Frog venom kills woman during detoxification therapy in Sonora

A woman died and two people were arrested in Sonora on Saturday after a shamanic detoxification therapy involving smoking frog venom.

Perla “N,” 31, was part of the ceremony near the border city of Nogales with six other people. She inhaled smoke from the venom from a Peruvian frog, the newspaper El Debate reported. The exact cause of death is yet to be determined.

The woman’s husband said after he left her with her mother and sister she was taken to a ranch for the treatment.

Two men who claimed to be ancestral shamans were arrested. They admitted that Perla had participated in the ceremony.

The indigenous Seri culture from Sonora has a similar practice involving psychoactive toxins emitted by the Colorado River toad.

The sought out substance is 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic of the tryptamine class found in the glands of some amphibians.

It is considered an ancestral medicine with the capacity to treat a range of physical, emotional and spiritual ailments. It is commonly dried, mixed with tobacco and smoked to trigger “a powerful religious-like trip that lasts about an hour,” according to the web site Addiction Center.

With reports from El Debate

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Skyscrapers along Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.

Mexico’s 2026 growth outlook improves in Banxico and Citi surveys

0
Median forecasts rise in surveys by Banxico and Citi, with 2027 growth seen near 1.9% and year-end inflation just under 4%.
Ex-INE president Guadalupe Taddei

Finance Ministry blocks accounts of former electoral institute chief and associates

0
National Electoral Institute ex-President Guadalupe Taddei is reportedly among 25 people added to the Blocked Persons List, days after Taddei's sudden resignation.
A group of migrants prepares to cross the Rio Grande into the U.S. from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in December 2023.

Mexico in Numbers: How many people are emigrating from Mexico?

0
While 1.2 million foreign-born residents live in Mexico, even more people are emigrating to other countries. How many people are leaving, and what states have the most emigrants?
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity