Saguaro cacti and desert hills in the Sonoran Desert at dusk, with the moon rising

Bufo and 5-MeO-DMT: what to know before you go

BySafe Ceremonies

Bufo ceremonies have become much easier to find in recent years, and they’re now offered at retreats, in private homes and as an add-on to ayahuasca weeks. The experience is short and overwhelming for many people, and very little research has been done on it. That combination makes the people running the session, and the plan they have for things going wrong, especially important.

This guide covers what bufo is, what a session involves, what can go wrong, and what to ask before you agree to take part. It doesn’t cover amounts or how the substance is prepared.

What bufo is

“Bufo” is shorthand for the Sonoran Desert toad, Incilius alvarius (formerly Bufo alvarius), whose glands produce a secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT. In ceremonies, the dried secretion, or a synthetic version of 5-MeO-DMT made in a lab, is vaporized and inhaled.

5-MeO-DMT is a different compound from the DMT in ayahuasca, though the names are similar. The experiences are also described differently. A 2022 review of the research in the Journal of Psychopharmacology notes that people frequently report no visual effects at all. Instead they describe a loss of the sense of self and of the body, sometimes called ego dissolution or non-dual awareness, with emotions that can range from love, unity and awe to panic and terror.

How short and how intense

When inhaled, effects peak within two to five minutes, last 15 to 20 minutes, and are largely gone by 30 minutes, according to the same review. The speed is part of what makes it demanding. There’s almost no gradual build-up, and you may lose awareness of the room, your body and other people within seconds.

For that reason, a well-run session has you lying or seated low on a mat, with someone beside you before you inhale. You can’t count on yourself to sit down in time, and you won’t be able to ask for help during the peak.

What your body may do

The 2022 review lists the acute physical effects reported by users, including vomiting, nausea, shaking or trembling, and pressure in the chest or abdomen. Some people report memory loss, or blackouts, for part of the experience.

This is why the people with you matter. Someone who is unconscious or barely aware and vomiting needs to be turned on their side so they don’t choke. Someone who moves or falls needs space and padding so they don’t hit their head. A facilitator should be able to tell you exactly how they handle both.

After effects

The review describes effects that some users report up to a week after: muscle tension, trouble sleeping, and flashbacks or “reactivations,” moments when part of the experience seems to return. There are rare reports of psychosis. If you have a personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, that is something to discuss with a doctor and with the facilitator before you go, and many careful facilitators will decline to serve you.

Dangerous combinations

The most serious known risk is combining 5-MeO-DMT with MAO inhibitors. The 2022 review describes a 17-year-old who developed extreme agitation, very high body temperature, a racing heart and muscle breakdown after taking 5-MeO-DMT with harmaline, one of the MAO-inhibiting compounds found in ayahuasca. It also records a death in a 25-year-old who had taken ayahuasca together with 5-MeO-DMT.

That matters for anyone at a retreat that offers both. Ask how the center separates bufo from ayahuasca, how much time it leaves between them, and what that gap is based on. Tell the facilitator about every medicine you take, including antidepressants and anything with MAO-inhibiting effects. Our guide on medications and health conditions covers this further.

What the research does and doesn’t show

When the 2022 review was written, there had been no published clinical trials of 5-MeO-DMT in humans. What was known came mainly from surveys of people who had used it, along with a single case report. The authors noted that clinical trials were just being started.

That means claims that bufo cures depression, addiction or trauma in a single session are well ahead of the evidence. Surveys of self-selected users can show what people report. They can’t tell you what will happen to you, or how often things go badly. Our guide on grounded or “woo woo” groups explains how to read health claims.

The toad itself

Demand for the toad’s secretion has put pressure on wild populations. National Geographic reported in 2023 that poaching for 5-MeO-DMT is a growing threat to the Sonoran Desert toad, alongside habitat loss and climate change. Collecting the secretion doesn’t physically injure the toad, the article explains, but it stresses the animal, and toads taken from the wild are unlikely to be returned safely. The physician Andrew Weil, founder of an integrative medicine center at the University of Arizona, told the magazine there is very little difference between the synthetic and natural forms and urged people to leave the toads alone.

Whatever you decide, it’s reasonable to ask a facilitator where their 5-MeO-DMT comes from, and to weigh the answer.

Signs that need medical help

  • Breathing that stops, becomes very slow, or sounds blocked.
  • Choking on vomit.
  • Not coming round after the expected half hour.
  • A seizure.
  • Chest pain, very high body temperature or extreme agitation, especially if ayahuasca or another MAO inhibitor was taken recently.
  • A head injury from a fall.

Calling it “a deep release” doesn’t make any of these safe. A facilitator should be able to describe, without hesitating, what they’d do and how quickly help could arrive.

Questions to ask a facilitator

  1. What training do you have, including first aid and airway management?
  2. How many people do you serve in one session, and how many sober helpers are there?
  3. Will someone be beside me, within arm’s reach, the whole time?
  4. How do you screen for medicines, heart conditions and mental health history?
  5. Do you also offer ayahuasca or other substances, and how far apart are they?
  6. Is your 5-MeO-DMT from the toad or synthetic, and how do you know what’s in it?
  7. Do you ever serve more than once in a session, and how do you decide? Can I say no?
  8. What happens if I stop breathing well, vomit while barely conscious, or don’t come round?
  9. What support do you offer in the days after?

After the session

Lie still until you feel steady, then sit up slowly with help. Don’t drive for the rest of the day. Many people feel shaken, elated or simply quiet. Write down what you remember, and plan a calm day or two. If the experience keeps returning or troubling you, talk to someone. Fireside Project’s free psychedelic peer support line, 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433), takes calls and texts from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific time every day. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.

More guides

Because bufo sessions are so short, reviews often say more about the facilitator’s care before and after than about the experience itself, which is exactly what you need to know. You can search the Safe Ceremonies listings and browse bufo and 5-MeO-DMT facilitators, along with integration and aftercare support.

Sources

Photo: Sunset at Saguaro National Park by srikanth_jandy, CC BY 2.0.

Safe Ceremonies
Author: Safe Ceremonies

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