Dried venom on glass.

5-MeO-DMT

Neither the author nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this Web site. It is presented solely for educational purposes and to serve as a record in the history of human experience. 

The research to date tells us conclusively that 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenine are the psychoactive compounds present in the venom of B. alvarius. Most people assume that 5-15% of the dried material is 5-MeO-DMT and that 3% is bufotenine, although, this is actually inconclusive. The actual levels of 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenine contained in the venom itself may be somewhat higher than this, however, the variability in the quantity of these compounds present in any single toad's venom may render this conclusion irrelevant in practicality. One may never be completely certain how much of the active compounds are actually present in any given dose. (See Table 5)

That's one basic problem with all natural sources of drugs: the potency varies greatly. This is even more of an issue for 5-MeO-DMT, since the dose is an important variable. One possible solution to increase the uniformity of the dose is to aggregate the total season's harvest and finely and thoroughly mix it together into a uniform consistency by crushing the venom into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, or some similar device.

Store the venom frozen in a container that blocks out light, such as a film canister for long-term storage. Condensation usually occurs when you take the container out of the freezer, so leave it sealed until it warms up.

From Erowid's site:

5-MeO-DMT is a short acting tryptamine very similar in nature to DMT. It is generally found as very small white crystals (like salt) and is generally smoked. Be careful with dosages...people react very differently to different doses. Some individuals have world-shattering effects with less than 5 mg. Descriptions of its effects range from "bliss" to "chemical terror".

Here is a very well written account of a 5-MeO-DMT experience and an excellent response from Bob Wallace. Read some other experiences here.

Neither the author nor publisher assume any liability for the application of the information contained in this Web site. It is presented solely for educational purposes and to serve as a record in the history of human experience. 

So what's a proper dose of toad venom?

If we assume that an average of at least 10% of the venom is 5-MeO-DMT:

Smoked Toad Venom Dosages: 
Threshold 10-20 mg 
Light 20-50 mg 
Common 50-100 mg 
Strong 100-200 mg 

However, if we assume that an average of at least 25% of the venom is 5-MeO-DMT:

Smoked Toad Venom Dosages: 
Threshold 4-8 mg 
Light 8-20 mg 
Common 20-40 mg 
Strong 40-80 mg

Please keep in mind that 5-MeO-DMT is not the only active material present in the toad venom! 

Toad venom contains, quite possibly, the strongest psychoactive substance on the planet: 5-MeO-DMT. There are two people who did high doses (of 5-MeO-DMT) and  had severe anxiety problems (could not sleep for a week); one is still having anxiety problems a few years later. Usually, it's recommend that people start with a low dose. But so many people try 5-MeO-DMT once and just can not find the courage to do it again, yet at the same time, they will say it was a very significant life experience for them. So, possibly a "full" dose of perhaps 10-12 mg 5-MeO-DMT makes sense. This would be equivalent, in toad venom, to 40-48mg (assuming 25%) or 100-120mg (assuming 10%). Anyone with a kind of fragile grip on reality, or who has problems with anxiety, should probably not do it.

One very good suggestion is to start with a "light" dose. Assuming that the highest possible concentration of 5-MeO-DMT in the venom is 25%, then 16 mg of venom might be a good starting dose.

The practical problem is the larger doses can be so overwhelming that many people just don't have the courage (and/or are too traumatized) to try again. But an under-dose, though perhaps disappointing, gives one more confidence to try the next level. Also, starting with a lower dose is not very "expensive" in terms of material used; here it's only 16 mg.

Then as far as increasing doses, the rule of thumb heard most is:
- from a dose that does little or nothing: increase 100%
- from a dose that has significant effects: increase 50%

Please keep in mind that 5-MeO-DMT is not the only active material present in the toad venom! 

TiHKAL
#38. 5-MEO-DMT 
TRYPTAMINE, 5-METHOXY-N,N-DIMETHYL; INDOLE, 5-METHOXY-3-[2-(DIMETHYLAMINO)ETHYL]; 5-METHOXY-N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE; 5-METHOXY-3-[2-(DIMETHYLAMINO)ETHYL]INDOLE; N,N,O-TRIMETHYLSEROTONIN; N,N,O-TMS; BUFOTENINE METHYL ETHER; O-METHYLBUFOTENINE; OMB 

There is a drug-use phenomenon that is often referred to by the popular title of "toad-licking." The toad involved is the Sonoran Desert Toad, also called the Colorado River Toad, and carries the binomial Bufo alvarius. It is not the closely related marine toad Bufo marinus, as some people have insisted, prompted by the early Olmec and Mayan iconography. Of course the licking myth is newspaper hype -- it is the venom that is active, and it is smoked. When the desert toad is stroked near the parotid glands in the neck region, there is the squirting out of this venom and when it is allowed to dry on a hard surface it takes on the texture of rubber cement. It contains up to 15% 5-MeO-DMT, as well as N-methyl-5-methoxytryptamine, 5-MeO-NMT and Bufotenine, which have their own entries.

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Psychedelics (and the like) are teachers. Any teacher can give you all kinds of lessons - but if you don't do the homework, you don't really learn anything. So, even if the teacher were to explain to you why you are here in a human body - and you might even understand the explanation - that still leaves you with the fact that it's up to you to bring the lesson into fruition. Now you are required to work. Understanding your lessons and living/experiencing them are two different things. You can sit in the stands and talk about the game or you can get in there and play it. So, if you're not using drugs in order to escape - maybe you are using drugs in order to explore and expand your consciousness - then when you are given good information, you must take ACTION and integrate the lesson into your soul as an experience - instead of just an intellectual concept. This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. So, it sounds like what has been happening is people are getting the ah-ha!s which are very exciting. But then applying that knowledge into everyday, mundane life can be extremely trying - change is difficult and takes longer than we would like. But the true rewards come when you actually work at something that requires effort. Growth comes at its own Earth-bound pace. Psychedelics can light the way but you must still walk the path. 

"soma junkie" wrote in message:

IMO, I think people put too much emphasis on the mystical experience. They are enlivening and fun and can be astounding but ultimately, if you can't put your experiences to any practical use to change how you see the world on an everyday basis, change the way you treat yourself and other people even on a mundane level, then it's just a bunch of fireworks and fanfare for nothing. IOW, vanity. I'm not saying that mystical experiences with or without drugs are useless, just that buying into them are like mistaking the signposts on the path for the destination. It's just like what Boris said, after the experience comes and goes, and you're left back where you started, perhaps not even sure whether your experience has any worth. In his original post Boris wrote:
However, it all fades, both the sense of importance of the answer and the answer itself. I'm not even sure what the answer is or whether it ever was something that could be considered in terms of things in this universe.
I guess that's what our job is...to find some way to translate that vision into our everyday life. If it is authentic, in that it isn't a delusion and was actually seeing things as they truly are, then it would be important to me to at least attempt this.

peace
brian
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