "a rocket ship into the void." Even those who claim to enjoy the experience dont make it sound inviting. Consider this explanation offered by a Virginia woman via the Internet: "It tasted like model glue. I took a few really deep breaths and got it into my lungs. You feel it immediately creeping down your spine. Within in a minute, I was on the ground thrashing around. I had no control of my coordination and a total loss of muscle control. I couldnt speak or anything. It was great." Such accolades aside, Mercado says he wouldnt recommend it, and because the experience is so intense even in alvarius-rich Arizona, few do it recreationally. Still, he says, Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she filled the sacs of the alvarius with a mind-altering drug. "You just milk the little glands and it dries right away. Its so convenient," he says. "Its just like, Wow, this apparently was meant to be done. Its perfection in packaging." And, some note that unlike growing marijuana or mushrooms or mixing chemicals in a tube, if you develop a fondness for toad juice, you also get a pet. James says he loves reptiles, but hell stick with pot. "I dont want to do it ever again," he says. FROM http://www.xso.com/news/morgue/0610bufo.htm #####

Toad-Licking Blues

Thomas Lyttle "Toad licking" or "toad smoking" are the terms that newspaper reporters attached to the ingestion of Bufo venom by users of illicit drugs. This was (and is) done with the intended purpose of getting stoned or high, or going into a trance in a Shamanic manner. (It is important to note that bufotenine- a minor constituent of all Bufo toad venoms is not hallucinogenic.) In light of this, politicians and the courts stepped in to attempt to control this perceived drug-misuse problem. In 1967 the Food and Drug Administration placed bufotenine in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule 1 maintains that a drug (or plant or substance) shows no redeeming medical value, is too dangerous for human research, and has a high potential for abuse. Bufo toads are well known as part of Shamanic rituals. No mention of the oral ingestion of toad venom exists in classic Shamanic literature, however, because the bufotenine present in the venom does not cause trance or mystical experiences, and both bufotenine and the hallucinogenic 5-MeO-DMT are inactive orally.[1] Also, 5-MeO-DMT is present in only one species of Bufo toad, Bufo alvarius. Toxic reactions in human and lower animals are common, however, and include death (in animals) from oral toad venom ingestion.[2] Toad smoking and toad licking should be profiled and studied as two distinct activities. This is an important consideration, especially when studying media reports about toad licking, which involves the oral ingestion of the venom only. The subject of these clandestine or cult-like uses of Bufo toads presents an interesting dilemma for researchers. The very nature of such activity makes open data-gathering troublesome. Anecdotal or word-of-mouth descriptions often prove invaluable for building a tentative profile of any illegal drug activity, or a legal but persecuted drug activity. This case involves alleged illegal bufotenine use and misuse, and legal but persecuted 5-MeODMT misuse. From all this (but usually with little concern for scientific facts), the media continue to print "psychedelic toad" articles, thus continuing and sensationalizing age-old Bufo toad mythologies, including the myth that bufotenine is hallucinogenic. The focus of these many popular articles are on Bufo toads and getting high from bufotenine and its analogs. This is confusing, as only one of the analogs (not bufotenine) causes hallucination. Bufo Toad Smoking

In the late 1960s, LSD evangelist Art Kleps founded a psychedelic church called the NeoAmerican Church. The church's newsletter was called "Divine Toad Sweat".[3] In 1984, Bufo toad evangelist Albert Most revealed his Church of the Toad of Light with his publication of the book Bufo Alvarius: Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert is in New Mexico. This small booklet details how to use the Bufo toad for ritual and pleasure, as well as how to catch the Bufo alvarius toad, extract or "milk" the glandular secretions, dry them, and "enjoy the smoked venom." Most's book claims that 5MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) is the active hallucinogen, not bufotenine. He is correct, as5-MeO-DMT is the O-methylated version of bufotenine.[4] Again, it is important to mention that 5-MeO-DMT is present in only one of the more than 200 types of Bufo toads. Bufotenine is illegal to possess in the United States because it is a Schedule I drug, even though it is not psychoactive; 5-MeO-DMT is unscheduled and legal to possess, even though it is psychoactive. This makes 5-MeO-DMT potentially illegal in the US as an analog of bufotenine or DMT, by application of the 1987 drug analog act. Possession of only one type of Bufo toad (the type that contains both substances in endogenous forms) for the purpose of getting "stoned or high" or for sacramental use remains in legal limbo, pending legislative debate, which is ongoing at the time of this writing. Although seemingly farfetched, conspiracy to possess a (certain type of) Bufo toad may someday be a civil violation or a crime in the United States. 1. Root, G. (1990). First, the bad news, toad licking will not get you high. [Letter]. New Times (Miami, Florida); Horgan, J. (1990). Bufo abuse-A toxic toad gets licked, boiled, teed up and tanned. Scientific American 263 (2), pp 26-7; McKim, W. (1986). Drugs and behavior: An introduction to behavioral pharmacology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2. Chem, M.S., C.Y. Ray, & D.L. Wu. (1991). Biologic intoxication due to digitalis-like substance after ingestion of cooked toad soup. American Journal of Cardiology 67 (5), pp 443-4; Uzelac, E. (1990). (Reprinted from the Baltimore Sun). A desperation high: Crack? Coke? Croak! Seattle Times, Jan. 30; Anonymous (1986). It could have been an extremely grim fairy tale. Discover 7 (8), p 12; McLeod, W.R. & B.R. Sitaram. (1985). Bufotenine reconsidered. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 72, pp 447-50. 3. Kleps, A. (1971). The boo-hoo bible. San Cristobal, New Mexico: Toad Books. 4. Shulgin, A.T. (1988). The Controlled Substances Act. Lafayette, California: privately published; Marki, F., J. Axelrod, & B. Witkop. (1962). Catecholeamines and methyl transferases in the South American toad, Bufo marinus. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 58, pp 367-9; Gessner, P.K., P.A. Khairallah, & W.M. McIsaac. (1961). Pharmacological actions of some methoxyindolealkylamines. Nature 190, pp 179-80. This article copyright 2001 Thomas Lyttle Kick, Russ. Popular Alienation: A Steamshovel Press Reader (Disinfo Books, 2001) pp 241244

For the longer version with charts, images, and a formal bibliography see: Lyttle. T. 1993. Misuse and legend in the "toad licking" phenomenon. International Journal of the Addictions. 28: 521-538. Or: Inciardi, James A. and Karen McElrath. The American Drug Scene: An Anthology (Roxbury Pub., 1995), pp. 194-203.

From personal email correspondence with Tom Lyttle in September 2002 regarding the debate as to whether bufotenine is hallucinogenic or not: I [Tom Lyttle] wrote the lengthy paper on the toad with David Goldstein and Jochen Gartz. Ott's response to me is hilarious. First he says I'm unreliable because I never ingested bufotenine and I say its non-hallucinogenic, then Ott supports those who also have never taken toad venom but say it IS hallucinogenic. Think about the logic here. I'm also wary of the uses of terms like "pharmacodynamics" (Ott is a great name dropper), by one person sitting in a cabin with no witnesses, let alone no lab equipment or scientific controls. By the way I'm on the editorial board of Entheos, a respected journal. I stand by my JPD article that the effects (with pure bufotenine) are mostly due to starving the optic nerve and sinus cavities (and the brain somewhat) of oxygen. There are a plethora of papers which describe arrhythmia surrounding the optic nerve and sinus re: bufotenine. Naturally Ott sidesteps all this. However I think the truth of the matter lays somewhere in between Ott and myself. I am looking forward to reading Ott's new book on snuffs, and then perhaps I will re-enter the debate on bufotenine. I will be happy to admit I'm wrong when a few folks independent of Ott support or replicate his bufotenine claims with controlled experiments. Regarding Ott, his work is outstanding and no doubt something happened when he ingested his bufotenine. It may come down to differences between us in defining the words "psychedelic" and "hallucination". Anyhow it's a lovely debate that continues.

Tom Lyttle further elaborates on his position in an email in June 2003:

Regarding Mr. Ott, I don't take him too seriously, but you can print this letter if you want. I'm still saying the source of the bufotenine, maybe even the persons using it, connect to it's psychedelic or non-psychedelic, or deadly poison status. Ott tested bufotenine snuffs and plant versions only, not the rest of the world's bufotenine. Ott assumes that various bufotenine molecules must be equal, according to chromatography and assay. He concludes that analysis of plant-derived versions apply across the board. This is regardless of synthetic, animal, human, mushroom or plant origin. What he avoids mentioning in his book - even while attacking me - is that 100 papers from world-class chemists saw bufotenine a terms of poison, not psychedelic by any stretch - and they also used chromatography equipment to prove their case. Does Ott think Harris Isbell or Sasha Shulginwere pulling his leg in describing "purpling of the face" and feelings of "impending death". Rewriting Shulgin to suit, Ott changes the paper's tone emphasizing the words "showed psychoactivity", slanting things away from deadly poison. Shulgin definitely said and meant "poisoning", that's what his analysis showed. Ott says nothing of other major scientist's reports, especially the totally contradicting his snuff-sourced bufotenine as "psychedelic". Both sides used TLC equipment for purity standards, many did assays. The bulk contradict Ott. The major assertion in my paper, which Ott again avoids commenting on, is that bufotenine is an alchemical, magical substance. It appears as panacea or poison according to hidden "alchemic seasons", it's source (toads, scientists in a lab, plants, mushrooms, schizophrenic's blood). Even the folks who handle it could play some role, according to shamans. Ott also avoids commenting on bufotenine as an ataxia agent (ultra-quick oxygen starvation, extreme physical/mental reactions). Bufotenine cuts oxygen off deadly fast. This fucks with the optic and sinus nerves big time, causing major sinus arrhythmia. The optic nerve sits in close proximity, it also would be affected. This, in my opinion, accounts for some totally bizarre optical effects, mistakenly called hallucination. Ott's calling anoxia, optical nerve damage and impaired vision "hallucinatory effects" is beyond me. Again, the visuals described in human experiments seem like visual "distortion" more in liner with nerve-damage, seizure, optical migraines. Bufotenine visuals show color loss, appear in extreme black and white, fixed-pattern like checkerboards appear. This is consistent with optical nerve damage, the theories of "hallucinatory constants". Such "constants" (square, checkerboard, filigree, etc.) which seemed specific to mescaline, got researched by early researchers like Heinrich Kluver. The theory was that "form constants" would appear when specific nerves in the eye got stimulated. This isn't hallucination however.

Photography effects were also seen by some, everything appearing as "negatives". Ott needs to read. Other forms of optic nerve damage or seizure, including optical migraines, match other bufotenine imagery. The bufotenine visuals reported by Isbell, such were quite pronounced, aren't found in Ott. Ott needs to study synthetic bufotenine, toad bufotenine, mushroom bufotenine, every other type of bufotenine, and various bufotenine salts. His assumption that thin-layer chromatography and semi-scientific assays as comprehension, well gee whiz. I'd even assay bufotenine according to circadian-rhythm theory, time of day consumption. The AMA recently ran ads for new circadian-based drugs w/ maximize effects, absorption, metabolism according to the time of day one takes the pill. Placebo theory might also be mentioned. Also, science papers on Ketamine and Salvia show dramatic differences in affect, according ingesting in light or dark. In the case of the totally hallucinogenic Salvia divinorum, daytime reports from user include "nothing happened". While night users reported, "I couldn't find the floor, dead Indians floated by, etc." My paper was on toad bufotenine, Ott's studied Anadenanthera bufotenine. This is an important distinction lost to Ott. He may be reducing everything via chemistry, chromatography, assay agenda's. In my opinion the jury is still out BIG TIME on this whole affair, until a complete assay of bufotenine from all known sources appears. Ott was dismissive, almost rude towards my bufotenine/toad paper in his "Shamanic Snuffs". Strangely, the bulk of this 22 page paper was on toad mythology, urban legends like "toadlicking" and biographic history. A smaller section included science and medical experiments, chemistry and pharmacology, most contradicting the psychedelic bufotenine idea. I will admit to over-stating my case re: bufotenine not being psychedelic. I should have said "major science references contradict" instead of stating things as fact. Ott's brief nit-picking in his review was hilarious and almost sad. His seeing an obscure referencing omission as critical enough to rant on - all this in an article with 612 citations. What can I say? Dr. Shulgin was the peer-review editor assigned to me by the Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs. Ott's long-nosed criticism of my paper says my work is "outstanding for its repetitive wrongheadedness". Says who? A bit premature, owing to the bulk of science still needed to set the issue to rest. No final word has appeared, regardless of Ott's dictums. New chromatography and assays are lacking re: the bulk of bufotenines from various sources. Ott proved that plant-bufotenine is hallucinogenic. He did not prove all bufotenine is hallucinogenic. Come back after you study the synthetic versions, toad versions, endogenous versions found in schizophrenics, mushroom versions, plus various salts. And explain to Shulgin where he

went so wrong in his analysis. I'll say I was wrong re: bufotenine being non-psychedelic - when I'm proven wrong. This won't be the case until after we see some comparative analysis. Plus see assays more creative (and more serious) than Ott's "bufotenine enema's". Tom Lyttle

Desert Toad
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Bufo alvarius
CARE SHEET Bufo alvarius toads can live for surprisingly long times. In general, toads will live from about 5 to 15 years, but the oldest recorded specimen (not B. alvarius) lived to the age of 36. HANDLING ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER HANDLING BUFO ALVARIUS. Especially if you also own cats or dogs. Handling should be kept to a minimum. All amphibians have a permeable skin that is sensitive to toxins. Quite often, in the course of a day, one's hands can become covered with numerous substances that are poisonous to toads (hair spray, insecticides, chalk, ink, disinfectants, soaps, etc.) - be certain to thoroughly wash your hands before handling your toads. Be aware of the venom glands (the large bumps located directly behind the eyes and above the ears, and on the legs). The venom (a milky looking substance) is strong enough to kill a dog or cat, and conceivably a person if enough is ingested. It can also severely irritate eyes and nasal linings. The venom is secreted from the glands if the toad is sufficiently stressed. THE TOAD'S HOUSING You should keep your toads in a quiet area of your home, free of excessive human activity and noise. The toads will not do well if they are kept on top of a television or near stereo speakers, since they can be sensitive to sound vibrations. Also, you may not want to provide too much light for your Bufo alvarius as these toads are nocturnal and excessive light may cause them stress.

Toads may be kept in a large (20 gallon or more) aquarium, or similar sized plastic box. A tight fitting cover is essential because these toads are strong jumpers. A cheap and practical enclosure could be a large plastic storage bin with the lid modified by removing the larger part of the center and replacing it with fine mesh wire to allow for ventilation. Toads like to burrow and hide during the day so a substrate in which they can burrow works out well. The substrate can be bark nuggets or smooth, large pebbles that cannot be easily ingested, cypress mulch, peat moss, or dried sphagnum moss. Do not use soil as a substrate. Pieces of large flat bark, drift wood or rocks can be placed in the cage for hiding spots as well. Or a few hide-logs and rock caves will allow the toads more privacy. The environment, with the exception of the water dish, should be dry. Plants, if added, should be kept in pots. Live plants can be stuck into the substrate still in their pots to make the cage look nicer and add hiding spots for the toads. TEMPERATURE Toads are cold blooded and cannot produce their own heat. This means that your toad's body temperature will essentially match that of its environment. Bufo alvarius should be kept at 75-80F (24-27C). They can tolerate cooler and warmer conditions fairly well and they tolerate, but should not be maintained, at elevated temperatures for extended periods. At lower temperatures do not feed them as much or as often since they will not be digesting food as quickly. If necessary, you can provide heat for your toads in several ways. Some people use ceramic heating elements over the cage for basking areas, or other people choose to use heating pads or heat tape under one end of the cage. Special basking lamps are also available, as are nocturnal heat lamps. Most experienced toad keepers will use a thermometer in their toad's enclosures in order to know whether or not their toads are living within a suitable temperature range. Generally, in order to keep your toads in optimal health, the daytime temperature should be accompanied by a nightly temperature drop. Humidity in the enclosure should remain low, no more than 15-20%, as the enclosure should be well ventilated. FOOD In the wild, B. alvarius eats any living thing it can get into its mouth - small rodents, small fish, tadpoles, smaller frogs and toads, and insects of every variety including ants, scorpions, wasps, and bees. Night time lights attract insects and it's fun to watch the toads feast upon the fallen bugs drunk with blindness. As the B. alvarius sits perfectly still, it rapidly wiggles a tiny finger on it's foot in order to entice some insect to mistake this movement for prey. This ploy inevitably brings its victim within striking range of the toad's snapping tongue, and a quick meal is had.

What should you feed your captive toads? Crickets and an occasional pinkie from your local pet store are probably the easiest source of feed. But if you really love your toads, you'll make that extra effort to add a little of nature's variety to their diet. ;-) Toads have voracious appetites and they will let you know they are hungry by how active they eat. But do not overfeed your toads; it is better to offer smaller amounts of food more often than a large amount at one setting. Calcium deficiencies are fairly common, and it may be advisable to gut-load your insects with high calcium foods or dust them in a calcium powder. Food items can be lightly dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains calcium and phosphorus in a 2:1 calcium:phosphorus ratio and vitamins A and D3. Gut-loading is the process in which you feed the insects highly nutritious food before you feed them to your toads. The insects are fed on calcium-rich insect food, fish food, dry dog food, or other foods that will be nutritious for your toads. Before I feed crickets to my toads, I usually feed them carrot, lettuce and oats so that all the nutrients from those foods are inside the cricket when my toads eat them. Over-feeding of vitamins and minerals has been known to cause renal failure and other serious health problems. However, vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition are also serious disorders. The best way to ensure that your toads get proper nutrition, however, is to feed them a varied and correct diet. WATER De-chlorinated, filtered, or spring water should be used. Tap water can be de-chlorinated either chemically or by boiling or by letting it sit in a clean bucket or bowl for about 48 hours to allow most of the chlorine in the water to be released into the air. Toads do not drink water, they absorb it through their skin, therefore a water dish should be provided that is large enough for the toads to easily get in and out of. Don't provide water at a depth which is over the toad's head, but, the bowl should be deep enough to allow the toad to almost fully immerse itself. You should choose a bowl that it is difficult or impossible for your toads to overturn. Water should be changed frequently so that it is always fresh; change it as soon as it becomes soiled. CLEANING THE TOAD'S HOUSING The type and design of your enclosure will determine how often you need to clean it. For major cleanings, you should place your toads in a separate enclosure, as most items in the enclosure should be cleaned. There are two types of cleaners available for use: mechanical cleaners and disinfectants. Both types are important in maintaining cleanliness. A mechanical cleaner will aid in physically removing dirt or other soiling. A disinfectant will help kill germs. You should use the mechanical cleaner before the disinfectant. Many people prefer to use a bleach and water solution to clean their toad's enclosures. Commercial household cleaners should generally be avoided, as they may contain ingredients that are toxic. No matter what you use, be sure that you rinse the enclosure thoroughly once you have finished. Remaining residue can cause health problems for your toads. Also, some people

believe that traces of disinfectant that remain in the enclosure can harm or kill your toads. They wash the cage with warm water and a small amount of mild dish soap, then rinse thoroughly and dry completely to remove any traces of chlorine from the tap water. HEALTH If the temperature range is correct, a loss of appetite is reason for concern. Always examine water quality first, then air quality (airborne contaminants can settle in the water or directly on the animal), then food quality. Please refer to Diseases and Parasites below for a description of health problems and some possible treatment procedures, and see a veterinary professional if you need to. I always make it a priority to get wild-caught toads checked for internal parasites and to treat them. I usually use a drug called "Panacure" which is very safe. I feel that any wild-caught toad is almost certainly infected with something and that while this may not be a problem in the wild; when they are kept in a cage, they get re-exposed to the parasite eggs through contact with their own wastes and will eventually have problems - particularly if stressed. *** Except for conditioning animals for breeding, hibernation (aestivation) is mainly an adaptive response to adverse conditions, not an absolute necessity for the life for many herps. Certainly, you may extend the lifespan a bit (although many captive longevity records for temperate herps are often held by non-hibernated individuals) by putting them in a low metabolic state for prolonged periods, but I am am not sure you are significantly prolonging their active life. Also, hibernation itself involves significant risks, primarily from diseases affecting the immune system at its sub-optimal temperature in a weakened animal, and from dehydration, even in a controlled indoor environment. Malnutrition is also a possibility if the animal has not been properly conditioned prior to cooling. This is one area that could probably use a lot more research and I am sure there are many shades of opinion out there. As for the Colorado River toads in particular, I have maintained them for years in a warm reptile room in apparent good health without hibernation. I keep them on substrate of potting soil or cypress mulch with a large shallow water dish. I keep the tank on the dry side (moist but not soggy) with a piece of plastic loosely covering a screen top to retard evaporation but permit good ventilation. I feed crickets, night crawlers and an occasional pinky mouse. I would never initiate hibernation with temperate animals, but when they decide to go to sleep there's no stopping them. Some years they do, some years they don't. At that point I believe it benefits them to be in a cooler environment. I will put them in a 50F room until they wake up on their own. With temperate snakes it's well accepted that if you don't cool a brumating snake they become subject to starvation and respiratory infections. The

metabolism was running too high for brumation; too low for active state. You may call this a stretch, but the same applies to plants with a dormant period. If you continue to feed and water and maintain temps on a plant going into dormancy you will certainly kill it. Again, I believe a dormant period is not necessary unless the toad insists, but I do think you have to cooperate with it when he does. It's hard to imagine that you could let a toad remain warm during hibernation without causing some kind of problem. =============

DISEASES AND PARASITES Please note that this section is intended to serve only as a description of health problems and some possible treatment procedures. It should be seen as an outline, aiding to form your expectations of treatments and helping you recognize symptoms of problems. Unless you are qualified to diagnose ailments or to perform these treatments, you should see a veterinary professional.

Burns - skin damage caused by excessive heat. These may be general, covering the whole animal in extreme cases, but are more usually found localized over specific areas of an animal. o Physical Symptoms - visible damage to the skin, varying in extremity and ranging from areas of gray or red coloration to blistered areas. o Cause/Transmission - caused by direct heat touching the animal's skin. They may be occasionally caused by an exposed heating element in the animal's enclosure. o Treatment - for serious burns or burns covering a large area of your animal, consult your veterinarian. Less serious burns may be rinsed in a povidone iodine solution. Dehydration - desiccation of amphibian. o Physical Symptoms - dry, wrinkly skin, emaciated look. o Cause/Transmission - exposure to heat, lack of water, low humidity. o Treatment - soak or mist affected amphibian to rehydrate. Keep amphibian clean to avoid opportunistic skin infections. Dropsy - heavy accumulation of serous fluid in the amphibian's body. o Physical Symptoms - abnormalities or softening of abdominal skin; bloating. o Cause/Transmission - metabolic disruption or abnormality caused by poor husbandry and possibly bacterial infection. o Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Generally he or she will use a needle to aspirate the body fluid before disinfecting the resulting puncture wound.

Fungal infections - invasions of fungus over the animal's body, most often seen in aquatic animals. o Physical Symptoms - noticeable skin color changes, especially red or inflamed white tissues, ulceration of the skin. Slimy feel to skin, skin coated in fuzzy or creamy material or whitish threading. o Cause/Transmission - fungal spores or fungus in water, enclosure, or other amphibians or fish; dirty conditions; generally poor husbandry. o Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Internal Parasites - parasites inhabiting the host's internal organs. Varieties range from single celled parasites (such as Monocercomonas and Giardia) to worms (such as tapeworms). o Physical Symptoms - often there will be no symptoms although some animals may have decreased appetites, weight loss, or regurgitation. Subcutaneous parasites often can be felt just under the skin. Fecal or blood examinations by a veterinarian are the preferred methods of diagnosis. o Cause/Transmission - internal parasites are usually passed from one animal to another through direct and indirect contact between hosts which can include infected prey items. o Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Many will recommend medications such as Metronidazole, Oxfendazole, Fenbendazole, Levamisole, or Ivermectin. Metabolic Bone Disease - most commonly seen in, but not limited to, herbivorous lizards, a calcium deficiency that causes the animal's bones to soften or break easily. In severe instances when the disease is untreated, paralysis or death may result. o Physical Symptoms - squeeze the animal's jaw gently. If it feels soft or if it "gives", the bones may have become soft. Lethargy or bent, collapsed backs may be another symptom. Most commonly, swellings on the limbs are evident. o Cause/Transmission - diets low in calcium or inability to process calcium due to insufficient sunlight/UVB exposure. o Treatment - ensure your animal is fed a proper diet and that it has plenty of exposure to sunlight. Consult your veterinarian if the condition continues to worsen. Minor Cuts or Scrapes - minor skin damage caused by the abrasion away or slicing of the skin. o Physical symptoms - visible cuts or scrapes. o Cause/Transmission - sharp surfaces in the animal's enclosure which catch on the animal's skin, repeated contact with jagged or rough surfaces that has abraded the skin, physical skirmishes with other animals. Many times an animal will rub a part of its body, like its nose, repeatedly on a rough rock or screen and may abrade its skin. Live prey items can also scratch or bite your animal.

Treatment - clean the area with a povidone iodine solution. Consult your veterinarian. Red Leg - potentially deadly infection of Aeromonas hydrophyla bacteria leading to septicemia. o Physical Symptoms - reddening of the skin of the amphibian's inner thighs or belly i.e. skin hemorrhages; lethargy, cloudy or opaque eyes, anorexia. o Cause/Transmission - Aeromonas hydrophyla bacterial infection passed to amphibian through spoiled food, other infected animals, or generally poor husbandry. o Treatment - isolate affected animal. Consult your veterinarian. Sometimes antibiotics may be prescribed. Application of topical antibiotic creams may help.
o

Please Note: This part of the care sheet is copyright CentralPets.com. It may be freely distributed provided that this notice and Copyright remains unchanged. We encourage veterinarians, clubs, pet stores, breeders, humane societies, and others to use this to educate people and promote better pet care. Questions regarding this part of the care sheet should be directed to content@CentralPets.com

============= For those interested in further information regarding the care of B. alvarius, please consult: Recommendations for the Care of Amphibians and Reptiles in Academic Institutions, Dr. F. Harvey Pough Care Information for Frogs and Toads at CentralPets.com Toad Forum at Kingsnake.com New England Herpetological Society AllAboutFrogs.org

Longevity of three B. alvarius toads in captivity: 15 Years, 5 Months. Gender unknown, acquired 09/09/70 as an adult. Died 02/25/86. 11 Years, 8 Months. Female, acquired 09/08/81 as a juvenile. Wild bred. Died 06/04/93. Collected at 1.5". 9 Years, 2 Months. Gender unknown, acquired date unknown as an adult. Wild bred. 1977.

The information in this care sheet was complied from various sources. Any other information you can provide from your own sources and experiences with Bufo alvarius is greatly appreciated - please EMAIL it to me.

Bufo alvarius
I cannot tell by what logic we call a toad, a bear, or an elephant ugly; they being created in those outward shapes and figures which best express the actions of their inward frames; and having passed that general visitation of God, who saw that all that he had made was good. Sir Thomas Browne, 1642. In the early to mid 1800's, the children of Europe began their Manifest Destiny westward from the eastern United States. During this time, the Smithsonian Institution dispatched exploring expeditions to survey the land and its creature inhabitants. One of those early explorers was Major G. H. Thomas. In 1855, he became the first white man to discover and collect a specimen of our beloved toad. (USNM No. 2572) However, it wasn't until 1859 that a Frenchman by the name of Charles F. Girard, while working on the US and Mexican Boundary Survey, became the first white man to catalog and give this toad its official scientific name; Bufo alvarius. Because Major Thomas found his toad in Old Fort Yuma, California, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona, (near the junction with the Gila River,) the toad was commonly referred to later as the Colorado River toad. Today, we commonly refer to B. alvarius as the Sonoran Desert toad to reflect the fact that it occurs almost exclusively in the region of the Sonoran Desert.

The Latin for "alvus" is the womb or belly. And the Latin for "arius" is belonging to. Bufo alvarius belongs to the womb. Older than the dinosaurs, she is a Divinity, the great primeval Earth Mother, the source and the end of all life. Of the more than 260 toadsinhabiting planet Earth, there is none other like her. For in her venom glands is contained a magic substance that when dried and smoked induces a psychedelic near-death experience of great intensity, but of short duration. The Sonoran Desert toad occurs in lowland areas of southern Arizona and adjacent corners of southeastern California, southwestern New Mexico and northeastern Baja, California, through most of Sonora, and into Sinaloa, Mexico. See the distribution map here. These toads are found mainly in the Lower Sonoran Life Zone, but also occur in the Upper Sonoran, ranging from about sea level to 5300 feet. They occur primarily in desert, but also in grassland and lower oakwoodland, commonly taking refuge in rodent burrows.

As is true of most toads, B. alvarius is nocturnal. Many of these toads spend a large part of their lives entombed in the Earth. The arrival of the monsoon rains in summer softens the ground and brings them out of aestivation (toad hibernation.) One studydiscovered that the majority of the B. alvarius toad population only comes out of aestivation when there are repeated "significant rainfall events" which are defined as greater than one inch of rainfall within a twenty-four hour period. However, some B. alvarius are not dependant on the whims of Mother Nature to provide the monsoon rains for their appearance. They have adapted well to life around people, (our night time lights attract a hardy meal,) and they obviously do not bury themselves underground, but possibly find refuge under man-made structures that allow for easier access in and out of their abodes. Consequently, one may find these toads feeding at night any time between May and September. Still, the largest number of B. alvarius will always be found after much heavy rainfall where they will breed in temporary pools, cattle ponds, and slow moving streams. Eggs (view pictures here) are deposited in long (400 inches) ropelike strings, 7,500 to 8,000 at a time. In Arizona, the monsoon rains occur mostly around July, give or take a month. Learn more about the unique weather pattern of the monsoon, and how to track it, here. The Sonoran Desert toad is the largest of the western toads and is extremely fast when it decides to make a getaway - it doesn't hop, it gallops! Adults may attain a snout-vent length of up to seven inches. The skin is generally smooth, especially for a toad, but with small scattered warts. The color varies from dark brown, gray, olivegreen, bright-green, and yellow-orange on the dorsal side, and mostly creamcolored on its ventral side. There is at least one large round, whitish tubercle at each corner of the mouth. The parotoids, above and behind the tympanums (eardrums,) are long and somewhat kidney-shaped, and venom glands also occur on the hind legs and usually on the forearms as well. The cranial crests are prominent and crescent-shaped. The irises are rust-colored. See the images from around the Internet or see the Photo Gallery. Amplexus is the mating embrace of frogs and toads. The male clasps the female from behind. The sexes can be distinguished by the dark nuptial pads on the thumbs and inner fingers of the male; the thumb is larger than that of the female. Also, in general, males will cluck incessantly when picked up - this is the male release call. Females are generally silent but tend to puff and inflate their bodies with air when picked up. (The toad's skin is permeable and sensitive to toxins, so be careful that your hands are clean if you are going to handle toads.)

Sonoran Desert toads have voracious appetites and will eat any living thing they can get into their mouths. All manner of insect, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, small lizards, scorpions, centipedes, mice, and smaller toads are just some examples of what B. alvarius will eat. AmphibiaWeb quickly search and retrieve information relating to amphibian biology, taxonomic information, species descriptions, life history information, conservation status, literature references, photos and range maps. Biota Information System Of New Mexico - BISON - contains accounts for all vertebrate and many invertebrate species of wildlife occurring in New Mexico and Arizona. Extensive summary of field research on distribution and conservation status with references. California Department of Fish and Game for an excellent summary of the knowledge base. The references cited are located here. California Department of Fish and Game for another summary of the knowledge base with references. Other Web sites of note: Tucson Herpetological Society has excellent photographs of this toad and some good information. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has some good information and a cute story. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles - SSAR The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists - ASIH Herpetology is the study of amphibians - excellent natural history site. Frog and Toad - In the Desert by Ron Harton is a fun and well written piece about amphibian life in the desert.

Tadpole - "large specimens appear uniformly brassy in life or uniformly tan in preservative; tail muscle with small, irregular, low- contrast dark markings; P-2/P-3 ca. 1.0; temporary pools formed by seasonal rains in southern half of Arizona and adjacent California and New Mexico" - USGS

Bufo alvarius
Los Angeles Times April 19, 1994 A New Craze Hops Into the Drug Culture Fads: The quest for new highs has led some seekers to a new low--toad smoking. It's weird, it's illegal, and experts warn that it's probably dangerous, too. by Leo W. Banks Some things are so disgusting, it's only a matter of time before they become really popular. So it is with what Arizona police and wildlife officials call the latest fad to sweep the drug culture--toad smoking. Here's how it's done: You grab a Sonoran Desert toad, an easy task since they don't move very fast, and squeeze the glands near its eyes. Pretty soon, the glands pop and out oozes a milky substance with the consistency of rubber cement and a chemical makeup similar to LSD. You let this blob dry on glass, cut off a piece, stuff it into a pipe and fire it up. "A man was arrested for this in California and he described the high," said Don Mattus of the Arizona Fish and Game Department. "He said it's a 20-minute trip so intense that he can hear electrons jumping orbitals in his molecules." Achieving this mental state is not only illegal but also dangerous--to toad and human--some experts say. Mattus explained that toad smoking is akin to the even more repulsive toad licking, a popular practice in the '60s that's making a comeback. "These are things people seem to be experimenting with right now," Mattus said. "They think it's cool because it's gross. What could be more gross than licking a toad?" Arizona police don't know the extent of the trend, but two recent cases seem to indicate a growing interest. Last September, a Tucson man was arrested when authorities discovered 62 desert toads in his home. Arizona law forbids the sale of native wildlife, but anyone with a fishing license may legally possess up to 10 desert toads. The man, who claimed the amphibians were pets,

was charged with numerous counts of illegally possessing and transporting wildlife. The other case involved a University of Arizona student arrested after he ran an ad in the student newspaper soliciting desert toads, also called Colorado River toads. Wildlife experts at first assumed these cases were part of the ongoing trade in which collectors ship exotic desert animals to black-market dealers, usually in Florida, Texas and California. Then the Arizona officials learned of the February arrest of a California man for possession of bufotenine, a hallucinogenic chemical secreted by the toads. The man came clean with his intention to smoke the stuff. Recent publicity surrounding toad smoking has resulted in numerous calls, most originating in California, to Dr. Andrew Weil from people asking how they can get toads. "I think people are smoking them, but I can't tell you how extensive it is," said Weil, a University of Arizona ethnopharmacologist and drug culture expert. Still, no toad-smoking arrests have been made here, where bufotenine is listed as a dangerous drug under state control. "I don't think law enforcement was even aware this fad was going on until recently," said Lt. Dave Gonzales of the Department of Public Safety. "If a cop in a rural area came upon a man with a bunch of toads, he'd just assume he was collecting toads. Nobody's going to admit to smoking a toad." The Sonoran Desert toad is found only in south and south-central Arizona and northern Mexico, and wildlife officials fear that if the trend grows, the region will see an influx of toad hunters. A good desert toad, which runs up to eight inches long and weighs up to two pounds, yields $8 to $10 on California's drug market, wildlife officials said. Arizonans usually notice the critters during the summer, when their back yards fill with the rhythmic chorus of toads singing to attract mates and when dogs make the mistake of catching and biting them. The dog may respond with symptoms ranging from excessive salivation and diarrhea to paralysis and respiratory collapse, and may even die. "The toad possesses a whole package of chemicals to make it distasteful to predators," Lawler said. Bufotenine is found in all toads, but the Sonoran Desert toad also has dimethyltryptamine. These two together work as quite a hallucinogenic compound."

The risks to people are considerable. The problem with getting high off toads, or any organic source, is the wide variation in dosage, said Jude McNally of the University of Arizona's poison and drug information center. "Even someone who thinks he has experience with it doesn't know what he's getting," McNally said.
Weil said he has smoked toad twice and knows others who have done so hundreds of times, and

they came out all right. "It looks relatively safe," he said. But Lawler believes using it amounts to playing toad roulette. And he fears that the fad might injure the desert toad, which already suffers from an "if it's ugly and it hops, kill it" prejudice. "I doubt this will catch on in a big way," he said, "but you never know." Caption: PHOTO: COLOR, Secretions from the Sonoran Desert toad contain hallucinogenic chemicals. PHOTOGRAPHER: Arizona Sonora Desert MuseumCopyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times 1994 Record Number: 000036813 Tucson Citizen (AZ) April 11, 2003 ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Deep Toad Movie filmed here probes wild world of toad-licking By Elaine Gale The placid and squatty Colorado River toad, a familiar creature in the Sonoran Desert, has spawned an unusual cult of enthusiasts looking to expand their consciousness by, well, "licking toad." The toad naturally generates a milky-looking venom, chock-full of chemically active compounds, that is squeezed from various glands, dried and smoked. Hard-core users prefer to lick the toad itself, which experts say is far more dangerous than smoking dried chips of the venom.

A 1994 article in the Wall Street Journal about the hallucinogenic amphibians was the inspiration

for independent film director Toby Hubner to produce a low-budget movie in Tucson last spring about a rookie DEA agent who is sent undercover to Tucson to infiltrate a group of slackers who love to lick toad. The movie, which ended up with a $200,000 budget after snaring some local investors, is titled "Deep Toad." It will have its world premiere at 9 p.m. tomorrow at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St., as part of the Arizona International Film Festival. "This movie is about being swallowed by the whale, going into the belly of the beast and emerging in a rite of purification," said Hubner, 59, who lives in Paris. He will shoot the second installment of the toad trilogy, "The Slender Bob Factor," in Tucson in late summer. Best-selling author and health guru Andrew T. Weil, director of the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article and described his personal experience with the effects of smoking toad as "slow and velvety, with a slight pressure in my head" that produced a "deep, peaceful and interior awareness." Weil said collecting the venom doesn't harm or injure the toads, but actually licking venom off the toad's body will likely hurt the licker. "It's a pretty violent intoxication when you lick the toad itself," said Weil, who published an article about his experience with smoking toad in a scholarly journal called Ancient Mesoamerica. "I've smoked toad venom twice in the name of science, but I've never licked a toad." Jude McNally, managing director of Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, said they don't see many repeat offenders from the folks who call in after getting sick from experimenting with toad. "There are so many adverse effects," he said. "While they may hallucinate, they're also likely to feel really sick which will compromise their euphoria." In humans, he said, it causes shortness of breath, an increase in rate of breathing, changes in the heart rate, a drop in blood pressure and numbness inside the mouth. Hubner, who shot his "Deep Toad" movie with live Colorado River toads and released them after the film was completed, said the only person in his crew who tried smoking the toad venom was the lead actor, whose character smokes toad in the movie and has a motley

hallucinogenic trip. "I didn't want to glorify this drug whatsoever," Hubner said. "I wanted the film to be a crucible to talk about the drug wars. It's a serious drug." "I do think toad licking has a built in safety valve," explained McNally, who said the Arizona Poison Center has only a few cases each year where a person attempted to use toad as a recreational drug. "It's disgusting and someone would need to be pretty desperate to consider doing that for their recreation." McNally said the more common cases are from dogs who die after swallowing a whole toad. If the dog is unable to vomit it up, the toxins are released from the toad's glands. "Every once in a while, someone will try and eat a toad," said McNally. "But it's rare - or at least medium-rare." Many locations in the film will be familiar to Tucsonans, including the Tucson Police Department headquarters, Bobo's Coffee Shop, Baja Fish and Tackle, Four Points Sheraton and a mothballed DC-10 at Tucson International Airport. Also appearing in the film are former local newscasters April Brown and Tim Johnston, who plays a demented weatherman who likens the Old Pueblo to a "pig iron blast furnace." Tucson police officer Kevin Danaher, who died in 2002, and other local policemen appear in bust and interrogation scenes. "The people in Tucson were so fantastic to make a movie with," Hubner said. "Everyone was so friendly and fresh." Copyright (c) Tucson Citizen. All rights reserved. Record Number: tuc2003041116340298 ##### Producers: Garrard Glenn, Phil Doughty Writer: Toby Hubner Director: Toby Hubner

Director Of Photography: Roderick E. Stevens

Format: DV

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Bufo alvarius
Venom Bibliography: Allen, E. Ross and Neill, Wilfred T. 1956. Effect of Marine Toad Toxins on Man. Herpetologica 12:150-151. Cannon, M.S. and J.R. Hostetler. 1975. The Anatomy of the Parotoid Gland in Bufonidae with Some Histochemical Findings - Bufo alvarius.Journal of Morphology 148:137-159. Cei, Jose M., Vittorio Erspamer, and M. Roseghini. 1972. Biogenic Amines. In Evolution of the Genus Bufo, edited by W. Frank Blair, pp. 233-243. University of Texas Press, Austin. Daly, John, and Bernhard Witkop 1971. Chemistry and Pharmacology of Frog Venoms. In Venomous Vertebrates, edited by Wolfgang Bucherl and Eleanor buckley, pp. 497-519. Venomous Animals and Their Venoms, vol. 2. Academic Press, New York. Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil. 1992. Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad. Ancient Mesoamerica 3 (1): 51-59. Abstract and excepts. Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil. 1994. Bufo alvarius: A Potent Hallucinogen of Animal Origin. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 41 (1-2): 1-8.Abstract and excepts. Deulofeu, Venancio, and Edmundo Ruveda. 1971. The Basic Constituents of Toad Venoms. In Venomous Vertebrates, edited by Wolfgang Bucherl and Eleanor Buckley, pp. 475-495. Venomous Animals and Their Venoms, vol. 2. Academic Press, New York. Erspamer, V., T. Vitali, M. Roseghini, and J. M. Cei. 1965. 5-Methoxy- and 5-HydroxyIndolealkylamines in the Skin of Bufo alvarius.Experientia 21:504. Abstract and commentary.

Erspamer, V., T. Vitali, M. Roseghini, and J. M. Cei. 1967. 5-Methoxy- and 5Hydroxyindoles in the Skin of Bufo alvarius. Biochemical Pharmacology 16:11491164. Abstract and commentary. Gallagher, Larry. June 5, 1994. Smoking Toad. The New York Times Magazine. p.48-49. Krajick, Kevin. June 15, 1992. Vision Quest. Newsweek p.62-63. Lyttle. T. 1993. Misuse and legend in the "toad licking" phenomenon. International Journal of the Addictions. 28: 521-538. Short version. Lyttle, T., D. Goldstein, and J. Gartz. 1996. Bufo Toads and Bufotenine: Fact and Fiction Surrounding an Alleged Psychedelic. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs vol. 28 (3): 267290. Abstract. McBride, Michael C., B.S.Phr., R.Ph. 2000. Bufotenine: Toward an Understanding of Possible Psychoactive Mechanisms. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. July-September, 2000; 32 (3): 321-331. Abstract and commentary. Meyer, Kuno, and Horst Linde. 1971. Collection of Toad Venoms and Chemistry of the Toad Venom Steroids. In Venomous Vertebrates, edited by Wolfgang Bucherl and Eleanor buckley, pp. 521-556. Venomous Animals and Their Venoms, vol. 2. Academic Press, New York. Most, Albert. 1985. Bufo alvarius: The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert. Porter, Kenneth R., and Wendy F. Porter. 1967. Venom Comparisions and Relationships of Twenty Species of New World Toads (Genus Bufo).Copeia (2): 298-307. Natural History Bibliography: Degraaff, Robert M. 1991. The Book of the Toad: a natural and magical history of toadhuman relations. Park Street Press, 1 Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767 Furst, Peter. 1976a (1985). The Toad as Earth Mother: A Problem in Symbolism and Psychopharmacology. Hallucinogens and Culture. Chapter 14, pp. 158-165. - (4 pages) Fouquette, M.J., Jr. 1970. Bufo alvarius. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles, edited by William J. Riemer, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 93.193.4. Distribution map.

Fouquette, M.J., Jr. 1968. Remarks on the Type Specimen of Bufo Alvarius Girard. The Great Basin Naturalist. Vol. 28, No. 2 Girard, Charles F. 1859. Reptiles of the Boundary. In: William H. Emory, Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, Vol.2, Part 2., p.26, pl.41, figs.1-6. Gergus, Erik W.A., Keith B. Malmos, and Brian K. Sullivan. Natural Hybridization Among Distantly Related Toads (Bufo alvarius, Bufo cognatus, Bufo woodhousii) in Central Arizona. Copeia May, 1999; 199 (2): 281-286. Abstract. Hanson, Joe A. and Vial, James L. 1956. Defensive Behavior and Effects of Toxins in Bufo alvarius. Herpetologica. Vol 12. pp.141-149. Excerpt. Hill, Willie James. 1961. The developmental pattern of the Colorado River toad (Bufo alvarius Girard) from stage one through twenty. Thesis: (M.S.)--Arizona State University, 1961--Biology. Low, Bobbi S. 1972. Evidence From Parotoid-Gland Secretions. In Evolution of the Genus Bufo, edited by W. Frank Blair, pp. 244-264. University of Texas Press, Austin Rugh, Roberts. 1962. Experimental Embryology Techniques and Procedures. 4. Induced Breeding. pp.91-103. Minneapolis, Burgess Pub. Co. Stebbins, Robert C. 1951. Amphibians of Western North America. pp.229-234. Berkeley, University of California Press. Stebbins, Robert C. 1954. Amphibians and Reptiles of Western North America. pp.101-102, 115, 144. New York, McGraw-Hill. Stebbins, Robert C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Field marks of all species in western North America, including Baja California. pp.68-69. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. Sullivan, Brian K. and Philip J. Fernandez. Breeding Activity, Estimated Age-Structure, and Growth in Sonoran Desert Anurans. HerpetologicaSept. 1999; 55 (3): 334-343. Abstract. Sullivan, Brian K. and Keith B. Malmos. Call Variation in the Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius): Behavioral and phylogenetic Implications.Herpetologica 1994; 50 (2) 146156. Abstract. Wright, Anna Allen & Albert Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of Frogs and Toads: the frogs and toads of the United States and Canada. pp.17, 46-47. Ithaca, N.Y., Comstock Pub. Co.

Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. 1995. Handbook of Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada. pp.135-139. Ithaca, NY : Comstock Pub. Associates.

Search History for bufo alvarius returned 24 records in BIOSIS Previews 7/2003 Search History for bufotenine returned 76 records in BIOSIS Previews 2001/04-2001/05