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.
During the summer of 1988, a musical concert experience called Acid House arrived on the cultural scene in many British cities. The media created a frenzy of misinformation in reporting about the latest drug craze. Acid House music was then banned from the pop music charts, radio and television, and retail outlets. Some psychoactive substances have been bought, sold, and consumed at Acid House events, but drug use does not appear to be extensive. At the physiological level, the nature of Acid House music, especially the drumming aspect, seems instrumental in providing altered states of consciousness. At the interpersonal and social level, the set and setting of Acid House events further enhances and reinforces the specific physiological and psychological responses. The degree of acceptance by various subcultural groups may depend greatly on the amount of media and societal exposure given to it, particularly if authoritarian attempts to suppress it enhance its political or ideological aspects.
Contemporary drug taking and giving among the general populace are multi-level phenomena involving highly vicarious origins, needs and/or other supporting social, psychological or spiritual functions. Within this, a specific subgroup has emerged promoting a variety of (drug-based) religions, spiritual doctrines or ethical systems. Dividing such drug-based organizations into two categories of moral/ethical posture—the situational and the iconic/deterministic—a review of each catechism, ethical base and (when applicable) ritual practice is reviewed and annotated.
Between 1988 and 1992 a new illicit drug experience arrived on the cultural scene in the United States, Canada, South and Central America, and Australia. The media created a frenzy of misinformation in reporting on the latest drug craze which was termed "toad licking". The uses of bufo toad secretions have occurred throughout history in a variety of cultural milieus. These are explored as a backdrop to contemporary drug use/misuse issues. At the interpersonal and social level, media exposure helped create and maintain the use/misuse phenomenon, turning a fairly obscure activity into a potential epidemic.
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