Toads are not generally considered appealing creatures. They look unattractive, make odd noises, move awkwardly, and are steeped in folklore involving the devil and witchcraft. In short, toads tend to evoke an “ick” response. That has not stopped some people from licking them — a trend that has spread from Australia to the US and now appears to be reaching Europe.

It is a dangerous practice. Certain toad species secrete toxins or mucus that contain potent, sometimes cardiotoxic compounds. Holger Barth, pharmacologist and toxicologist at the University of Ulm in Ulm, Germany, has explicitly warned against this bizarre and risky drug trend.

Toad Toxins Once Used for Heart Failure, Snakebites, and Epilepsy

In the 17th and 18th centuries, physicians used toad toxins to treat heart failure, according to the late Matthias Bastigkeit, pharmacology lecturer, writing for the German Paracelsus Schools for Naturopathic Medicine. Pharmacists sold these dried secretions under the name “bufones exsiccati,” before they were gradually replaced by digitalis glycosides.

Amphibian toxins were used historically in Egypt and China for conditions including edema, heart failure, snakebites, epilepsy, and infections. Even today, dried toad skins (Ch’an Su or Senso) are used in China and Japan. In Europe, toad toxins such as bufotoxin and bufotenin appear in a few homeopathic preparations.

Toad secretions contain compounds including catecholamines, indolealkylamines, bufogenins, and bufotoxins. Hallucinogens such as bufotenin (dimethyltryptamine, DMT) and 5-methoxy-DMT have also been identified.

Toads Can Be Legally Purchased in Germany

According to Bastigkeit, some young people in the drug scene have recently begun using the secretions of the cane toad (Bufo marinus), originally from South and Central America. Cane toads were exported to Australia in the 1950s for agricultural pest control.

Several toad species in the Bufonidae family also exist in Europe (B bufo, B viridis, B calamita), ranging from 2 to 25 cm in size.

Cane toads produce intoxicating and poisonous skin secretions as a defense mechanism. The species can be legally purchased in Germany and is relatively easy to keep and breed.

Barth noted that in Australia, users consume not only the secretions but also the dried, toxin-containing skin — either boiled into an intoxicating broth or smoked. In the US, people primarily use the Colorado River toad (B alvarius), which secretes a whitish toxin from glands in its neck. That secretion is licked directly or dried and smoked.

Some users attempt to increase toxin production by irritating the toad with a lighter and then licking the warmed secretions. After such “milking,” the toad needs 4-6 weeks to regenerate the toxins.

Like a Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) Trip: Euphoria — but Also Vomiting

About 30 minutes after licking the toad, users typically experience sensations that, according to the Ulm toxicologist, closely resemble the psychological and physical effects of an LSD trip. These include euphoria, disinhibition, and visual distortions involving colors and light. Adverse effects include confusion, dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

As with any naturally derived intoxicant — whether from animals, plants, or fungi — the concentration of toxic or psychoactive substances is unpredictable. This makes poisoning likely, with potentially life-threatening complications including severe hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and even cardiac arrest. Using animal-derived hallucinogens is therefore extremely dangerous, and consumption is strongly discouraged.

Vision Loss, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Bradyarrhythmia

The serious health risks of toad toxins are illustrated by the case of a 67-year-old woman described by ophthalmologists led by Renato Pejic at the University Clinical Center Mostar in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After contact with toad poison, the woman suddenly lost vision. Examination revealed corneal edema, ocular hypotony, and visual impairment.

In Thailand, physicians reported on 36 patients poisoned by toad toxins. The average age was 31 years; most were men (66.7%) and half had eaten toad meat. The most common symptoms were gastrointestinal, occurring about 2 hours after ingestion.

Twelve patients experienced bradycardia, seven developed shock, and one suffered cardiac arrest. On initial ECGs, sinus bradycardia was the most common abnormality. Two patients went into cardiac arrest early during emergency care (within 15 minutes of arrival or within 4.5 hours after ingestion). During hospitalization, one patient developed sinus bradycardia and two developed bradyarrhythmias, although all three remained stable. No tachyarrhythmias were reported. Several patients (11.1%) had hyperkalemia.

This story was translated from Univadis Germany, part of the Medscape Professional Network.