Toad venom psychedelic usually means 5-MeO-DMT, a hallucinogen found in the venom of the Colorado River toad. It produces an intense, short-lived psychedelic experience. Wikipedia reports it is considered illegal in the United States, and researchers are studying it as a possible treatment for depression and anxiety.
The studies linked below were done in mice, not people. The rest of this page sorts out what is known so far and what is still unclear.
What is toad venom psychedelic?
The psychedelic is 5-MeO-DMT. Its full chemical name is 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine, and it is one of the best-known members of a chemical family of psychedelics. UC Berkeley’s psychedelics site explains that the “5-methoxy” part refers to a methoxy group attached to the tryptamine skeleton that many psychedelics share. So it is in the same broad family as other psychedelic tryptamines, but it is a distinct molecule.
Several names turn up in articles about it. Here is what each one refers to.
| Name you may see | What it refers to |
|---|---|
| 5-MeO-DMT | The psychedelic compound found in the Colorado River toad’s venom. |
| Bufotenin | A related compound found in the secretions and eggs of several toad species. Wikipedia notes that the Colorado River toad is the only one with enough of it for a psychoactive effect. |
| Bufo toad or Bufo venom | An older genus name for the toad. The Colorado River toad was formerly Bufo alvarius. |
| Ch’an su | A traditional Chinese remedy made from toad toxin, described in the Wikipedia article as often prepared as a tea. |
| Love stone | A related toad toxin preparation used as an aphrodisiac in the West Indies. |
| Toad licking | The name used in popular culture and scientific literature for swallowing toad secretions. |
| God molecule | A nickname for 5-MeO-DMT. Columbia News quotes chemist Dalibor Sames saying it is “sometimes referred to as the ‘god molecule’.” |
What is the toad that gets you high?
The toad is Incilius alvarius, known as the Colorado River toad or the Sonoran Desert toad. In the United States it lives in the lower Colorado River and Gila River areas, in extreme southwestern New Mexico, and in much of southern Arizona. It also lives in parts of northwestern Mexico, according to the Colorado River toad article on Wikipedia.
UC Berkeley describes it as “the only animal known to secrete a psychedelic compound from its body.” The toad produces 5-MeO-DMT from glands on its skin.
Is toad venom a psychedelic?
Yes. UC Berkeley calls 5-MeO-DMT “the psychoactive ingredient in the venom of the Colorado River toad.” The Wikipedia article says the toad’s glands also produce bufotenin, and both chemicals belong to the family of hallucinogenic tryptamines.
What is it like to take toad venom?
Reports from people who have used 5-MeO-DMT describe experiences that are intense and hard to put into words. UC Berkeley says users often describe “rapidly increasing intensity, disorientation, and profound disconnection from their environment.” Wikipedia says a single deep inhalation of smoked venom produces strong effects within about 15 seconds, lasting up to 20 minutes. Users usually report a warm sensation, euphoria, and strong visual and auditory hallucinations.
Berkeley also notes that use has been observed to bring rapid reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety, along with feelings of meaningfulness and spiritual significance. That is why the compound is being studied, and why the experience is so often described in both frightening and hopeful terms.
Is it the most powerful psychedelic?
Berkeley’s psychedelics site describes 5-MeO-DMT’s effects as distinct from those of classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin and mescaline. Its effects are often described as rapidly increasing intensity, disorientation, and profound disconnection from their environment. Our read is that “most powerful” is not a clean ranking, and that the intensity of the experience matters more to your decision than any ranking.
Why do people smoke Bufo toad venom?
Wikipedia traces the modern practice of smoking Colorado River toad venom to a 1983 pamphlet, “Bufo Alvarius: the Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert,” written under a pseudonym. The article says the pamphlet “sparked the present-day recreational use.” People smoke it for the intense experience described above.
Some promoters also describe the practice as a route to health benefits. Wikipedia says the “toad medicine” scene has drawn criticism over unverified therapeutic claims.
What does toad poison do to you?
Toad venom is a poison as well as a psychedelic. Wikipedia reports that the toad’s glands produce a poison that may be potent enough to kill a grown dog, and that the secretions contain digoxin-like cardiac glycosides. Ingesting the poison can be fatal.
The article describes a young woman who died after drinking a tea containing ch’an su. Right after she drank it, she had vomiting, difficulty breathing and stomach tenderness. She died about two and a half hours later. Wikipedia also cites a 2019 review by Horák and colleagues that documents fatal incidents during ceremonies, including drownings and deaths among older participants with heart complications.
What happens if a person licks a Bufo toad?
Licking the toad means taking its secretions into the mouth, and that can cause poisoning. On October 31, 2022, the United States National Park Service posted a warning on Facebook that people should not handle or lick the toad. The post was made humorously, and the Park Service has no records of people licking or otherwise harassing the toads in parks, according to Wikipedia.
Is Bufo toad venom illegal in the USA?
Wikipedia reports that 5-MeO-DMT “is considered illegal in the United States, and categorized as a Schedule 1 substance.” Check the current federal status with the DEA or a lawyer before you act on it.
State rules are stricter for the toad itself. Wikipedia reports that New Mexico and California have listed the Colorado River toad as “threatened,” and that collecting it is unlawful in those states. Wikipedia also quotes an archived 2008 Arizona Game and Fish Department page: “An individual shall not…export any live wildlife from the state; 3. Transport, possess, offer for sale, sell, sell as live bait, trade, give away, purchase, rent, lease, display, exhibit, propagate…within the state.” That is an agency statement about wildlife in general, not a current rule written for this toad, so check the Arizona Game and Fish Department for current rules. Wikipedia also reports that in Arizona, one may legally bag up to 10 toads with a fishing license, but it could be a criminal violation if one possesses the toad with the intent to smoke its secretions. Wikipedia says none of the states where the toad is or was native legally allows a person to remove it from the state.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you have a question about your own situation, a lawyer in your state is the right person to ask.
Does toad venom help with depression or anxiety?
The research is early, and it is mostly in animals. Here is what each study found.
The 2024 Nature paper. UC Berkeley reports on a 2024 paper in Nature, “Structural pharmacology and therapeutic potential of 5-methoxytryptamines.” The researchers found that 5-MeO-DMT binds with high affinity to two types of serotonin receptors in the brain. Hallucinations were attributed to one receptor, and anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects to the other.
The modified compound study. The Icahn School of Medicine’s summary of Daniel Wacker’s study says the team built a new version of 5-MeO-DMT designed to target only the 5-HT1A receptor and ignore the 5-HT2A receptor. In mice, the summary says, this version eliminated the hallucinogenic effects while keeping the therapeutic benefits and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in stressed subjects.
The Columbia report. Columbia News describes the same work. It reports that the modified compound produced “similar antidepressant-like activity to ketamine” in mice, without the hallucinogenic effects. Columbia’s headline asks whether a toad’s venom could help treat psychiatric disorders, and its story says a modified version “could be an effective treatment option for depression and anxiety.” Columbia adds that “Further research is needed to assess whether these findings might translate to humans.”
Columbia’s Dalibor Sames also said 5-MeO-DMT has shown “promising therapeutic signals in preliminary clinical studies.” Berkeley says 5-MeO-DMT “is being studied as a therapeutic for multiple psychiatric conditions.”
How does this connect to the brain?
Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the brain, and it acts on receptors. Psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin are thought to produce their hallucinations mainly through the 5-HT2A receptor. The Icahn summary says 5-HT1A is “a known target for treating anxiety and depression,” but researchers have not fully understood which effects come from it. The new work tries to separate those effects, and that is why the modified compound matters to researchers.
How do your options compare?
The table below lays out the main routes side by side. No price appears in the studies or reports linked here, so ask your clinician or the trial site what any option costs.
| Option | What it is | What the evidence shows | Legal and safety limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modified 5-MeO-DMT compound | A research version built to target the 5-HT1A receptor and not the 5-HT2A receptor | In mice, reduced anxiety and depression symptoms and produced antidepressant-like activity similar to ketamine (Icahn, Columbia) | Research compound. Columbia says further research is needed before the findings may apply to humans. |
| 5-MeO-DMT as studied | The natural psychedelic compound, being studied as a therapeutic for multiple psychiatric conditions (Berkeley) | Preliminary clinical studies with promising signals (Columbia); reports of rapid reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms with use (Berkeley) | Considered illegal in the United States and categorized as Schedule 1 (Wikipedia) |
| Toad secretions smoked or swallowed | Recreational use, sometimes called toad licking | Reports of intense effects; deaths and poisonings linked to swallowing toad toxins (Wikipedia) | Wikipedia reports 5-MeO-DMT as Schedule 1; check the current federal status with the DEA or a lawyer. Wikipedia reports collecting the toad is unlawful in New Mexico and California. |
The studies described here were done in mice, not with smoked venom in people. Whether toad venom helps anyone with depression or anxiety is still an open question, and the studies are the best evidence available to answer it.
Is toad venom therapy a real treatment?
What you will find online under the name “toad venom therapy” is largely the ceremony scene. Wikipedia says the scene has drawn criticism over unverified therapeutic claims, and reports of fatal incidents tied to ceremonies. In Spain, the July 2019 death of a photographer during a toad ceremony led to an arrest. The case was provisionally archived in May 2023 and later revived, and as of October 2025 the Valencia prosecutor was seeking a four-year prison sentence, according to Wikipedia.
The lab work above was done in mice. Columbia’s Dalibor Sames refers to preliminary clinical studies, and Columbia says further research is needed before the findings may apply to humans.
What questions should you ask before you decide?
If you are weighing any of these options, the National Cancer Institute suggests asking your health care provider questions like these. Its list includes: “What side effects can be expected?” “What are the risks related to this therapy?” “What benefits can be expected from this therapy?” and “Do the known benefits outweigh the risks?” The full list is in NCI’s National Cancer Institute’s list of questions to ask your provider.
Before you decide
- Whether the mouse results apply to people. Columbia says further research is needed.
- Whether a clinical trial is open to you. Ask your clinician.
- What any option costs. No price is listed in the studies or reports linked here.
- Whether toad venom is legal where you live. Check with a lawyer in your state.
- Which approved options fit your situation. Your clinician is the right person to ask.
Next step: Bring this page and the questions above to your next appointment with a clinician. The choice of what to do about depression or anxiety is yours, and your clinician can help you weigh the options for your own health.
By the Global MH Summit Research Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.