SCOPOLAMINE (BURUNDANGA): SYMPTOMS AND MECHANISM OF ACTION - ARTE - 2025

The scopolamine or burundanga is an alkaloid which has a therapeutic use for their antimuscarinic effects and anticolinérgicosque. Its most popularly known effect is the cancellation of the will. It is extracted from various plants, mainly from the Solanaceae family, such as the white henbane, the thorn apple, the mandrake, the brugmansia or the scopolia.

Specifically, it is used to treat postoperative nausea and vomiting, gastrointestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome, or motion sickness (movement disorder).

Structure of L-Scopolamine

On the other hand, it also serves as an analgesic and for Parkinson's symptoms. In fact, scopolamine is on the World Health Organization's essential drugs list.

However, it is more commonly known to be a dangerous drug that is linked to crime. This is because it is often used to stun victims in order to commit robberies (94%) and sexual abuse (6%). This substance is ideal for this purpose because it is difficult to detect: it does not smell, it has no taste and it is colorless.

The effects of this substance are passivity, submission, loss of will, disorientation, and alterations in the consciousness, memory, language, perception and behavior of the victim.

Burundanga is used for criminal purposes mainly in South America, although there have also been cases in Spain. It is very common in these cases that scopolamine is used mixed with other substances, such as benzodiazepines, to increase the symptoms of submission. This is known as the "new burundanga."

Usually the typical situation is that the thief convinces the victim to give up all their savings or valuable belongings, and the victim accepts without offering any resistance. After the effects wear off, the victim may have memory gaps that prevent them from remembering the details of the event.

Burundanga is extremely toxic and must be used in very small doses. An overdose of this drug can cause delusions, seizures, paralysis, and even death.

A little history about the burundanga

The first person to isolate hyoscine (scopolamine) was the German chemist Albert Ladenburg in 1880. Although burundanga was previously used in different civilizations for its healing properties.

Throughout history it has also been used for spells, witchcraft, or other spiritual purposes. It is also said that the CIA recently used it as a "truth serum" to interrogate enemies, although it appears that it was not very effective.

For a time it was administered with morphine to reduce labor pains, although it was no longer used due to the high infant mortality it caused. It is now known that pregnant women can transmit this drug to the fetus, as well as during breastfeeding.

Currently the main use is for medical treatments, in addition to criminal uses. However, it is important to mention that there are many myths about burundanga. Both about the symptoms it generates, as well as its severity and the frequency of crimes. Apparently some tabloid media have exaggerated on the subject by facilitating certain false beliefs.

Symptoms of consuming burundanga

The following are the most typical symptoms of scopolamine:

-Avoid memory formation.

-Apathy.

-Decrease in anxiety.

-Aggressive behavior.

- Reduction of the activity of the secretory glands, reducing the release of saliva, sweat and those produced by the digestive system and bronchi. The person feels dry, thirsty, with difficulty speaking and swallowing. Other consequences are urinary retention and bronchodilation.

- Mydriasis or dilated pupils, in addition to blurred vision.

- Constriction of blood vessels, causing flushing of the skin.

- Tachycardia, with hypertension in some cases.

- Hyperthermia or fever.

How does burundanga work on the nervous system?

The exact mechanism of action of burundanga in the nervous system is not fully understood, but there are some hypotheses about its operation that are described in this section.

Burundanga very easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, causing alterations in the brain.

It has inhibitory effects on muscarinic receptors (especially M1), blocking them, so that nerve cells cannot receive acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a fundamental neurotransmitter in our body, since it participates in muscle contraction, concentration and memory.

Affection to the formation of new memories

The nucleus basalis of Meynert is a part of our brain full of cholinergic cells (which release and receive acetylcholine), very important for memory. Burundanga seems to have a special effect in this area.

Specifically, it prevents the data to be remembered from being transmitted to memory storage places such as the hippocampus. That is, it prevents information from being fixed in memory. Although this blockage may not be complete, and the person may remember some isolated details of what happened to him when he was under the influence of this substance.

In the aforementioned study by Ardila et al. observed that retrograde amnesia (not being able to recall events that occurred before the drug) was minimal, but anterograde amnesia (problems fixing memories after taking the drug) lasted between 1 and 72 hours.

In addition, those with long-term amnesia also reported personality changes and neuropsychological disorders. Mainly problems with attention and memory difficulties.

Regarding the blockade of muscarinic receptors in the frontal lobe, this causes the apathy, decrease of anxiety and aggressive behavior that is observed in the victims.

Neurotransmitter blockade

It is also possible that scopolamine blocks the activity of other neurotransmitters such as serotonin, mostly in the limbic system. This would produce psychosis and other documented psychiatric symptoms in some patients who are predisposed to suffer them.

Studies have shown that burundanga or scopolamine causes temporary changes in the electrical activity of the brain.

Affected cognitive functions

The most altered cognitive functions under the effects of this drug are: working memory, semantic memory, word learning, autobiographical memory, information registration, lexical retrieval, free evocation and speed of information processing.

According to Álvarez (2008), scopolamine in some people can cause disorientation, psychomotor excitement, hallucinations, delirium, aggressiveness, seizures, coma and even death.

Effects of the new burundanga

As for the "new burundanga", which is the one that is combined with central nervous system depressants such as benzodiazepines and phenothiazines, it causes GABAergic effects.

GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, causing sedative and drowsy effects. Furthermore, the new burundanga calms the victim, enhances her amnesia, and inhibits aggressiveness.

Administration and duration of the effects of burundanga

Burundanga appears as a fine, crystalline, white powder. It is generally absorbed quickly through the intestine, since its most common administration is orally. However, it can also be injected, snorted, or smoked. In this way, it can be added very easily to food, beverages, cigarettes and aerosols.

Its maximum effect is reached within the first 3 hours after consumption and then gradually decreases. It is eliminated through urine, sweat and reaches breast milk. It also affects the fetus in pregnant women.

Most of the drug is expelled through the urine during the first 12 hours. With its elimination in such a short time, the difficulty in obtaining positive toxicological analyzes is understandable.

It is difficult to prove that someone has received scopolamine since patients usually go to the doctor after 12 hours from the administration of the substance. However, it can be detected through a hair analysis.

According to Bernal, Gómez, López and Acosta (2013) the effects disappear in 48 hours, and if the treatment is rapid, it is rare for long-term sequelae to appear. Although this depends on the dose received, whether the substance is presented alone or with other drugs, and the medical and psychological history of the victim.

Treatment

If poisoning by this substance is suspected, medical attention is necessary as soon as possible.

Health professionals will try to maintain the affected person with adequate levels of oxygen, hydration, and body temperature. If the intake has been oral, a gastric lavage may be convenient.

On the other hand, in severe poisonings delirium or coma can occur. In these cases, physostigmine is usually administered, a very useful drug to combat the typical anticholinergic effects of scopolamine.

It has also been found that an administration of donepezil partly improves the symptoms produced by burundanga, mainly those associated with working memory, short-term memory and visual-motor functions.

Is burundanga poisoning common?

Burunganda 3D structure

According to Uribe, Moreno, Zamora and Acosta (2005) in Colombia it ranked first in the poisonings treated in clinical services. In fact, in Bucaramanga 80% of intoxications corresponded to scopolamine or the “new burundanga” (a combination of scopolamine and central nervous system depressants). It was administered mainly in drinks offered by strangers (75% of the cases).

These authors observed that criminal intoxication was more frequent in men (79.1%) between 20 and 50 years (83.8%). In addition, in most cases only one toxic (65%), two toxic (14.42%) were detected and in 20.47% none were detected. Probably because these last patients arrived at the clinic later than they should, making it impossible to detect the toxic substance.

Ardila et al. They developed a questionnaire with the objective of knowing the frequency of intoxication by burundanga for criminal purposes in Bogotá. They examined 373 men and 404 women between 18 and 55 years old, obtaining that 2.06% of them stated that at some point in their life they had suffered an intoxication with this substance.

This intoxication was greater in men of high economic status, and the most common motive was theft. In the case of women, sexual abuse occurred more frequently. Furthermore, only 50% of the cases went to the hospital, and less than 20% were reported to the police.

The authors concluded that possibly several hundred people could be poisoned by scopolamine in Bogotá each month.

On the other hand, there have been cases of accidental poisoning in adults and children who have ingested parts of the plant, or contaminated honey from bees.

In the United States, 79% of scopolamine poisoning cases were due to accidental causes (Bernal, Gómez, López & Acosta, 2013).

References

1. Álvarez, L. (2008). Borrachero, sabanero or floripondio cacao (brugmansia spp.). A group of plants to be rediscovered in Latin American biodiversity. Culture and Drugs, 13 (15), 77-93.
2. Ardila A., Ardila SE (2002). Scopolamine poisoning (burundanga). Social characteristics. Neuropsychology, Neuropsychiatry and Neurosciences, 4; 161-74.
3. Bernal, A., Gómez, D., López, S., & Acosta, MR (2013). Neuropsychological, neurological and psychiatric implications in a case of scopolamine poisoning. Psychology: Advances in Discipline, 7 (1), 105-118.
4. Camelo Roa, SM, & Ardila, A. (2013). Short and long-term effects of scopolamine on memory and conceptual skills. Diversitas: Perspectives in Psychology, 9 (2), 335-346.
5. Ebert, U., Siepmann, M., Oertel, R., Wesnes, KA, & Kirch, W. (1998). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of scopolamine after subcutaneous administration. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 38 (8), 720-726.