The Toad Venom That's Stronger Than DMT: Bufo | High Society

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Published 2023-10-28
Tulum is experiencing an explosion of people taking Bufo Alvarius. Also called “speed-toading,” it involves smoking the milked poison of the Sonoran Desert toad in a glass pipe and is considered to be the most powerful hallucinogen in the world. Now, growing numbers of psychedelic tourists are traveling to Tulum where Bufo ceremonies are legal, in search of a life-changing experience. However, there are many reports of profoundly negative experiences, lasting psychosis and allegations of sexual assault during ceremonies. VICE’s Matt Shea visits Tulum to see and experience this new Bufo tourism firsthand, to discover whether taking the world’s most powerful hallucinogen is worth the risk.

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All Comments (21)
  • @VICE
    ¿Quieres ver el video en español? Haz clic en el botón de configuración para cambiar la pista de audio. Want to watch this in Spanish? Head over to the settings button to change the audio track
  • @cade8986
    One thing I’ve always hated, and will always hate, are people who pretend to be experts in a field where experts are truly rare.
  • • DMT is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic drug with spiritual and cultural significance in indigenous cultures.
  • @GorkemHernandez
    I Just tried DMT for the first time. I felt as if i was in the center of the universe. I didn't go crazy after such an extreme experience. Totally got rid of depression, anxiety and illicit pill addiction
  • Macro vs Micro had success in doing a few Macro first . Allowing the mushrooms to blast you into self awareness , showing you the shadows and trauma that have been hiding under the rug . Micro dosing has helped me stay on the pulse of my shadow work , helping me remember my best self .
  • Something that Hamilton Morris has pointed out is that the demand for Bufo venom is driving the toad to extinction. This is a pointless ecological catastrophe because the drug itself (5MeO DMT) can be synthesized, with chemicals available legally in Mexico and at a very low cost per dose. Unfortunately, the psychedelic community is full of people who aren't great at logical thinking and they think it is somehow necessary to use a natural product instead of a synthetic drug despite the chemical equivalency of both forms.
  • @James-Alai
    From someone who has experimented with psychodelics...its a quick fix that doesnt last forever. Overcoming trauma takes years of dedicated practice. The same can be said for self love
  • i feel like i have all my agency on DMT and JMF, it makes me feel like i truly belong wherever it takes me.
  • Dmt, LSD and psilocybin containing mushroom are amazing. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder years ago as a teenage. Got diagnosed with cptsd. Spent my whole life fighting cptsd. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
  • @tenaciousdestiny
    I think it's irresponsible for Vice to talk about bufo and not talk about the toad's threat to survival due to the overharvesting by these neoshamans. The toad is extremely important to the Yaqui tribes and they have asked to use synthetic 5 M3O for ten years so the population can come back 🙏🏻
  • @Foop920
    Are we just going to ignore the fact that the shaman just ignored and even reinforced the claims about abuse and assault during such psychedelic ceremonies? This was a very powerful documentary, but it truly shocked me how ignorant and unaware the "so-called" guides were about these allegations. The audacity to say that the women are at fault for "creating a reaction" in the man is so banal and absurd.
  • DMT was a changing for me. I became one face of a multi-faceted experience prism, my side being my particular life experience. my awareness expanded and my social anxiety and depression was entirely gone. Truly magical!
  • @spencercox8571
    "I quite like the part of me that doesn't believe in little dwarves, and I really don't want it to disappear." A valid concern
  • @YMilkshake
    That guy saying getting assaulted is partially the fault of the victim is absolutely disgusting
  • @lucemoon4370
    The last shaman, his mentality on abuse, is absolute insanity. Victim blaming. Totally right, takes one person to commit sexual assault. He’s dangerous. It’s a breeding ground for sexual assault and abuse. Both physical and mentally.
  • Jordan explaining her trip and why she kept saying sorry brought tears to my eyes because I felt exhaustion that comes with mental health. Ironically my name is Jordan too, all power to her
  • I have complex PTSD and Fibromyalgia, Not only did psychedelics help save me from an intense desire to not be alive. The rage is gone, I quit smoking cigarettes, Im eating healthy and exercise regularly. I've been on disability for 12 yrs and I'm actually planning on trying to go back to work. It's given me a quality of life I've never had before
  • Highly appreciate this guy's approach to this documentary. Very honest, and stays in reality and stand by the truth. He wasn't buying into the cover-up. I think you're absolutely dead on accurate. There's a real sexual assault issue that absolutely needs to be addressed and the viewers need to be aware of this if they choose to go to something like this.
  • This is why it should be recorded. For the safety of the client and the administrator
  • @IkamiLog
    Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.