Brugmansia (Toé) is an herbaceous perennial plant, which is grown in temperate and tropical regions of the globe. All the species of Brugmansia are poisonous in nature. Some are aphrodisiac too. The seeds and flowers are more poisonous in nature. Sometimes, it is termed as witches weeds and shows properties like deadly nightshade and henbane. It’s use is known for feverish state and even death. However, in Ayurveda, it is used as medicine and ritual as well as prayers has also placed this. Even being a poisonous plant, Brugmansia has been used since the ancient times by Ayurveda physicians, spiritual purposes, holy men and it used in modern medicine drugs.

Initially, the plant was found in the United States of America but now it is spread all over the world. In the United States, the plant is generally found in Southern America and Mexico. The plant is also found in the deserts of America such as southern California, east Texas, and northern region of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. It grows wild in the tropical as well as the temperate climate where it is found in the roadside area as well as the medicinal plant nursery. In Europe, it grows as weed on the wasteland and garbage. In India, it is distributed in the Himalayan region.

In South America, Brugmansia is used for very specific illnesses. Shamans use the plant when no other treatment was successful. This because the plant can be highly dangerous and the patient’s system must be prepared in certain ways. Otherwise this medicinal plant can kill people. In the Amazonian region of Peru, Toé is one of the five master plants and is often the last plant teacher which is used for an initiation of an apprentice.

Personal experience

When I was in the Peruvian jungle to work with the plant medicines, I had the intention to learn as much as possible about myself, my history, other people, the world as a system and the plant kingdom. On this path, I had the chance to learn a lot from quite a few different plant teachers such as Tobacco, Chiric Sanango, Ayahuma, Wingo, Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Coca as well as Toé. I have to be honest… I was really scared of Toé because I heard stories from other people who made experiences with this plant and often they were very terrifying. I remember one night when I was sitting in an Ayahuasca ceremony and the spirit of Toé appeared to me before I actually encountered the plant personally. It was a very clear and strong energy which came into my system and overwhelmed me on several planes. I felt great anxiety and I thought that I would never ever be able to do a diet with Toé. It just didn’t feel right at all. This ceremony gave me a lot to think about whether I’m ready to go for Toé or not and after a few days I felt that I would need to talk with the shamans about my feelings and thoughts. I’m really grateful that I spoke with them about my concerns and they supported me exactly the way I needed it. They basically recommended me to go with the flow and take this experience with Toé in an Ayahuasca ceremony as a good and interesting sign.

Before I finally felt ready for the Toé diet I’ve done a wonderful Wingo diet. Wingo is a tree and gives a lot of stability through grounding the system as well as protection from heavy and bad energies. It was the last diet which my system needed to be fully open and prepared for the energy of Toé and interestingly I now felt really confident to face Toé.

The medicine I was going to drink was made out of the leaves from a beautiful Toé tree. I sat regularly with this tree before I went into diet and tried to connect with this very plant which I’m sure was of great help. The first drink I’ve taken in the morning was mixed together with a little bit of tobacco juice. Tobacco should help my system to still be grounded and to bring clarity, empty mind and focus on the moment. When the medicine was in my system I called my power animal and my other plant teachers to come and support me on this journey into the unknown. For the next hour, I was laying on my bed trying to get lose and natural. Suddenly, I felt that my vibration was raised and I felt that the tobacco is working hard on my system. I took a bucket and made myself ready to purge. After I was able to release together with the tobacco the whole space changed. It was now Toé who pushed through. I laid down again and started to drift away. All my senses started to get as open as I’ve never experienced it before. Close to my hut, there was a small stream which was now talking to me. He told me about the history of water and where he’s coming from and where he was going to. This blew my mind and I didn’t come out of astonishment. With closed eyes, I could see images and sequences of things I’ve experienced before but I thought I’ve forgotten. This went on for quite some time before Toé took me again on a deeper level into myself. There came a point, where I was totally aware that I’m now in my DNA working through all the information which is stored in there. Visions of very old buildings with symbols and old writings appeared in front of my eyes. It didn’t matter if I had my eyes open or close. These images were everywhere around me and I could walk around while these buildings stayed exactly at the same point. The visions were 3D and not comparable to any experience I’ve had before.

The effects started to fade after about 8–10 hours but my vibrations were still very high and I felt that the medicine is still with me very intensely. Before it got dark, the shaman came again for the second drink. I was really afraid of this one. As soon as the night comes in the whole experience shifts and other issues come on. However, I’m so grateful I took all my courage and went for this one. I’ve never experienced something that holy and special as with this very drink. Toé unfolded the mysteries of life and opened up unbelievable dimensions I never saw or experienced before. One of the most beautiful moments was when I was laying on my bed looking through my mosquitos net and through the roof of my hut into other galaxies. These galaxies were again 3D and didn’t move when I moved my head. An incredible moment! The teachings given by Toé were so clear and strong… It’s truly a very magical plant and deserves great respect and love.

You can imagine that I wasn’t able to sleep very much during the night but I felt fit and energized the next morning anyway. I was ready for the next drink and curious what Toé would show me next. With the last drink, I came again deeper and deeper into my existence and learned a lot about my self and the life and the reality we all live in.

I stayed in isolation for two more days after I had my last drink of Toé to ground and to relax my system. Although the main effects of Toé were faded I felt completely different. During this time I spoke quite a lot with the shaman about my experiences I had and about how I feel now. I could see through everyone and feel what they were feeling. Whenever someone was saying something I was able to feel and see if it was really true or not. On one hand, this was really amazing and felt good but on the other hand, this was also very exhausting and at some points painful. You see the truth in everything and everyone and sometimes this can hurt.

After about 1–2 weeks I felt better with this fact and I learned how to control these skills. During this time I did a few San Pedro ceremonies which helped me to integrate a lot of the past experiences I had with Toé.

Toé is truly an incredible teacher but must be encountered with great respect and should never ever be taken without a person who knows how to handle and prepare this plant. Take care!

Disclaimer:

This article does not promote or recommend the use of illegal drugs. Many of the substances referenced to in the content are illegal in many countries. This article does not constitute medical advice. As always, please consult your doctor before taking any medicine.