Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad
Ancient Mesoamerica January 1, 1992 Wade Davis, Andrew T. Weil 33 citations
The Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius), not the marine toad (Bufo marinus), is a plausible candidate for ritual use by ancient Mesoamericans. The marine toad's venom is too toxic for such use, but the Sonoran desert toad secretes large amounts of the potent hallucinogen 5-MeO-DMT. Experiments show that while the venom is toxic if eaten, it can be safely smoked and is powerfully psychoactive by that route. This is the first documented hallucinogenic agent from the animal kingdom and provides clear evidence of a psychoactive toad that could have been employed by Precolumbian peoples.