Sam Amico
One way to get high is to become one with nature, it appears. Or one with some pretty gross stuff. So much so that the National Park Service has felt the need to release a statement telling people to knock it off. Yes, our world has come to that.
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Somehow, somewhere, someway, somebody figured out that you can get a pretty good buzz by licking toad secretion. Who went out and first licked a toad, we will never know.
But the NPS got wind of it, and not surprisingly, released a statement saying that it’s not a good idea.
“These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth,” the NPS statement read, via the New York Post.
Toad Licking to Get High?
“As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking. Thank you.”
Specifically, it appears the toads in question are mainly the Sonoran desert toad, also known as the Colorado river toad, per the NPS. The gland-secreted substance produced by these toads is known as 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic substance when ingested.
It is also an illegal substance — not to mention a deadly one, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
“Licking or swallowing can lead to numbness of the mouth and throat as well as severe and life-threatening effects on the heart as a result of the digoxin-like compounds and catecholamines described above,” the agency website reads.
“These effects include irregular rhythm of the heart, heart block, reduced blood pressure and cardiac arrest.”
So next time you want to lick something to get a buzz, please understand that this method is toad-ally not a good idea.
