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Ethics & Sustainability

Toad Conservation.

Protecting the
Incilius Alvarius Toads.

The psychedelic renaissance has a footprint,
and the Sonoran Desert toad carries it. Learn
the importance of conservation efforts today.
Ethical Training →Toad Conservation →

Reviewed by The FIVE Institute · Last reviewed

Disclaimer: 5-MeO-DMT is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States and is regulated in many jurisdictions. This page is educational and does not condone or encourage its use.

Why Conservation

A Community
Responsibility

The Sonoran Desert toad that naturally produces 5-MeO-DMT is being decimated as demand grows, and runs the risk of becoming endangered.

Fig. 2 · Incilius alvarius · Parotoid secretion

The Sonoran Desert toad, formerly Bufo alvarius

Conservation of the Sonoran Desert toad (Incilius alvarius, formerly Bufo alvarius) is now a community responsibility. This page covers the documented threats, best handling practices for those who encounter toads, and the sustainable alternative, synthetic 5-MeO-DMT. For a scholarly examination of the Sonoran Desert toad, see the research of Anny Ortiz, Fabricated ancestrality: The Sonoran Desert toad, psychedelic globalization, and the ecological politics of 5-MeO-DMT.[1]

As interest in 5-MeO-DMT has grown, so has demand for the toad’s secretion. Toads are collected from the wild, milked repeatedly, and handled in ways that stress and harm them, while their habitat is lost to development, roads, and pesticides. Local communities and conservationists now report declining populations in parts of the toad’s range: it is believed extinct in California and is listed as threatened in New Mexico.[2] Every purchase of toad secretion adds to that pressure, which is why choosing synthetic 5-MeO-DMT protects the species.

Read Research on the Toads →
The Threats

Six Documented Threats

What growing demand for the secretion is doing to the toad population.[2]

  1. Habitat 01

    Displacement

    People enter the toads’ habitat, collect them for harvesting, and leave them far from their original location. These toads never travel further than 50 meters from their homes, displaced, they endlessly try to find their way back and are often killed in the process.

  2. Disease 02

    Chytrid Fungus

    Collectors milking toads without gloves have spread chytrid fungus through the population. Gloves must be worn at all times during collection and changed after each toad.

  3. Milking 03

    Over-Milking

    Uneducated milking practices leave toads defenseless against predators and raise their mortality rate. If milking occurs at all, only the first two parotoid glands should be milked, and no more than every 4–6 weeks.

  4. Commerce 04

    Extractive Commerce

    As demand for the secretion grows, some individuals and groups have monetized it, engaging in unethical practices to maximize financial return.

  5. Captivity 05

    Captivity

    A shocking number of people remove toads from their habitat to live in captivity. Toads should always remain in their original location in their native habitat.

  6. Injury 06

    Increased Injury

    Unsafe practices leave toads with extensive physical damage. Excessive milking causes infections, resulting in blood and pus in the secretion itself.

The Sustainable Alternative

There are not enough toads to sustainably meet demand.

Synthetic 5-MeO-DMT, also known as Jaguar or the pure molecule, takes users to the same space without harming a single toad.

Compare Bufo vs Synthetic →
The Pure Molecule

Why the Pure Molecule Is Safer
for Toads and Humans

The community has long debated whether Bufo alvarius secretion and the pure molecule, also known as Jaguar or synthetic, are the same in experiential nature. Both compounds take users to the same space; the attachment to “natural is better” is not supported by the evidence. There are simply not enough toads to sustainably meet demand.
  • The experience is the same. Synthetic and toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT are experientially equivalent.
  • Synthetic is safer for the heart. The dozen other tryptamines and alkaloids in the secretion include cardiotoxic material, putting users at risk of heart failure.
  • Synthetic is safer to dose. Bufo alvarius secretion contains anywhere from 10–30% 5-MeO-DMT, a very large margin for dosing error, opening risks such as serotonin syndrome.
Read the Full Comparison →
Ceremonial glass pipes set out on a sheepskin during an in-person session
For Facilitators

Facilitating With Synthetic?

Learn the screening, dosing, and safety standards behind trauma-informed 5-MeO-DMT facilitation.

Explore Facilitator Training →Get the Info Packet →
WBAC Field Protocol

If You Encounter Toads

The FIVE Institute and the WBAC do not condone handling or milking the Bufo alvarius, but where it happens, it should be done in a way that is safe and sustainable for the toads.

Free Download · PDFWBAC Toad Handling Best Practices

Or download it directly

This field protocol was developed from the best available scientific evidence on amphibian hygiene and handling, in consultation with herpetologists, and is updated as better data becomes available. Handling should also follow the protocols of existing land guardians, including tribal protocols, and all state and federal regulations on amphibian handling.

Explore More Harm Reduction Resources →Report a Concern →
  1. 01

    Leave adult toads exactly where you find them.

    Adult toads cannot survive relocation. They become disoriented, cannot hide from predators, and hold lifelong fidelity to their first breeding site. Moving them disrupts breeding entirely.

  2. 02

    Never release captive toads.

    Captive toads cannot survive in the wild and risk spreading amphibian chytrid fungus to wild populations. Release is considered inhumane.

  3. 03

    Drive carefully in toad territory.

    Toads are drawn to headlights and die on roads. Drive slowly, scan the road, and check around tires before leaving a site.

  4. 04

    Minimize handling, it causes stress.

    Toads release secretions only under stress. Milking depletes a toad’s immune and defense systems for 30–60 days of recovery, during which it is more vulnerable to predators and illness.

  5. 05

    Milk less, or not at all.

    Milking every gland leaves a toad defenseless. Milk only a portion of glands, never every toad at a site, and give sites long recovery windows.

  6. 06

    Stop the spread of disease.

    Wear disposable gloves, disinfect hands and containers between toads and between sites, and never place multiple toads in one container.

  7. 07

    Disinfect everything.

    Spray equipment with 70% ethanol or 1% bleach solution for at least one minute, wash clothing and cloth bags at 60°C or hotter, and dry gear fully for four hours at 37°C, including muddy boots and tires.

Further Learning

Go Deeper on Toad Conservation

Conversations and reporting from the 5-MeO-DMT Library.

  1. Podcast · 2019 01

    Nathan Sepeda on Toad Conservation

    Psychedelics Today with Nathan Sepeda on 5-MeO-DMT research, synthetic vs toad-sourced material, and sustainability.

    Listen ↗
  2. ICEERS · Basic Info 02

    Bufo Toad (Incilius alvarius)

    Independent basic information on Incilius alvarius from the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service.

    Read the Guide ↗
  3. Research · 2026 03

    Fabricated Ancestrality

    Anny Ortiz Bernal and colleagues on ancestral-use claims and the ecological politics of toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT.

    Read the Paper ↗
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Sonoran Desert toad need protecting?
The toad that naturally produces 5-MeO-DMT is being decimated as demand grows, and runs the risk of becoming endangered. Displacement, chytrid fungus, over-milking, extractive commerce, captivity, and injury are the six documented threats.
Is synthetic 5-MeO-DMT the same as toad secretion?
Synthetic and toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT are experientially equivalent; both take users to the same space. Synthetic is also safer for the heart and safer to dose. See the full comparison.
What is chytrid fungus?
Chytrid is an amphibian fungus that collectors milking toads without gloves have spread through the population. Gloves must be worn at all times during collection and changed after each toad.
What should I do if I find a toad?
Leave adult toads exactly where you find them, minimize handling, and never release captive toads.
How do I report a harmful 5-MeO-DMT experience?
If you were harmed, or witnessed harm, connected to a 5-MeO-DMT experience or facilitation, use the confidential Adverse Event Reporting form. For concerns about wild toads, follow the protocols of land guardians and all state and federal wildlife regulations.
References
  1. [1]Ortiz Bernal, A. M., Raison, C. L., et al. (2026). Fabricated ancestrality: The Sonoran Desert toad, psychedelic globalization, and the ecological politics of 5-MeO-DMT. Psychedelics. Review DOI ↗
  2. [2]Villa, R. A. (2023). Toad in the road: Biocultural history and conservation challenges of the Sonoran Desert Toad. Journal of Psychedelic Studies. Review DOI ↗

See the full scientific bibliography.

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