Bufo Toads and Bufotenine

Fact and Fiction Surrounding an Alleged Psychedelic

Bibliographic Data

ID5817868
AuthorsThomas Lyttle (Independent researcher), D Goldstein (0000-0003-1276-7623, Independent researcher), Jochen Gartz (Leipzig University)
Year1996
Volume28
Issue3
Pages267-290
Publication date1996-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Psychoactive Drugs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0279-1072 • E-ISSN: 2159-9777
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02791072.1996.10472488
PMID8895112
OpenAlexW2078968281
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited249

This paper investigates the supposedly psychedelic Bufo toad and the allegedly psychedelic drug bufotenine, which is contained in the skin and glands of this toad. The Bufo toad has held a place in human mythologies and medicines worldwide since archaic times. Used by ancient peoples for a variety of purposes, its most spectacular effects, according to lore, involve magical and shamanic or occult uses for casting spells and for divination. In the Middle Ages, the Bufo toad was celebrated as a panacea and persecuted as a powerful poison. More recently, in the 1960s the Bufo toad was resurrected as a countercultural icon, with people purportedly licking or smoking the secretions to get high. Bufotenine has been at the center of a scientific debate since its discovery in 1893. This paper examines the extensive literature surrounding the Bufo toad and bufotenine, and untangles many of the myths and the misinformation that continue to vex both science and popular reporting. Finally, to promote further investigation, a comprehensive bibliography is provided that charts the history of the Bufo toad and bufotenine. Keywords: bufotenineBufo toadsdrug historyhallucinogenpsychedelicurban myths

Bufo · Bufo marinus · Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques · Chemical synthesis and alkaloids · Psychedelics and Drug Studies

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