The Sonoran Desert Toad

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Bufo alvarius

  ‘This is no flattery: these are counsellors 
That feelingly persuade me what I am.’ 
Sweet are the uses of adversity, 
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, 
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; 
And this our life exempt from public haunt, 
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing. 
I would not change it.  -  Shakespeare


Now I was virtually certain I was about to die. As I tried to accept my fate, an even lower portion of my brain began to transmit more visions and information. I was "told" that this new material was being presented to me because I was dying and therefore "safe" to receive these revelations. These were the secrets reserved for the dying and the dead, I was informed.... more

 

Hold the toad gently and with care!
Milking the Toad

 

 

Required Reading:

Bufo alvarius: The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert - This is The Bible, folks.
by Albert Most

Scientific Research Papers:

Bufo alvarius: A Potent Hallucinogen of Animal Origin
by Wade Davis and Andrew Weil - and their experiences smoking the venom

5-Methoxy- and 5-Hydroxyindoles in the Skin of Bufo alvarius - The Grandfather of the research.
by Erspamer, Vittorio, T. Vitali, M. Roseghini, and Jose M. Cei   

Pharmanopo-Psychonautics:
Human Intranasal, Sublingual, Intrarectal, Pulmonary and Oral Pharmacology of Bufotenine

by Jonathan Ott - Exhaustively researched as only Ott can do it; bufotenine is conclusively psychoactive. Others remain skeptical.


Toad Venom Particulars:

How to smoke toad venom with the proper dosage and what happens next.

5-MeO-DMT and from Erowid's Web site.

Toad Licking and the bufotenine psychoactivity debate.

The Church of the Toad of Light

General information for those interested in the life of this Bufonidae, finding them in the wild, keeping them as pets, and breeding them. Includes Photo Gallery.


Good Toad Stories:

SmOkIn' ToAdZ - milking toads at the local pet store!

Farmer Bob's Good Life - quite humorous!
by Ward Parkway 

The Toad Nut/Mother - interesting spin
by Christian Raetsch

The Sex Life of the Psychedelic Toad - it's bull$#!t, but good bull$#!t
by Paul Rydeen

A Personal Story - mysterious novelty 

Toad Poetry


Newspaper Articles:

The insidious story of Bob and Connie Shepard arrested for possession of (B. alvarius) bufotenine.

Toad-Smoking Gains On Toad-Licking - B. alvarius in the Wall Street Journal

A New Craze Hops Into the Drug Culture - B. alvarius in the Los Angeles Times

Deep Toad - A Movie filmed in Arizona probes the wild world of toad-licking.

More news reports

 
Other Toad Links:

Erowid's Psychoactive Toad Venom Vault

Lycaeum > Leda > Bufo alvarius

Toad Toxins "the textfiles"
by David G. Spoerke, M.S., RPh., 1986

Molecular Neurobiology Student Manuscripts from the University of California at Berkeley:
Toad Venom...Their Toxicity & Psychoactive Effects  - Student paper in Neurochemistry.
The History and Psychoactivity of Bufo Toads - Student paper in Neurochemistry.

Phyllomedusa bicolor - Tree frogs known for skin secretions loaded with biologically active peptides. The Matses and Mayoruna tribes employ Phyllomedusa bicolor secretions applied to self inflicted skin burns to produce an agonizing attack of diarrhea, vomiting, tachycardia and systemic collapse, that is followed by a state of hyper-acuity of the senses attended by abundant energy and stamina without need for food or drink. Among other components, it contains dermorphin and deltorphin, peptides with analgesic properties 2000 times more potent than morphine at the cerebral level.

Frog Myths Across Cultures - Transformations, Alchemy and Love, by Noel Wanner

Hunting The Black Toade - Some aspects of alchemical symbolism

 
The Bibliography:

Bufo alvarius bibliography - Bring this to your nearest University Library.