Burundanga, the drug capable of annulling your willpower

Beware! Rapists are using this substance against their victims.

The burundangaalso called scopolaminehas turned out to be the perfect psychotropic substance for the aggressors, as it provokes an automatism in the victim's brain causing a state of submission to any order. In this way, some criminals and sex offenders supply the drug to the person they wish to to the person they wish to rob, rape or even murder. Once consumed, the victim is totally unprotected.

There are few scientific publications devoted specifically to burundanga intoxication. The present article aims to show a compilation of interesting data about this substance, and at the same time to make people aware of the fact of taking preventive measures in certain situations.

What do we know about Burundanga?

Scopolamine, also known as burundanga, is a tropical alkaloid, a tropical alkaloid found as a secondary metabolite in certain plants. For centuries it has been widely used for ritual purposes, in shamanism and witchcraft (Ardila-Ardila, Moreno and Ardila-Gomez, 2006).

It is currently famous for being used, among other things, to commit crimes such as robbery, kidnapping and sexual crimes.. This is because burundanga seems to have a sedative-hypnotic effect that meets the characteristics of intensity and duration that fit well with the purposes of the criminals who plan these actions.

Medicinal use of Burundanga

Scopolamine is not only related to criminal purposes, as it also has its medicinal use in which it must be used in tiny doses (less than 330 micrograms) because an overdose can cause delirium, aggressiveness, disorientation, convulsions, coma, and even death (Álvarez, 2008).

It is commonly used in medicine to prevent and treat dizziness, for pupil dilation in fundus examinations, and is also used as an antispasmodic, local analgesic and antiparkinsonian.

Criminal use of this drug

As mentioned above, it is a drug used for criminal purposesThe victim intoxicated with burundanga follows any order without resistance, i.e., if ordered to do so, he is capable of offering his money and belongings without attempting to escape. It is frequently used for robbery, since sexual abuse, according to data compiled by Ardila-Ardila, Moreno and Ardila-Gomez (2006) corresponds to less than 5% of cases.

What makes this drug difficult to detect for the victim is that it does not taste or smell of anything in particular and can be administered through different means, such as food, drink (in the case of alcoholic beverages the depressant effect increases) or even by inhalation (e.g., a contaminated cigarette or handkerchief). Scopolamine is one of the most dangerous drugs, not only because of the above, but also because if the offender exceeds the dose by a few micrograms, it will cause the death of the victim..

On the other hand, there is a myth that burundanga annuls the will of the person, making him agree to perform all kinds of actions. However, this is not true, since this substance fundamentally affects the state of consciousness, so it cannot be said that it makes those who consume it more "obedient"; if anything, it overrides their ability to resist.

Symptoms of scopolamine intoxication

According to Salcedo and Martinez (2009), scopolamine is rapidly absorbed through the brain. is absorbed rapidly through the gastrointestinal tract and has a great facility to cross the blood-brain barrier, therefore it has an almost immediate effect, in a matter of minutes the victim will probably be under the effects showing a vulnerable behavior, at the same time that his will will will be subjected to that of the aggressor, that is to say, the victim's will will will be completely annulled. During the first three hours we can observe its greatest effect.

This effect is due to the fact that scopolamine acts as an anticholinergic causing a depressant effect on the central and peripheral nervous system, therefore, its symptoms are several, among them we can highlight the following dilation of the pupils (blurred vision), stupor (state of partial consciousness in the person), tachycardia, urinary retention, reduction of salivary and stomach secretion (dry mouth, thirst, difficulty in swallowing and speaking), fever, drowsiness and severe amnesia.

During the amnesic episode, the victim maintains a personal identity and can adequately perform normal activities of daily living; it is as if the victim is "hypnotized" at the hands of a "hypnotist. "hypnotized" at the hands of the assailant, as she is able to guide the assailant.It is as if the victim is "hypnotized" by his assailant, as he is able to guide the assailant to his bank and provide him with the secret code, for example.

It is a substance that causes a complete elimination of free free will while it continues to act, the brain remains automated doing what it is ordered and responding appropriately without censorship, for this reason this tropical alkaloid is also known as "the serum of truth" and a very interesting fact to consider is that years ago this drug had been used by the CIA CIA during the war to make hostages tell the truth about espionage cases. But as we have said, this is explained because the functioning of the nervous system is compromised, not because burundanga makes doing what we are asked to do an obligation for us.

What happens at the brain level after having consumed Burundanga?

The strange thing in this case is that the victim does not appear to be drugged or drowsy.. Apparently he is in a normal state, for this reason it is very difficult for the people around him to perceive that the victim is under the effects of this drug. Burundanga makes everything that happens to the person seem normal, although its effects are very specific and quite powerful, albeit discreet. What is happening in our brain?

It is now clear that scopolamine acts on the mnesic functions of the brain. memory functions and behavior but it is not known exactly what its action is. Ardila-Ardila, Moreno and Ardila-Gomez (2006) have shown through various studies that the mnesic and behavioral effects of burundanga intoxication are likely to be due to its anticholinergic character and its involvement of certain nuclei of the frontal lobe. frontal lobe (basal nucleus of Meynert) and temporal temporal (lobe that includes the hippocampus and limbic system, thus affecting the amygdala, responsible for reacting to threatening stimuli).

Scopolamine intoxication is an example of transient global amnesia and the severity of its effect will depend on the dose used.

Repercussions after intoxication

Dr. Myriam Gutiérrez, who heads the Department of Toxicology at the National University of Colombia, assures us that burundanga is the perfect substance for criminal acts since the victim cannot remember anything (not even that he or she has collaborated in the act) and, therefore, there is no denunciation. Moreover, this substance disappears within 15-30 minutes from the Blood and in about 12 hours it also disappears from the urine, which makes it very difficult to obtain positive toxicological analyses. This, of course, represents a limitation for proving that someone has been poisoned (Ardila-Ardila, et al. (Ardila-Ardila, Moreno and Ardila-Gómez, 2006).

After the fact, other studies, such as the one carried out by Bernal, Gómez, López and Acosta (2013), show that many of the victims of scopolamine intoxication have shown, once the intoxication episode has passed, important medical, cognitive and social repercussions, such as attentional and such as attentional and concentration failures, anterograde amnesia (difficulty in remembering recent events), anxiety, isolation, etc. These negative effects on health are due to the fact that, in most cases, this episode generates a trauma and leaves after-effects, making psychological treatment and subsequent follow-up important.

There is little advice to give, since we are all vulnerable to falling into situations such as this. we are all vulnerable to fall into situations like thisHowever, it is always good to remind ourselves of preventive measures such as: always keep our drinking under control when we go out for a drink, try to go out in a group, and in case we find ourselves in this situation (God forbid...) it is very important to go to the nearest hospital (try to go without urinating and without washing) and, of course, to go to the nearest hospital (try to go without urinating and without washing), report it to.

Conclusions and data to take into account about Burundanga

Burundanga is, in short, a substance whose main purpose is to induce a state of chemical submission. It is a drug made to be used in crimes and criminal acts, so its study is important to implement prevention measures. Unfortunately, perhaps because of burundanga's association with nighttime party contexts and, on occasion, with sordid environments, little is still known about scopolamine.

It is possibly the case that burundanga is produced on a small scale by related laboratories, which maintain some control over the destination of their merchandise in order to avoid attracting too much attention. However, it is to be expected that if the effects of burundanga become more popular, this power to monitor what happens with scopolamine will be lost. Unfortunately, the level of knowledge about this drug will keep pace with its use.