Heart of Pachamama
Bufo Alvarius
Bufo Alvarius, also known as the toad medicine, is a powerful natural substance that offers a deep, often life-changing experience of pure presence and unity. We offer this ceremony at the end of our retreat, once participants have already done deep inner work with ayahuasca. The experience is intense, sacred, and unique for everyone.
What is Bufo Alvarius?
Bufo Alvarius is a sacred medicine made from the secretion of the Incilius alvarius toad, containing the powerful compound 5-MeO-DMT. It is known for offering a direct and often overwhelming experience of non-duality—pure consciousness, oneness, or what some describe as "becoming everything and nothing."
While ayahuasca guides us through emotional layers and inner healing over time, Bufo takes us beyond the personal story—beyond the mind, identity, and ego. It’s not about visions or insight in the traditional sense, but a deep encounter with presence itself. For many, it’s a profound return to source, to truth, to the essence of being.
At our retreats, we offer a Bufo Alvarius ceremony at the very end, after three nights of ayahuasca. By this point, participants have already opened deeply, released, and prepared themselves through intense inner work. The Bufo experience can be a powerful integration, a kind of spiritual reset - or, for some, it might not be what is needed in that moment. That’s why we always invite each person to check in with themselves honestly: Is this the right next step for me? Will this support and deepen the healing I've already begun? Sometimes the answer is yes, and the experience becomes a beautiful expansion. Other times, it may feel right to wait, to integrate more slowly, and to return to this medicine at another point in your journey.
As with all sacred medicines, we encourage approaching Bufo with respect, presence, and no expectations. Trust that the timing and the choice are part of your process too.