In early 2008 a panicked email made the rounds in Latin America, warning about the dangers of a new drug, “Burundanga.” The email claimed that criminal uses of the incapacitating drug against lone women and partygoers was becoming “an epidemic,” citing cases of the drug being passed to victoms via business cards and flyers. Five months later, most of the talk about the drug revolves around urban legends - like that it turns you into a zombie or that prostitutes put it on their nipples to drug clients. False and false - but the reality is much scarier.

Burundanaga, alternately known by its official name Scopalamine, has been with us for a long time.

Made out of plants in the Nightshade family, it can be found in anti-nausea and anti-smoking patches, as well as in the pupil-dilating eyedrops found at your ophthalmologist’s. Besides that, it’s especially well known for its ability to cause temporary memory loss, “anterograde amnesia” aka:

The inability to recall events a certain amount of time after its administration or during the time of intoxication.

They even used to give it to pregnant ladies:

Scopolamine was used in the 1940s through the 1960s to put mothers in labor into a kind of “twilight sleep” that didn’t stop pain, but merely eliminated the memory of pain by attacking the brain functions responsible for self-awareness and self-control. Often, this resulted in a kind of psychosis, followed by post-traumatic stress-like memories in thousands of new mothers.

Less hilarious than inducing PTSD in new mothers is the recent rise in Burundanga’s criminal use. Countries like Colombia and Venezuela are reporting a barrage of incidents where the drug is being used to rob, rape or even kill victims, but the surviving victims have no memory of what happened. The drug’s effect has been described thusly:

“Under its influence you remain lucid and articulate yet absolutely compliant to any suggestion. When your ‘trip’ is over, you have no recollection of what has transpired.”

Many of the crimes happened at clubs or bars, where the victim had the drug slipped into their drink, and then awoke the next day to find themselves robbed or worse. So kind of like a roofie, except it’s way more easily obtained and can cause hallucinations and paralysis (not to mention drooling). The good news is that it seems unlikely the business-card story is true, since it’d be difficult to get enough of the drug just through skin contact. The bad news is it’s almost impossible to defend yourself once you’ve been drugged, since you A. essentially lose your free will and B. don’t know what’s going on. Victims often report waking up to find that they’ve emptied their bank accounts, and the bank surveillance cameras show them cheerfully walking in to the ATMs alone and seemingly sober.

So how likely is it that any of us will encounter it? Depends. The drug seems to be used most often in South America, especially at night clubs or brothels, so if you go to such venues, just watch your damn drink. Common sense should be enough to keep you safe, especially if you stick with a friend and don’t go licking any strange powders.

Burundanga Drug Warning [About]
Scopalamine [Medical Dictionary]
Colombian Devil’s Breath [VBS]