Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

AbstractAnthropologists 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. We rejectB. marinusas 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). We demonstrate that the venom ofB. alvarius, though 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 a hallucinogenic agent from the animal kingdom, and they provide clear evidence of a psychoactive toad that could have been employed by Precolumbiae peoples of the New World.