John Vallis #9: Dr. Octavio Rettig - The Psychedelic Toad

This discussion is with Dr. Octavio Rettig Hinojosa, MD. Dr. Octavio is considered one of the top global experts on the research and use of 'Toad Venom'.

He was a speaker at the Beyond Psychedelics conference in Prague in June 2018, and I asked him if he'd be willing to sit down and have a chat.

As you'll hear in our discussion, Dr. Octavio first became familiar with the Toad Venom as a means of helping him overcome his addiction to Crack, which he was ultimately successful in doing, crediting the Toad Venom almost entirely. (Psychedelic experiences have been shown in many recent studies to have incredible promise in helping transcend substance abuse, depression, PTSD, and more, but I'll save that for another video:)

What follows is his own personal journey with the Toad Venom, how it helped him heal himself, and how he has now committed his life to furthering the research on this substance, and using it to help facilitate the healing and growth of people from all walks of life, all over the world.

A brief intro to 'Toad Venom':

What Toad Venom refers to is the Venom (Secretions from the Parotoid Glands) of the Sonoran Desert Toad, also known as the Colorado River Toad, Otac or Bufo Alvarius.

Among other compounds, this Venom contains 5-MeO-DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelic compounds known (Not to be confused with the more well known N,N-DMT, as found in Ayahuasca).

When dried and smoked, the 5-MeO-DMT in the venom (possibly in harmony with other subtances therein) produces an extremely powerful psychedelic or mystical experience. It comes on in seconds, lasts for less than 10 minutes, has no negative residual effects or 'come-down', and no known harmful effects from a physiological/pharmacological persepctive. (Disclaimer: Don't take my word for it, do your own research before trying.)

Unlike many of the other classic Psychedelic substances like Psilocybin Mushrooms, Peyote/San Pedro, Ayahuasca etc, a cultural lineage or long-term traditional use has yet to be firmly established (though Dr. Octavio himself believes new evidence he has collected will show that it too has a long history of use and cultural importance).

In any case, even if a historical use is confirmed, it seems that at some point the knowledge was lost, and so there was far less information available on the Toad Venom than the other Psychedelics just mentioned. As a result, it is far less well known.

However, due to the work of Dr. Octavio and others, more information is being gathered and shared on the Toad Venom, and of course, more and more people are exploring the experience for themselves, with an overwhelming majority reporting positive affects.

As we detail in our discussion, and similar to the other Psychedelics, it would appear that there is tremendous therapeutic potential with the responsible and appropriate use of this 'medicine'.

Hopefully it will continue to be studied, so that more people may have the opportunity to access it safely, whether to adress troubling conditions, or simply to further explore their consciousness and accrue the benefits that can be had in doing so.

Enjoy!

P.S. Apologies for the background noise at parts. It was raining out, so we had to record in the corner of a bar:)