Good day everyone. This is Chris back again with the ancient scholar. We continue talking about the psychedelics, the serotonergics, and we'll talk about the next molecule which is structurally very similar to dimethyltryptamine. So if we take a look at our serotonin molecule, our original serotonin, we have 5-HT or 5-hydroxytryptamine. I have a hydroxyl group hanging off a five-carbon on an aromatic ring, and then I have an amine side chain here. And we know that if we get rid of that, okay, we oxidize the aromatic ring and get rid of, or reduce it rather, and get rid of the hydroxyl group, and then substitute the hydrogens with methyl groups on the nitrogen here, okay, that produces, there we go, that produces a molecule of DMT or dimethyltryptamine. All right, and we've already talked about that. So the next molecule that I'm going to talk about is something known as bufotenin. Bufotenin is also known as 5-hydroxy

dmt or 5-hydroxy dimethyl tryptamine. So what does that mean? Well, that means that I don't revert back to serotonin; rather, I keep my dmt molecule, okay? My dimethyl with my two methyl groups here, I keep those, and the only change I really have to do is just to put that hydroxyl group back on the five carbon there, okay? So now I have five hydroxy dimethyltryptamine, and this is a molecule of bufotanin. Bufotanine is a ha is a weaker, has weaker hallucinogenic or psychedelic properties than dimethyltryptamine proper, but it still does have some hallucinogenic properties. And three areas that you three places you can get this molecule from: it can come from toads, trees, and fishes. And there is the term licking a toad. That term does tend to come from this actual case reports of actual psychedelic experiences happening by toe licking are kind of rare, to be quite honest, and it seems to be a little

overblown, but certainly it could come from the beans of several different species of trees. There is a toad, um, towed venom. I would have to actually research that because to call something of venom means that there is a delivery mechanism involved. And when we typically talk about frogs and toads, generally frogs specifically, I know toads aren't frogs, but frogs excrete poison. They don't have a delivery mechanism for that poison. So it may be that the toad maybe has some sort of way of injecting the venom in their mouth or what have you. If that's the case, then I think, uh, it would be justified calling a venom, but I'm not sure if it's poison or venom. But be as it may, it exists. Um, it's, it's not neces, not nearly ha, it doesn't nearly have the hallucinogenic properties as DMT. And just like DMT, it really pretty much has to be either injected or inhaled because of extensive first-pass metabolism. So it's kind of a minor

player, but it's a quick, easy one to talk about because it's just so chemically similar to DMT and serotonin. Okay, guys, as always, thanks for hanging in there.

Psychedelics (Serotenergic Agents: Bufotenin)

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