BT-044 · Solanaceae

Toé

Brugmansia suaveolens, B. arborea ve diğerleri

Evidence: TraditionalHigh riskExtinct in the wild

Brugmansia species are nearly extinct in the wild; they survive today because people grow them in gardens.

Other names: Angel’s trumpet, floripondio, borrachero
Part used: Leaves, flowers
Region: Amazon
Andes
Use: Ritual and shamanic, Poisonous

Photo: পাপৰি বৰা · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In short

What is Toé?

Toé (Brugmansia suaveolens) is a plant of the Solanaceae family. Traditions that use it: Amazon, Andes. Part used: leaves, flowers.

What is Toé used for?

Traditional use: Some Amazonian healers add toé to ayahuasca for divination and diagnosis; many others consider even that too dangerous. Scientific evidence: traditional. Contains scopolamine and atropine, which cause delirium, memory loss and hallucinations.

Is Toé safe?

Safety label: high risk. The whole plant is deadly poisonous. It is sold as an ornamental in Türkiye; keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Traditional use

Amazon

Some Amazonian healers add toé to ayahuasca for divination and diagnosis; many others consider even that too dangerous.

Andes

The leaves are wrapped around rheumatic joints and swellings.

In nature

Where it grows: Almost gone from the wild; grown as a garden plant in South America and Türkiye.
Harvest season: Not to be collected.
Local names: melek trompeti, borazan çiçeği; local names toé, floripondio, borrachero

Mix-up risk

Confused with jimsonweed (Datura); both are deadly. Toé’s flowers hang down, Datura’s point up.

Preparation

Not recommended to prepare or use.

What science says

Contains scopolamine and atropine, which cause delirium, memory loss and hallucinations.

Safety

High risk

The whole plant is deadly poisonous. It is sold as an ornamental in Türkiye; keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Drug interactions

Medicine or substance	Why it matters
Anticholinergic drugs	Scopolamine and atropine act the same way; poisoning multiplies.
Ayahuasca mixtures	Adding it to some traditional mixtures increases poisoning risk.

This list is not complete. If you take regular medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor before trying Toé.

Conservation

IUCN: Extinct in the wild (EW)
Note: Brugmansia species have all but vanished from the wild; they survive only as plants grown by people.

Culture bridge

The dark side of tropane alkaloids. Henbane, mandrake and toé carry the same poisonous alkaloids. In all three regions they were seen as plants of both healing and magic. Read the comparison →