Toad licking: just say no, National Parks Service tells Americans seeking a high

The US National Park Service is warning people to stop licking one of the largest toads in America, due to a toxin it secretes from its glands that can create a hallucinogenic experience.

Toad-licking, however, has become a way to get high, and has long been considered life-threatening. Not every toad can induce a high, and for those that can, the high they deliver varies from toad to toad.

Users often get high from either licking the back of a toad directly or by storing toxins secreted by the toad to use later.

Hallucinations and euphoria are the known effects of this activity, but it can also cause anxiety, nausea or seizures and, in some cases, death. And the park service would definitely prefer if people stopped doing it.

The toad, which is also referred to as the Colorado river toad, is about seven inches long, and its toxins are released from glands near its eyes and jaw.

While the secretions of such toads can sometimes be used medically for the treatment of irregular heartbeats, it is done in a contained environment with strict monitoring.