Psychedelic Compound in Toad Venom Can Treat Depression When Snorted, Scientists Find

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, reports emerged of a "toad licking" craze sweeping North and South America. The stories, fueled by warnings from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, detailed the practice of teens ingesting compounds from toads, particularly bufotenine, a psychedelic alkaloid. However, the extent of this alleged epidemic remains unclear, as contemporary media analysis suggests it was largely a media-driven phenomenon.

The stories eventually faded from public attention, with psychedelic toads becoming a niche topic among drug researchers.

Recent research, however, has revealed a potential breakthrough in treating severe depression using a nasal spray containing mebufotenin, one of the active psychedelic compounds found in the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad. A clinical trial conducted by Eli Lilly's subsidiary AtaiBeckley, involving 193 adults with treatment-resistant depression, showed that doses of mebufotenin spray led to significantly reduced depression scores and mild to moderate side effects. Surprisingly, these positive effects persisted for weeks after a single dose.

While the trial demonstrates the potential of mebufotenin as an effective and well-tolerated therapy for treatment-resistant depression, the benefits were modest, with only about 30% improvement in the average patient. Additionally, the response and remission rates were lower than those observed with treatments like ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy.

Psychopharmacology researcher Chittaranjan Andrade cautioned that patients with difficult-to-treat depression may require long-term maintenance treatment, but the trial did not explore when and how to transition to conventional antidepressants or whether mebufotenin could be used for maintenance purposes.