Bufo Alvarius

Unlike many other natural psychedelics, the venom of the toad Bufo alvarius seems not to have been used in traditional shamanic practices, or at least such practices have disappeared over time. The indigenous people living in the regions where this toad lives have no records of shamanic practices related to it.

Some highly speculative anthropological evidence suggests that toad medicine may have been used in Mesoamerica in the past, due to the presence of toad depictions on temples and artefacts, although it is not certain that toad venom was used as part of religious rituals.

Those who claim to work with Bufo in an "ancient and sacred" way are exaggerating at least a little. Today, the use of Bufo is found primarily in neo-shamanic ceremonial settings, which may include drumming, chanting, smoking and other rituals. Any semblance of "indigenous" Bufo practices are examples of neo-shamanism that have been amalgamated from diverse traditions and are not rooted in a specific unbroken ancestral lineage.

The venom of Bufo alvarius was first subjected to chemical analysis in 1965, and was found to contain the psychoactive substance 5-MeO-DMT. In the mid-1980s, after a description of smoking Bufo alvarius was published in an article called "Bufo alvarius: The psychedelic toad of the Sonoran Desert", the practice slowly began to take hold in small circles of people who wanted to start experimenting with this substance. 

5-MeO-DMT is a compound with a history of shamanic use in the form of plant-based snuff. These snuffs often contain other psychoactive substances, such as DMT and bufotenin, and have been used in ceremonies with specially crafted pipes in ancestral traditions in several South American and Caribbean countries. These traditions are thousands of years old, and traces of bufotenin have been found in shamanic bags in the Andes dating back 1,000 years.

What happens under the effect of ayahuasca is difficult to put into words, as the experience is unique and different for each person. Still, speaking very broadly, we can summarise some common threads in a typical ayahuasca experience.

The effects it produces are profound and can be transformative, but they can also be intense and challenging.

When drinking ayahuasca, it is possible to experience a change of perception of the world around you. Colours may seem brighter, sounds more intense and patterns more complex. You may also feel more connected to nature and to other human beings.

As the medicine begins to work, you may experience visions and intense emotional sensations. You may feel immersed in a spiral of thoughts and feelings, which can be overwhelming at first. 

It is also possible to experience nausea and vomiting during the trip. One way of thinking about this process is that ayahuasca itself is not necessarily something that the body rejects, but that it is something that enters and flows throughout your being looking for negative energy and toxicity to expel, so the purge is seen as a way of eliminating rubbish from the system.

In rare cases, the effects of ayahuasca can be minimal and cause only mild nausea.

Purging ayahuasca is not something to worry about, as it is a key point of the drink for the indigenous people who use it in their rituals. According to them, only after purging can barriers at deep levels of the being be unblocked and allow the ayahuasca to do its work properly. Although it may seem daunting, purging finally relieves the feeling of nausea and is seen as a form of liberation and cleansing.

Finally, it is possible to have a sense of connection with a higher force, be it a deity or a universal energy. This can be a deeply spiritual experience that helps to find meaning and purpose in life.