Warwickshire Avon - Bufo Alvarius and Buckminsterfullerene

Now comparable to the likes of ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline, a new mind-altering drug is hitting the psychedelic scene toad venom. 

The drug comes from a rare species of toad native to the Sonoran Desert, Bufo Alvarius, which produces a venom known as 5-MeO-DMT: an extremely potent natural psychedelic. 5-MeO-DMT is about four to six times more powerful than its better-known cousin DMT (dimethyltryptamine).

The narcotic has long been ingested by licking the poisonous amphibian’s back but is now more commonly consumed as a smokable “dust” form. 

The liquid is extracted by milking the toad’s toxic venom glands (yes really) and then dehydrating it into a crumbly dry paste. 

Shamans throughout Mexico and the southwestern US have been harvesting and smoking the substance for decades. The drug’s hallucinogenic effects take hold in about five minutes after ingestion, causing a powerful religious-like trip that lasts about an hour. Individuals that have taken the toad venom described their trips as being one with the universe and feeling “reborn” one user said they felt “a total fusion with God” while under the influence.

Anyway at the moment you will probably get less side effects from licking a Bufo Alvarius toad than bathing in the Warwickshire Avon currently, which was recently tested at the Stratford-Upon-Avon lido where a rather alarming amount of e.coli and fecal matter was found in this historic batching water, well beyond what you'd expect from a water that has seen swimmers for many a year. 

The Avon had risen a ridiculous amount overnight however with Sam wanting to go fishing we decided that the marina was worth a bash, as often it's a bite a chuck when conditions are good. I really didn't think it would rise the amount it did though and....

...the problem was "Daddy the water is the colour of poo" and that really did seem to put the fish off. We both fished maggot in various places however after an hour without even a nibble, we decided to leave early on a blank.

It's a shame as 24 hours when I caught that nice chub the conditions were probably perfect. Oh well it just goes to show how much the fortunes can change with heavy rain overnight and the river on the rise. Oh well, hopefully we will fair better next time.