U.S. park rangers warn: Please don't lick psychedelic toads

Administrators at U.
S.
parks have asked visitors to stop licking the psychedelic toads and warned that anyone trying to derive hallucinogenic pleasure from this warty-covered amphibian is more likely to end up seriously ill
.

Last week, the National Park Service posted a warning message on social media banning people from licking toads in the Sonoran Desert, an act
long depicted by popular animated TV shows like "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy.
"

"As we say about most things you encounter in a national park, whether it's a banana slug, an unfamiliar mushroom, or a big toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please don't lick
it," the park manager said.

The toad is one of the largest in North America, measuring nearly 7 inches (18 centimeters) in length, and their glands secrete a potent toxin that "can make you sick if you come into contact with this frog or bring the toxin into your mouth," they wrote
.

The information doesn't indicate how many people seek recreational pleasure by licking the slimy green creature, also known as the Colorado River Toad that lives in the southwestern United States and northwestern
Mexico.

To protect itself from predators, toads secrete a milky white substance containing various toxins, including 5-meo-DMT, a psychoactive compound
that triggers hallucinations.

Extracted 5-MeO-DMT produces an intense, short-lived psychedelic experience that has become popular in recent years, including in expensive underground "toad rituals" in the United States and Mexico, where it is a regulated substance
.

Celebrities such as boxing champion Mike Tyson and podcast host Joe Rogan have discussed using the substance for therapeutic, recreational and even spiritual purposes
.

But the toad's venom also contains other toxic substances that, once swallowed, can be fatal
.

Scientists also warn that the growing demand for Sonoran desert toad secretions could jeopardize the species
.

?2022 AFP