Burundanga is a drug that in the collective imagination has been constructed more through urban legends than through proven facts. It is a substance that is said to be used basically to nullify the will of victims of abuse and rape, since it would not leave traces in the body after a few hours.
This has led to it being seen as a kind of “ghost” substance, which is very difficult to detect and study. Nothing is further from reality.
In this article we will talk about What exactly is burundanga and why is it really dangerous?
Scopolamine, also known as burundanga (especially popularly, outside of scientific research circles) is an anticholinergic drug originally developed to treat motion sickness and which later has also been applied as an antiparkinsonian and antispasmodic.
This alkaloid is found in some plants such as belladonna or mandrake, and for centuries some cultures and societies have used it in religious rituals or as pre-scientific natural remedies; However, the chemical compound was first isolated around the year 1900.
The burundanga is very much an urban legend, since Many people believe that the only effect it has on the human body is sedation and amnesia and that in a few hours it has disappeared from the body without leaving a trace (something false, but which motivates its use as a rape drug).
This has led to it being seen as a substance with no capacity to cause damage in the medium and long term, but the reality is far from that. In reality, what is taken as a simple sedation effect is actually poisoning capable of causing respiratory failure, heart rhythm disorders, seizures or even death.
In fact, these effects meant that although during several decades of the 20th century some police units and intelligence agencies used scopolamine as “truth serum” to try to extract information from interrogated people, ended up stopping using this substance
But as we will see, burundanga is not dangerous only because of the side effects of scopolamine.
Why is this drug dangerous?
Normally, when talking about burundanga, emphasis is placed on its neuro-psychological effects; Specifically, it is known as the drug that “overrides a person’s will.”
This means that once it has been consumed, in a matter of minutes the person loses control of their own actions and their consciousness is altered and totally or partially disconnected from what is happening around them. That is why, In the collective imagination, this substance is associated with the criminal activity of those who commit rape or sexual abuse: Their method would consist of introducing the burundanga into the victim’s drink without the latter realizing it, and waiting until they are in a situation of total vulnerability.
However, it is important to keep in mind that The danger of burundanga goes beyond crime and harm to third parties ; It is a substance that comes with many risks also for those who administer it to themselves.
One of the reasons for this is that the burundanga available for use outside of basic or applied science is fundamentally sold through illegal channels. This means that in addition to generating already dangerous effects such as delusions, hallucinations and the inability to control and coordinate muscles well, it is very common for the drug to be adulterated
In illegal sales there is no control of what is included in the merchandise sold because quality standards are evidently not applied nor systematic methodologies are used to always manufacture the same thing, and there are not rare occasions in which the drug is mixed with others, or even with very toxic substances, simply to be able to have more material to sell under the name offered, without the client knowing.
Is it possible to develop addiction to burundanga?
It is difficult to develop a degree of dependence on burundanga that can be considered an addiction due to the problems in obtaining it and its side effects.
Normally, those seeking to expose themselves to stimulating situations linked to hallucinations use other drugs for illegal recreational use, which are marketed specifically with these effects in mind.
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