An urban
legend that popularizes the belief that one can get "high" or "trip" by licking a specific or even *any* variety of toad.
In
reality there are no toads that will cause any
person or animal to get "high" by licking them.
There are however some species of toads known as "psychoactive toads" that produce a very powerful psychedelic tryptamine in their venom called 5-MeO-DMT (a close relative to DMT). A very common species is the American Colorado River Toad, Bufo alvarius.
One cannot ingest the 5-MeO-DMT by licking a psychoactive toad; it would be destroyed in the stomach. Furthermore, there are many toxins present in psychoactive toad venom that could cause the
person to become very
sick or even
die. One should *
never* touch a psychoactive with bare
skin, let alone lick it.
The venom *can* be ingested by "milking" the toad. For Bufo alvarius, this is typically done by holding the toad with a gloved hand and stroking its
skin with something like a glass stir road. The venom is then rubbed and collected onto a glass plate. After milking, the venom is left to sit out and
dry completely. After drying, the dried venom is scraped into a mortar and pestle where it is ground into a fine powder. The powder is then *smoked* using a glass pipe (similar to DMT). Burning the venom destroys the majority of the harmful toxins present, but leaves the 5-MeO-DMT molecules intact, where they can be absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs. After a toad is milked, it can require up to 60 days for the toad to fully "recharge" the 5-MeO-DMT levels in its venom.
It can take several toads to achieve a good "harvest." One should also keep in mind that 5-MeO-DMT levels can vary from toad to toad.
5-MeO-DMT is also present in the toad's
skin. While the toad can be killed and the
skin dried and ground into a powder, it is looked down upon and discouraged due to the fact that it is an act of cruelty and is not at all necessary.
5-MeO-DMT does not produce a "high" as it is a psychedelic tryptamine. It can produce VERY powerful psychosis related experiences, both positive and negative. It can also induce unconsciousness for as
long as 30 minutes, as well as memory loss (the user does not remember the experience). One should *never* casually experiment with 5-MeO-DMT unless they have an experienced
person available to
help and act as "trip sitter."
Bufo alvarius is not illegal (it is native to the south western United States), and is also not illegal to keep as a pet. Collecting, ingesting, and selling the venom *is* however illegal in the United States.
You can't lick that toad and get high, you could get very
sick! Toad licking is an urban
legend, you need to smoke the dried venom from a psychoactive toad in order to achieve a psychedelic experience, but it is not for
casual users!
