Lets Go Smoke Psychedelic Toad!
Have you heard of psychedelic toad? NO? Where the deviled egg have you been? Comparable to the likes of ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline, this natural medicine comes from a rare species of toad native to the Sonoran Desert, Bufo Alvarius. They produce a venom known as 5-MeO-DMT: an extremely potent natural psychedelic. 5-MeO-DMT is about six times more powerful than its better-known cousin DMT (dimethyltryptamine). The 5 MeO is extracted by catching these slow fat giant toads and squeezing them like a stress ball until the toad’s toxic venom glands burst like high school pimple and then dehydrating the pus into a crumbly dry paste. You then smoke this in what would usually be referred to as a crack pipe with what looks like a mini blow torch and are then blasted off to the candy store of the universe. Shamans throughout Mexico and the southwestern US have been harvesting and smoking the substance for decades, but has recently become as popular as Tickle Me Elmo in December of 1996. Individuals that have taken the toad venom described their trips as being one with the universe and feeling “reborn," and a unique connection to god and collective consciousness. Users experience prismatic colors, euphoria, sacred geometry, and recursive patterns. After inhalation the medicine often leaves users as mobile as roadkill and as responsive to questions as a tween on their iphone. While I was in Oaxaca City, I found a woman who was administering Buffo ceremonies and decided to bring my two besties Dr. Zandra Palma and Jordan Lejuwaan to see just how far this rabbit hole goes. What followed was completely insane and this episode was recorded during the ceremony. These medicines should not be taken lightly, taking them requires users to go into it with the intention to heal. It's not a drug, it's a religious experience. So, without further ado, I present to you Zoe vs. Toad, round 1.