HAMILTON'S PHARMACOPEIA

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(Now Playing) The Sapo Diaries 1 of 3 - Episode 2 of 4

May 30, 2009

There is an Amazonian frog called Phyllomedusa Bicolor or the Sapo which I have been reading about for years. It is totally different from the psychedelic toads found in North America. The Sapo’s venom produces an effect much closer to morphine than LSD, but really it’s not like either of those things. It’s a distinctly vomitous dissociative experience unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered.
There has been a lot written about the chemistry of the venom, and it has been said to have a diverse array of effects. Some people think it’s a miracle opioid which will yield new non-addictive painkillers. Others think it’s a super-potent stimulant and appetite suppressant, and even a strange psychedelic capable of tuning hunters on to the mindset of their prey. In the 80s researchers found one of the constituents of Sapo venom in the urine of autistic children, and developed an entire theory of autism around it.

I had to find out what this frog really does, but supposedly it cannot produce its venom in captivity. The only way to experience its unique trip is to travel down the Amazon River and catch one yourself, which is exactly what I did.

VBS Correspondent Hamilton Morris

  • luvluvsvenonius

    9 days ago

    ill give you an ice cream cone and a glass of lemonade hamilton.

  • MalcolmNZ

    17 days ago

    I like the story, but alas I cant watch past 5 minutes, I cant stand to watch this dude flop arou...

  • LaserTag

    17 days ago

    that abortion thing is nuts

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Hamilton Morris, VBS’s resident expert in all substances mind-bending, dopamine-inducing, and enstoning, spans the globe in search of the perfect buzz.

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