Mike Tyson Says He 'Died' During His First Trip on Psychedelic Toad Venom

Mike Tyson has described his first experience with toad venom as "beautiful" while promoting the drug's potential for medicinal use. 

Speaking to Jacquelynn Powers Maurice of the New York Post, former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson explained that he "died" during his first trip while using the psychedelic drug four years ago. 

"In my trips I’ve seen that death is beautiful," he said. "Life and death both have to be beautiful, but death has a bad rep. The toad has taught me that I’m not going to be here forever. There’s an expiration date."

According to Maurice, the venom comes from the Mexican amphibian Bufo alvarius that spends most of the year living underground, but "its venom can be smoked to produce a short psychoactive trip" when it's active.

Tyson said he first tried the drug "as a dare" from a friend during a time in his life when he was using "heavy drugs like cocaine." 

"Before I did the toad, I was a wreck. The toughest opponent I ever faced was myself," the 55-year-old said. "I had low self-esteem. People with big egos often have low self-esteem. We use our ego to subsidize that. The toad strips the ego."

While discussing the potential use of psychedelic treatments for brain trauma in June, Johns Hopkins University Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Matthew W Johnson told the Guardian's Ben Wyatt, "I think it’s viable and worthy of more scientific exploration. ... I think it could be a revolution in psychiatry, though it’s not going to be for everyone."

Since he began using toad venom, Tyson said he's lost about 100 pounds and gotten his life back on track. He recently invested in biotech company Wesana Health that specializes in medicinal psychedelics.