Charles Amirkhanian Collection ➔ Telluride Mushroom Festival 1988: Dr. Andrew Weil on Toads in Psychedelia, 2 of 2
Analog Audio
Event Type
Lectures and Panel DiscussionsOrigin
C AmirkhanianIdentifier
TMF.1988.08.26.BProgram Series
Telluride Mushroom FestivalProgram Length
151 minPart
2 of 2Dates
| broadcast| 1988-08-26 | created
Description
A recording of a lecture by Andrew Weil on Psychedelic Toads, during the 1988 Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado.Begins with an explanation of the taxonomy and cultivation of fungi with slides by Steve Rooke. He speaks at length about the different methods of commercial and personal cultivation of mushrooms and the possible issues one could encounter while sowing fungi.
Next, Dr. Andrew Weil introduced the topic of his lecture, the toxicity of toads and smoking toad toxins, specifically the Colorado River Toad (Bufo Alvarius). He explains that they are native to Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico and have a very potent neurotoxin that can kill dogs and small children. They produce 5-MeO-DMT, a substance very similar to psilocybin.
Dr. Weil talks about the time that he received a pamphlet from the “Venom Press” explaining how to milk the Bufo Alvarius and process the venom into a smokable substance. He recalls his first experience trying to milk a toad and his first experience with drying and smoking the venom.
He moves on to talk about the safety of psychedelic drugs and his time testifying in a Peyote church case in the city of Globe, Arizona as an expert witness on behalf of the defendant. The defendant was acquitted and after the trial, approached Dr. Weil about the prospect of smoking toads and how he (the defendant) was going to start a “Toad Church.”
The recording continues with Dr. Weil talking about the defendant’s belief that there had been an ancient toad cult in the Southwestern United States which he proceeded to investigate. Dr. Weil postulates that many scholars try to tie modern issues to ancient tales, even when they have very shaky ground.
He moves on to talk about the relationship that the United States has with drugs socially, making some illegal and allowing others to be sold by big business. He talks about the failure of the War on Drugs and his complex relationship with the idea of complete legalization of drugs.
He then takes questions from the audience and explains that most toads and frogs are not psychedelic and in fact quite dangerous to consume. He answers questions about his interactions with government organizations, the law around toad smoking, Chinese medicine, the addictiveness of coffee, the differences between whole plants and synthesized components of plants, and fractals.
Subjects
MushroomsFungi
Toads
Psychedlic drugs
Coffee
Acknowledgment
Digitized with support from the National Recording Preservation Foundation, The Copland Fund, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections.Related place
Telluride (Colo.) (was recorded at)Related Entities
Telluride Mushroom FestivalTelluride Institute
Rooke, Steve
Weil, Andrew
Shulgin, Alexander T. (Alexander Theodore)
Shulgin, Sasha, 1925-2014