Devil's Breath: The Scariest Drug in the World
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about there is a very real danger that you should be aware of when traveling in Colombia and especially Colombia’s drug capital, Medellin. Its street name is Devil’s Breath or Scopolamine and its scientific name is Hyoscine. Quite aptly named, Devil’s Breath is the scariest drug I have ever heard of.
As you know I’m a huge proponent of female solo travel. But this also comes with it certain challenges….like making sure you do your research and take extra precautions when traveling. Being smart and safe is not something to gamble on ever!
So what is it exactly?
Derived from the seeds of a rather pretty looking harmless plant, I had unknowingly past this white bell-like shrub frequently on the side of the road before knowing about its ominous uses.
Locals call it the ‘borrachero’ tree, which means drunk tree. The effects of Hyoscine depend on potency and how much is consumed. Medically speaking it is used as a magical cure for travel sickness and nausea. It can also be used to dry up saliva before surgery and to calm muscle spasms.
But do not be fooled, when consumed in higher doses this innocent looking plant can cause you to be susceptible to suggestion and inhibit your memory completely.
In other words, it basically turns you into a zombie.
Used by criminals to aid rape and robbery, Devil’s breath can leave you unconscious for days and if taken in very high doses can also cause death. Apparently there are around 50,000 cases of incidents are year in Colombia recorded, and a lot more that go unrecorded! It’s been used as a date rape and robbery drug in other parts of the world as well, but is most commonly found in Colombia.
And how does it work?
The main ingredient burundanga actually blocks the neurotransmitters in the brain specifically used for short term memory. So whatever happens to you under the effect of Scolopolamine is just not recorded by the brain. Talk about a memory blank!
Like Rohypnol (roofies) and other awful date rape drugs, Scolopalamine once ground down is a tasteless white powder that can be added to the unsuspecting victims drink.
The other more terrifying thing about it is that can be airborne, if you breathe enough of it in then the same effects could occur. So the warning here is not just to be aware of your drink when you go out to a club, but also be cautious of anyone asking for directions and showing you a piece of paper. Once you bend down to take a look at the paper you can breath in the small particles and before you know it you feel completely relaxed and become truthful and submissive. Blowing it at you through a straw is another common form of transmission.
It’s also nearly impossible to detect, as it’s only in your bloodstream for four hours. So by the time you emerge from your zombie state and go to a hospital, the remnants are gone.
A few other scary statistics I heard:
20% of ER visits in Bogotá are because of scopolamine poisoning.
70% of scopolamine patients have also been robbed.
This drug has an creepy history too….
Okay, so this is what really blew my mind about Devil’s breath - Burundanga has actually been used for hundreds of years in indigenous ceremonies. Traditionally speaking when the King of a Tribe died it was customary to bury his wife and servants alongside him. They would dig huge graves to be able to accommodate everyone and instead of killing them they would be administered Devil’s Breath. It would then take little convincing to persuade them to go and lie down beside the dead king, they would go under their ‘own free will’ to be buried alive. YIKESSSSSS.
In the 1920s, the CIA experimented with it as a truth serum. But they ultimately decided it had too deadly of side effects.
If everything you’ve heard so far isn’t scary enough, here are a few encounters I heard about on the road….
I encountered two victims of Scolopolamine on my travels in Colombia. One girl told me about how she had been taking out money from a cash machine and an old man asked her for directions, that was the last thing she remembered. She ended up emptying her bank accounts and even took the old man back to her apartment. Because she looked so familiar with the old man the security guard thought nothing of it. She didn’t remember what happened next but ended up with an empty apartment, with everything she owned cleared out. The security guard reported that she had said she was moving and let a few more guys into the apartment and they took EVERYTHING. She woke up the next day with literally nothing but the clothes on her back.
The other story I heard was actually in a hostel kitchen in Medellin. This Japanese guy introduces himself and as we start talking he ends up telling me what has just happened to him. He had been trying to get away from Cali, where he had been in a short-lived toxic relationship with a, particularly possessive Latina. Without saying anything to her he had jumped on the bus in an attempt to escape. He had deleted her number from his phone but written it on a piece of paper just in case he changed his mind. He had arrived in Medellin on a night bus and he doesn’t remember anything after getting off the bus. Two days later he woke up in a hotel room with the same possessive Latina right there with him hovering over him. Turns out he had been found un-conscious robbed of all his belongings at the back of the bus station and the police were notified, they had searched his pockets and found this scrap of paper with a number on it, called her and asked her to come immediately to Medellin to look after him! They took him to a hotel and left him there under the care of his ex. Now that is an escape plan gone wrong if ever I heard of one!
So, how do you avoid being spiked with Devil’s Breath?
Especially as a lone female traveler, it is important to have your wits about you at all times and Colombia is no different. The most common areas where reports of incidents have occurred have been in the major cities’ ‘Zona Rosa’ (translated to Pink Zone), these are the areas of a city where you will find the highest concentration of bars and nightclubs. According to reports in 75% of reported incidents the cases have been from ingested scopolamine. SO I know this isn’t the first time that someone has said this to you but be careful and follow these guidelines:
Don’t leave your drinks unattended or with someone you don’t know
Never accept a drink from a stranger (no matter how good looking they are lol)
Stay in a group when out in clubs or bars
Check your countries embassy for security warnings before traveling to a country.
If you are into Vice documentaries there is quite an interesting one about Devil’s breath-based in Colombia you can check out here: https://youtu.be/ToQ8PWYnu04
Colombia is a great place to travel, and I hope this doesn’t deter you. I just felt like it was an important word of caution to share. Like anywhere in the world it is important to educate yourself beforehand and always watch your back….and your drink!