Post by John Okiyi Kalu (@JOK)

Can smoking a dead scorpion really make someone hallucinate for hours?

-Reports from Pakistan say yes—but science has yet to confirm exactly what’s happening. The gap between folklore and evidence is fascinating.

Reports from Pakistan have documented the practice of smoking dead scorpions for their alleged psychoactive effects, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to these reports, dried scorpions are burned and the smoke inhaled, sometimes mixed with tobacco or hashish.

Individuals interviewed in these media reports described intense experiences lasting for several hours, including hallucination-like effects and altered perception, such as objects appearing to move or “dance.” However, these descriptions are anecdotal and have not been confirmed in controlled scientific studies.

Claims that smoking scorpions produces a predictable 10-hour high are based primarily on personal accounts rather than rigorous clinical or pharmacological research.

Scorpion venom consists of complex mixtures of peptides and proteins that primarily target ion channels in the nervous system. A scorpion sting can cause severe pain, abnormal heart rhythms, breathing difficulties, neurological complications, and, in some cases, death.

What happens to these compounds when scorpion tissue and venom are burned and inhaled remains poorly understood. There is currently little scientific evidence identifying which, if any, psychoactive substances survive combustion and produce the reported effects.

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