The Toad of Dawn 5-MeO-DMT and the Rise of Cosmic Consciousness

The Toad of Dawn is the dramatic story of how Dr. Octavio Rettig Hinojosa — a Mexican doctor with a crack cocaine addiction — came to heal himself by employing an ancient “treasure” almost forgotten for centuries ­— Bufo alvarius (the Sonoran Desert toad). Under the auspices of the United Nations Venezuela Association, Dr. Rettig has traveled extensively throughout the world and shared 5-MeO-DMT, a secretion of the Sonoran Desert toad, with over 6000 people, eliminating chemical addictions, depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, bronchitis, and trauma. Dr. Rettig’s research has convinced him that the medicine of the Sonoran toad — which, under the guidance of an experienced shaman or medicine man, can be harnessed for healing, awakening, and raising consciousness — has been known and used by high priests of the Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, and other Mesoamerican civilizations. Part autobiography, part introduction to entheogens and visionary substances, The Toad of Dawn gives an overview of the history, use, and the benefits of the toad medicine, and reveals how it can be used to initiate people on a spiritual path.

Dr. Octavio Rettig Hinojosa is a Mexican doctor who works with the sacred medicine 5-MeO-DMT found in the secretions of the Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo Alvarius). Dr. Rettig has worked with the Seri Tribe of Sonora, Mexico, to help treat methamphetamine addicts, reintroducing the use of the medicine to the local culture that had lost it. He has learned the ancient songs and rites of the Seri from 'Don Pancho', an elder Seri shaman, and has been authorized by the council of Seri elders to use this most powerful of shamanic medicines in the West. Dr. Rettig travels extensively throughout Mexico, The US, Australia, and Europe to give lectures and lead healing ceremonies. He lives in Guadalajara, Mexico.


Rak Razam is a founding editor of Undergrowth, Australia’s leading alternative arts and literature magazine, and the world’s leading experiential journalist, writing about and helping shape the emergence of a new cultural paradigm in the 21st century. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book Aya: A Shamanic Odyssey and a frequent lecturer on ayahuasca and the shamanic revival sweeping the West. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.